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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.
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.
Want Better Health and Better Lives? Think Life Sciences.
We often hear stories about Chicago’s south and west side lacking resources that most of us take for granted and many feel as though there is no hope. A product of Chicago's south and west side, Dr. Suzet McKinney's work has taken her around the world, advising mayors, governors, federal officials and international governments. She shares her idea about the power of life science innovation hubs and how they could create sustainable economic development, minimize health disparities, and empower communities.
The Geography of Inequality
American cities were not always racially segregated. Minneapolis is no exception. But in the early 20th century, something called the ‘racial covenant’ began remaking the geography of cities across the country. These covenants were legal clauses that prevented people of color from owning or occupying property. And while covenants have been illegal for over a half-century, their legacy lives on. Today, Minneapolis has some of the worst racial disparities in the United States. In this talk, Kevin Ehrman-Solberg shows how these contemporary disparities are rooted in the spatial practices of the past.
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.