A’18: New York, New York!

Just a very brief blog post this week: I’m in New York having just attended the 2018 American Institute of Architects Conference on Architecture, which concluded Saturday. This is my first ever visit to The Big Apple, a bucket list trip for me, and it’s been incredible, everything I’d imagined and more. I’m here until Tuesday, with much left to take in. 

Under the banner of a “Blueprint for Better Cities,” the AIA cast New York as the ideal setting for articulating a new urban agenda for the 21^st century. Like other major cities worldwide, New York is facing existential challenges. As 2018 AIA President Carl Elefante, FAIA said, the world is witnessing the dawning of the urban era. Most of the world’s population now lives in cities. Climate change has passed a tipping point, while social and economic inequities remain confoundingly persistent. The pace and scope of changes threaten to overwhelm us. New York’s destiny is one shared by many other American cities. How America’s greatest metropolis confronts its challenges will undoubtedly provide architects working elsewhere with useful lessons. 

I’ll leave New York greatly enriched by the experience and am grateful for having taken the opportunity. More to come in future posts.