Urban Refuge I Echoes of Empathy explores how architecture can restore a sense of home for external/internal climate refugees through an urban, social, and developmental lens. As global displacement increases due to environmental crises, this project investigates how children—often the most vulnerable—can become leaders in the healing and rebuilding of community. Set in Downtown Los Angeles, the proposal transforms a forgotten amenity deck into a rooftop learning and healing park for displaced children aged 3–12, with adjacent communal spaces where adults can engage, reflect, and relearn empathy. Architecture becomes both a vessel for recovery and a framework for social integration, fostering belonging, equity, and resilience. By embedding play, education, and interaction into the site’s core, the project positions children as catalysts for social change—eliminating bias and nurturing collective healing. Adaptable to other urban contexts, this model proposes a new kind of refuge—one rooted in empathy and designed to echo across generations.
Urban Refuge: Echoes of Empathy
