The City College ASLA-NY Student Chapter is hosting its 7th annual Rising Urbanist conference on Saturday, April 13th, starting at 9:30am. The conference will be FREE for all participants to attend, in keeping with this year’s theme: “A Seat at the Table.”
In the 2024 installment of Rising Urbanists, we will open conversation with individuals from the fields of landscape architecture, anthropology, community development, restoration, preservation, land management, building architecture, and urban design to discuss the necessity of interdisciplinary involvement in the design process in New York City and beyond. We will emphasize the multiple ways in which we can engage with spatial justice and inclusivity.
Keynote speaker: Dr. Setha Low, author of Why Public Space Matters
5.5 LACES CEUs- Approved
Sessions and Speakers:
9:30am
Coffee and Registration
9:50am
Opening Remarks
Marta Gutman, Dean, Spitzer School of Architecture
10:00- 11:15 am
Panel: Community Driven Development
Panelists:
Ehi Uwa, The Community Preservation Corporation
Andrea Parker, Director, Gowanus Canal Conservancy and Adjunct Lecturer, Spitzer School of Architecture
lfeoma Ebo, Assistant Professor, Spitzer School of Architecture
Moderator:
Nada Gatalo (MLA ‘25)
11:30am – 12:20 pm
Presentation: Bridging the Gap: How Engineers and Landscape Architects Collaborate to Build Beautiful Infrastructure
Gentry Lock, Stantec
1:20- 2:20 pm
Keynote presentation: Why Public Space Matters
Setha Low, Distinguished Professor, Psychology, Anthropology, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Women’s and Gender Studies at the Graduate Center, CUNY
2:30-3:45pm
Panel: Stewarding Public Space: Case Studies in Practice
Panelists:
Jason Smith, Director, Northern Manhattan Parks, New York Restoration Project
Gabriel Cummings, Trails Technical Manager, Natural Areas Conservancy
Georgia Faulkner, Senior Director of Partnerships Programming and Public Space, The Hort
Sam Bishop, Director of Education and Arborist, Trees New York
Moderator:
Matt Garczynski (MLA ‘23), NYC Parks, Natural Resources Group
4:00- 5:00pm
Presentation: Planning with Perspective: What Nature Are We Designing For?
Denise Hoffman Brandt, Professor, Spitzer School of Architecture
Michael King, Lecturer, Spitzer School of Architecture
5:30- 8:00pm
Happy Hour Location TBD
About Rising Urbanists
Since 2017, the Student ASLA Chapter of City College has been organizing and hosting Rising Urbanists, a full day conference in which we examine a topic within our field of landscape architecture and urban planning from a framework of social and environmental justice. Our goal is to create an interdisciplinary space where people with varied backgrounds in practice and academia can have a challenging and productive discussion on the annual topic. We are proud of this tradition and are dedicated to continuing the legacy of this kind of student-led and -organized space.
About Dr. Setha Low
Distinguished Professor, Psychology, Anthropology, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Women’s and Gender Studies
Public spaces — where people from all walks of life play, work, meet, talk, read, think, debate, and protest — are vital to a healthy civic life. And, as the eminent scholar of public space Setha Low argues in “Why Public Space Matters,” even fleeting moments of visibility and encounter in these spaces tend to foster a broader worldview and our willingness to accept difference. Such experiences also enhance flexible thinking, problem solving, creativity, and inclusiveness. There are many such spaces, but they all enhance social life. Sidewalks and plazas offer business opportunities for small-scale entrepreneurs who cannot afford store space. Public parks have long provided major cultural attractions, from plays to concerts, at little or no cost to the public. Central squares have a storied tradition as arenas for demonstrations and political protests. Parks and waterways create sustainable greenways, and during disasters, all manner of public spaces become centers for food delivery and shelter. To illustrate their value, Low draws from decades of research in public spaces across the Americas, from New York to Costa Rica.
Link to bio: Dr. Setha Low, CUNY Graduate Center
Thank you for helping us give everyone a seat at the table! Would you consider donating to help us provide this conference for free? Suggested donation: $15
Registration below. Please purchase $15 ticket if you are able to donate, or RSVP to attend for free.