A moderated panel discussion on notions of the Master Plan.  Developers, urban planners, sociologists and architects work together in re-shaping large portions of cities or creating new ones each for a different goal but all through a common process: the master plan.  This road-map to a better future can be a lifetime in its execution and affect millions of lives.  How do the roles of the players shift according to the context – ranging from that of developing countries, expanding cities and intervention within established urban fabric?  What are ways in which the master plan can redeem ailing conditions, prepare for growth and drive an economy?  How is the position of the architect defined from within and from without.

What does it mean to be a woman in the construction industry practicing, as a ‘single figure’, a ‘a pair / a couple’ or ‘as part of a large firm’ and doing so locally or globally?  
What are the challenges and the opportunities that women who choose either of these models face?  
How do these choices help establish, define and develop professional identity and career path?
What is the significance of the family/work balance in the various models outlined?
These are a few of the questions we will be examining through the filter of the above models described.

Event Recap / Blog
 

Roots and influences – the formation, education and development of a designer based on their milieu.
How is milieu defined?  Is it based on geographic delineation, institutional climate or professional culture?
What are the qualifiers of NY voices abroad and world voices in the melting pot of NYC?  Other cities?
When and how do divergent voices begin to converge?
 

How does one define the universal through the culturally specific? 

How can we operate at once with global awareness but in a contextually significant manner? 

What are the differentiating qualities of global and local work at varying scales of intervention?

How do small, medium and large firms approach their practice locally and globally?

EVENT RECAP

The AIANY Global Dialogues Committee has dedicated this year to “(dis)Covered Identities.” The theme aims to explore ways by which cultures, cities, and voices define or refine their identities through a global exchange of ideas and conversations covering multiple topics, perspectives and trends of our time. "Viral Voices" will specifically explore the impact of social media, technology, and device culture on our design process and the way we practice. How do we shape a global conversation?

In the age of social media and information, what are the iconic images of a city and the buildings that populate it? 

Does the propagation of architectural imagery, the collective image of a place affect the conceptualization of a building and play a role in urban planning?

What are the esoteric and the iconic landmarks of our times? 

How has the architectural travel journal evolved through the use of social media to record our findings, explorations and experiences?

Has the civic identity of a city, its planning and its architecture evolved through the changing lens?

EVENT RECAP

How much of the identity of a city is portrayed by and is experienced through the social behavior and usage of civic space? And what role does public art play in shaping it? 

What becomes of the ‘un-programed space’ in the era of interactive public art?

What informs policy makers’ choices with regards to the design and programming of ‘open space’ in the cities of the world?

How do public art installations, both permanent and temporary, become landmarks for a city - with touristic and economic benefits?

EVENT RECAP

Many major universities of today are global entities with footprints in multiple countries.  What are the driving forces, goals and outcomes of these efforts; particularly as connections between East and West are formed? What are the advantages of physical (re)location particularly with the availability of distance learning and virtual communication.  What are the critical ingredients for the successes of these endeavors and how is success measured?  What are the challenges and opportunities of the architect and planner in this multifaceted process?  

We will be looking at various distinct models such as : NYU Shanghai, Education City in Qatar, Asian University for Women, as well as that of the ‘virtual campus’ : Columbia University’s Studio ‘X’, in a series of short presentations and a moderated panel discussion among architects, educators, planners, and University visionaries.