Poldergeist is the alter ego of Simon Richter, Class of 1942 Endowed Term Professor of Germanic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Simon's research focuses on cultural aspects of climate adaptation in Germany, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and the United States. As an environmental humanist, Simon engages in activities that blur distinctions between traditional scholarship, urban design, and environmental activism. In 2018/19, he was a member of One Resilient Semarang, an international team of urban designers, hydrological engineers, ecologists, and urban and environmental activists. Semarang is a coastal city in North-Central Java that is rapidly subsiding. In 2020, he joined One Architecture's team in the Resilience by Design program for the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam. Project Poldergeist is an experiment in storytelling, creative reflection, intercultural awareness, and collaboration.