Designer, activist, academic,
and author of Lo—TEK,
Design by Radical Indigenism.
A leading expert of Lo—TEK nature-based technologies for climate-resilience.
Her eponymously named studio brings creative and conceptual, interdisciplinary thinking to urban projects and corporate clients interested in systemic and sustainable change. Julia regularly teaches urban design at Harvard and Columbia University.
Storyteller
Julia Watson is an award-winning author, internationally recognized speaker, and leading voice in the global movement toward regenerative design through Indigenous knowledge systems. Her work uplifts ecological intelligence cultivated over millennia—offering a radical rethinking of sustainability, design, and our relationship with the natural world. Her award-winning, bestselling books, Lo—TEK, Design by Radical Indigenism and Lo—TEK Water, A Field Guide for TEKnology, are redefining how we imagine the future of cities and communities. Julia invites us to move beyond high-tech solutions and instead embrace ancestral knowledge systems rooted in deep relationships with place. She writes, speaks, and teaches around the world on the power of Indigenous technologies and design as a path toward ecological resilience, cultural preservation, and decolonized futures.
BOOKS
Lo—TEK Water
A Field Guide for TEKnology
“Lo—TEK Water is a vital and beautifully illustrated guide that reveals Indigenous knowledge as essential for building climate-resilient futures.”
— Architectural Digest
“A visual masterpiece and manifesto that urges us to rethink progress.”
— The Guardian
Lo—TEK
Design by Radical Indigenism
Julia Watson speaks globally at the intersection of climate, culture, and design. Her talks are rooted in story, science, and the spiritual intelligence of Indigenous knowledge systems. She’s spoken on stages from TED to The Long Now and at academic institutions worldwide.
Julia's keynotes, panels, and workshops center on:
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Lo–TEK: Indigenous Design & Innovation
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Sustainable Urbanism & Ecological Infrastructure
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Climate Resilience through Vernacular Technologies
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Designing with Nature & Regenerative Ecologies
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Decolonizing Design: Indigenous Knowledge Systems
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Regenerative Architecture & Living Systems
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Rewilding Cities: A New Vision for the Anthropocene
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The Future of Infrastructure
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Nature-Based Solutions in the Built Environment
