REDESIGNING CITIES: The Speedwell Foundation Talks @ Georgia Tech

What roles do homeownership, the affordable housing crisis, and the law play in achieving the goals of Dr. Martin Luther King’s beloved community? Can housing design, land use policy, and activism overcome political and social barriers to enrich connectedness, neighboring, and belonging – especially today? Drawing on her extensive experience managing transformational change in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, Natosha Reid Rice speaks to these challenges and shares lessons on how to leverage the power of proximity to curate thriving communities now. 

Can Urban AI activate human agency in the performance and design of cities, particularly in relation to climate change? Can the unfair systems that produce climate vulnerability in the first place, expand the role of marginalized stakeholders in climate adaptation? Leading urban tech researcher, Dr. Anthony Townsend examines the role that artificial intelligence innovations could and are playing in empowering such communities. From resilience planning chatbots to synthetic visualizations of flood threats, he maps the possibilities and risks presented by these emerging technologies for the urgent work of responsible participatory climate adaptation. Debra Lam leads a follow-up conversation.

Why are more and more cities buying their dead shopping malls and taking on the role of master (re)developer - rather than leaving that job to experienced real estate developers? Downtown Westminster is an excellent example of this kind of suburban retrofit. Its lead designer, Neal Payton, Senior Principal with Torti-Gallas + Partners and Sarah Nurmela, Mayor Pro Tem of Westminster, CO present the project and discuss both the advantages and challenges of such an approach. 

Wildfires, urban heat, sea level rise, and the many other impacts of climate change are starting to turn desirable communities into high-risk locations and threatening food and water supplies. How, when, and where will displaced people move? How are cities preparing for the loss or gain of climate migrants? Award-winning author and investigative reporter Abrahm Lustgarten shares research from his new book on these questions. Host Ellen Dunham-Jones leads a follow-up discussion with Abrahm, Jairo Garcia of Georgia Tech, and Camille Cortes and Matt Lambert, both of DPZ-Co-Design and leaders of PLACE Initiative.  

Amanda Loper, principal of David Baker Architects and director of the Birmingham, AL office is an expert on designing beautiful, affordable and market rate housing that's both contemporary and local. Ellen Dunham-Jones interviews her in this follow up to her lecture at GA Tech on her and David's new book, Nine Ways to Make Housing for People.(see the video on the Redesigning Cities website.) They discuss designing housing for people vs as a commodity, "small but mighty" interventions, how to determine what "better here"looks like, and some nerdy details of financing affordable housing that we all can expand on. 

Cities only have a finite amount of land – does it make sense that they tax lower density areas at a lower rate? How should cities balance the cost of maintaining infrastructure on a per acre basis with how land use policies impact the amount of property taxes those same acres produce?  Joe Minicozzi explains the simple math that anyone interested in redesigning cities should know. This fascinating talk relies heavily on visuals. Listeners unfamiliar with his 3D visualizations of property tax/acre revenues showing short green spikes for low values and “purple mountains” of tall spikes for high value properties may prefer to watch the video of Joe’s talk.

This episode continues the discussion begun during Episode 32: What Transit Modes Where? and is co-hosted by Better Atlanta Transit. Atlanta-based experts give Pecha Kucha/Lightning Talks on innovations in micromobility, micro-transit & communication technologies, inclusive transportation, transit policy and legislation. Opening and closing remarks discuss the implications of these innovations on our experience of cities in general, and Atlanta in particular.  

How have youth organizations in disinvested neighborhoods reinvigorated models of democratic citizenship and collective life? Can the exercise of collective agency in the physical space of “the commons” provide young people with the practical skills to engage with today’s economic, racial, and ecological crises? Dr. Sharon Egretta Sutton’s newest and sixth book, Pedagogy of a Beloved Commons: Pursuing Democracy's Promise Through Place-Based Activism, makes that case and we discuss her research on how urban design and urban designers can empower the disenfranchised.

As urban population growth across the globe continues to sprawl outwards, how do we promote healthier development patterns in diverse economies and cultures? With a particular focus on corridors, Peter Calthorpe presents the strategies he developed in association with the World Bank to address the three dominant types of sprawl: high-income sprawl as found in the US, low-income sprawl as found in Mexico, and high-density sprawl as found in China.  A prolific author, visionary urban designer, and impactful advocate for linking sustainable growth and policy, Peter Calthorpe delivered this year’s Georgia Tech TSW Lecture, followed by a conversation with Professor Ellen Dunham-Jones.

Episode 35_Gil Penalosa