It all begins with an idea.
Great ideas, work, and stories, delivered memorably, are acts of generosity that can have immense impact on our communities, cities, and the world.
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What if we could hear disease?
In this emotional and forward-thinking talk, Dr. Hossein Zargartalebi shares his deeply personal journey from a hospital room to a scientific breakthrough. His innovation—a molecular sensor that detects proteins in real time—may unlock a new era in healthcare, one where disease can be caught long before symptoms appear. By turning biology’s quietest signals into a clear voice, this technology gives us something medicine has never truly had before: the ability to act early, save lives, and give people back the most precious thing of all—time.
Who's ready to engineer a world that works for all?
What would the world be like if the disability community designed it?" With this provocative question, Vanessa Harris opens a groundbreaking exploration of universal access.
How our stories hold the power to transform healthcare
When architect Abbie Clary experienced the heartbreaking loss of her father within a fragmented healthcare system, it forever transformed her approach to healthcare design.
How cities can save the world
From McDonald's solar-powered flagship to the flood-resilient Riverwalk, Carol Ross Barney showcases how thoughtful design creates healthier, more resilient, and livable cities.
Evolving fashion from destructive to seductive and constructive
After decades of designing clothes for women, Maria Pinto has uncovered a deep truth about fashion and making intentional decisions about what we wear: You must first ask, “Who am I?” Maria explores seduction, beauty, sustainability, and the nature of making decisions that are intentionally grounded in who we are and who we hope to be.
The life changing power of designing with dirt
From immigrant parents to successful urban spaces, Ernie Wong weaves a story of struggling to gain his father's acceptance to creating an equitable world through landscape architecture. In doing so, he unveils a powerful truth about what it means to design urban spaces for our future generations, and how it transforms our lives. With reference to current climate and societal challenges, Ernie describes the innovative projects that capture the flavors of changing neighborhoods in Chicago and their futures.
Reimagining closed schools as incubators for creativity
Imagine your childhood school closing forever. How do we reimagine these spaces and reclaim them for community empowerment? In this insightful and inspiring talk, Paola Aguirre Serrano takes us on a journey of design justice, exploring art and architecture's role in revitalizing closed schools and reimagining the future of social infrastructure in our communities.
Climate action is 90% mindset and starts with a conversation
Doug Farr is fascinated with humanity’s struggle to talk about the Climate Emergency—our unsettled emotions, how we think the world works, and the negotiation we all go through before committing to take climate action. In this funny and provocative talk Doug shares how his own personal climate action journey led him to redo his house, stay home more, and co-found the Climate Action Museum.
Places and Spaces and the Behavior They Create
Can architecture bring people together and create community? Can it truly help people reach their full potential? Damaris Hollingsworth champions approachable and memorable spaces that are culturally relevant, accessible to all and committed to maximize human well being.
Great Cities Begin With Sidewalks
Re-thinking everyday sidewalks as the foundation of urbanism: how cities depend on sidewalks for public health, mobility, and urban design. It's easy to overlook the sidewalk. But so much depends on how we design our sidewalks, streets, and intersections. From the freedom to get around, to safety and public health, to the rich potential of people-centered urban design, understanding how sidewalks shape our lives is the key to designing great cities.