“Designed Forests: A Cultural History” is the newest book by curator and writer Dan Handel. This book delves into the profound relationship between forests and architectural and landscape design, exploring how “forest thinking” can inspire more sustainable, ethical design practices. Proposing that all forests are designed, Handel explores a diverse range of topics, including colonial forest management in India, the role of jungles in Vietnam's warfare, and hyper-technological forests in California. Throughout his work, he weaves together global narratives that illuminate the complex relationships between natural landscapes and human-built environments including the crucial impact of forests on global warming.
Continue reading for an exclusive interview with Dan as he shares his journey, inspirations, and the key messages he hopes to impart through his work.
Can you share a bit about your background and career?
I studied architecture but was always drawn to what’s beyond buildings: the underexplored ideas, figures, and practices that shape contemporary environments. Over the past decade, this fascination led me to a dual career of writer and curator: on the one role I developed a critical voice when writing about architectural and landscape projects, and on the other, I cut my teeth on the art of storytelling through visual and spatial experiences. I was the inaugural Young Curator at the prestigious Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, where I developed my first forest-related exhibition, and then presented a more ambitious show about wood and forest sites at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, which opened an avenue of curating shows dedicated to environments beyond buildings. At the same time, I developed my ideas about forests and design through a series of high-profile publications and presentations, including at the inaugural Prada Frames conference in Milan. These different experiences led to the writing of the new book.
Tell us about your new book, Designed Forests: A Cultural History.
Designed Forests: A Cultural History is a groundbreaking globetrotting narrative that explores how cultural metaphors shape our understanding of forests, influencing real environments and redefining our relationship with the planet. The book connects stories from various times and geographies, tracing key ideas that have had a significant impact on forests worldwide, including those we often think of as purely natural. Each chapter focuses on one such metaphor—such as forest intelligence or the concept of unruly jungles—to examine its resonance in different cultures and demonstrate its influence on the work of designers, scientists, and foresters, who in turn shape forest environments as we know them. I believe that by understanding human agency in shaping forests, we can reconsider their functions and our roles in a world facing climate crises.
What inspired you to write this book?
While studying in the US, I came across the curious checkerboard pattern of forests in the Pacific Northwest, which sent me on a trip to study industrial forests. These patterns, still visible on the ground, are the result of the 19th century land grants given to the railroad companies which then sold their lands to forest companies. It was there, in unnamed forests in Montana and Idaho, where I realized that forests, which we often consider as part of “nature”, are highly designed environments, shaped in every aspect by humans. When I began to search for it, I found forest ideas circulating everywhere in spatial design and began to see connections between, say, vertical forest towers in Milan to equilibrium theories developed by ecologists, to carbon sequestration calculations that make the argument that a building may equal a piece of forest in its environmental benefits. Seeking to understand and dispel some of these misconceptions sent me on a fifteen-year trail that led to the writing of this book.
What key messages do you hope readers will take away from your work?
I would like to offer three insights that can perhaps propel readers to rethink some of their assumptions about forests. first, that forests are not purely natural entities; they are human-designed landscapes. The idea of a "natural forest" is a cultural construct, as forests have been shaped, managed, and modified by humans for centuries. Second, the design of forests is influenced by shared ideas and metaphors among scientists, foresters, and spatial designers. These professionals rely on common cultural narratives that guide their approach to forest management and design. Third, by understanding the cultural metaphors that shape forest design, we can better grasp how human ideas influence the environment. This awareness allows us to reimagine the potential roles forests can play in addressing the challenges of climate change.
Which authors have influenced and inspired you along the way?
There are quite a few influences. In terms of content, Ursula K. Le Guin opened my eyes many years ago with her masterful novella, The Word for World is Forest, offering a nuanced perspective on forest environments beyond human-centric views. Amitav Ghosh, in his book The Great Derangement, inspired my thinking about how cultural conceptions (and misconceptions) shape the world around us. John R. Stilgoe has been a constant source of inspiration for his ability to bring the history of landscapes to life. In terms of writing craft, I’ve been influenced by Andrea Wulf’s ability to unpack complex scientific and philosophical discussions in accessible, fluid prose. Lastly, there’s Lewis Lapham, who sadly passed away recently. His dazzling ability to connect different times and places while offering pointed commentary on contemporary subjects remains, for me, a model of great writing.
What are you working on now, and what can we look forward to seeing from you next?
As an offshoot from the current book, I am now working on writing a global environmental history of wind and forest. Focusing on grand afforestation projects planted to slow down the wind, combat desertification, and control the movement of people, this work ventures into various parts of the world at various times, including Imperial China, India, the United States during the New Deal, Communist Russia, and Sahelian Africa, to redraw narratives of a world shaped by the meeting points between wind regimes.
Where can readers find out more about you and your work?
Frequent updates on curatorial and writing work can be found on my Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/danhandel_/ previous work can be found on my website: www.handandel.com
