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Seattle Urban Eco-Evo Research Collaboration Network Workshop

Dr. Marina Alberti recently led the 2023 Seattle Urban Eco-Evo Research Collaboration Network Workshop, hosting a total of 40 in-person and virtual attendees from 25 universities around the globe. The Urban Eco Evo NET is a NSF funded collaboration research network to advance the study and understanding of urban eco-evolutionary dynamics and potential implications for human and ecological wellbeing.

Video: UDP Lecture Series- Lauren Hood, Rosa Lopez, and Madeleine Spencer

Creating great urban neighborhoods and taking action for environmental justice go hand in hand. Through their work, Lauren Hood, Rosa Lopez, and Madeleine Spencer discussed that crucial connection and ways we can envision and attain just and sustainable future cities. Learn more in this recording of their discussion in the UDP lecture series.

Mind’s Eye Sketchbook: Celebrating 50 years of art and observation by John Owen

On November 18th, we celebrated long-time friend of the Department, John Owen. John – artist, urban designer, architect, planner, and storyteller – is Partner Emeritus at MAKERS Architecture and Urban Design. As a keen observer of built and natural environments, John has spent his career creating transformative urban spaces that foster healthy people and communities. Beginning with his UW thesis analyzing the evolution of Seattle’s popular housing types, John has been a leader in Pacific Northwest urban design for nearly 50 years. His sketches and renderings span the breadth of city, architecture, and natural systems observation as well as cultural critiques and celebrations over decades. This exhibit offered a rare opportunity to see John’s process and progress behind the scenes.

He dedicated the show to the Equity Fund and the students it has and will support.

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As urban planners, designers, leaders, and innovators, we are working to change the culture and face of the planning profession so that who we are reflects those we serve. Our vision is a world in which all people are empowered with the ability to make decisions about their communities, and where all communities are fully engaged in the vital task of shaping our collective future.

Each year, we graduate a new generation of passionate professionals ready to contribute to the change we seek. Our students study urban planning because they believe in the need for an equitable, just future and they know that planners have the power to transform the world for the better.

Your donation helps us to recruit and support the studies of students who have deep experience with diversity. With your help, we can prepare the next generation of professionals to lead our communities, striving for a more vibrant, inclusive, and equitable society.

Professionals Council Lecture – Mitchell Silver


URBAN PLANNING & DESIGN PROFESSIONALS COUNCIL 2019 – 2020 LECTURE SERIES

Planning for People

Commissioner Mitchell Silver
New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

LectureJanuary 29, 2020 | Architecture Hall, University of Washington Campus (Seattle)

On January 29, 2020 Commissioner Mitchell Silver joined the Department of Urban Design & Planning for the winter quarter Professionals Council lecture. He presented insights from his 30-year career as a professional planner and international leader on contemporary planning issues.

Commissioner Silver oversees management, planning and operations of nearly 30,000 acres of parkland for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. His lecture, entitled “Planning for People”, spoke to the importance of centering planning work, particularly in the public realm, around communities:

As the country urbanizes and demographics of the American population shifts, planning and urban design is gaining greater importance to attain public health, social interaction and equity. However, equity has emerged as the new buzzword in the past decade. What does equity mean for the planning profession and how can planners implement it in the work they do?

To answer this question, Commissioner Silver shared practical examples from New York City, Washington, D.C and Raleigh, NC to show how planners can create equitable, healthy and just communities.

Mitchell Silver – UW Department of Urban Design and Planning Lecture Series from UW College of Built Environments on Vimeo.

Professionals Council Lecture – William Riggs


URBAN PLANNING & DESIGN PROFESSIONALS COUNCIL 2019 – 2020 LECTURE SERIES

Disruptive Transport

William Riggs
University of San Francisco

LectureNovember 20, 2019 | Architecture Hall, University of Washington Campus (Seattle)

Professor William Riggs joined the Department of Urban Design & Planning for the autumn quarter Professionals Council lecture. He spoke about the rise of shared and networked vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and other transportation technologies.

Currently, technological advancement is outpacing urban planning and policy. Professor Riggs discussed how these transformations can result in profound changes for cities. He also shared insights into how these changes can be used to catalyze a more livable, sustainable and socially just future.

William Riggs – UW Department of Urban Design and Planning Lecture Series from UW College of Built Environments on Vimeo.

UDP PhD Program 50th Anniversary

Interdisciplinary PhD in Urban Design and Planning: 50 years of Excellence

ReceptionMay 30, 2019 | Gould Hall, UW Campus (Seattle)
SeminarMay 31, 2019 | Allen Library, the Petersen Room, UW Campus (Seattle)

The Department of Urban Design and Planning celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Urban Design and Planning PhD program on May 30-31 2019. A welcome reception kicked off the event and provided an opportunity to reconnect on Thursday evening.

On the following day – Friday, May 31 – a symposium was held. It featured speakers and panels focusing on interdisciplinary efforts in urban planning. The full symposium schedule can be viewed below:

Symposium Schedule:
Trends in Interdisciplinary PhD Education and Research in Urban Design and Planning

READ MORE

CLAIMING SPACE

Women of Color in Community Planning + Design

SeminarMay 16, 2019 | Architecture Hall, University of Washington Campus (Seattle)
Panel DiscussionMay 17, 2019 | Henry Art Gallery and Allen Center for The Visual Arts (HAG)


CLAIMING SPACE was a seminar and intersectional conversation with landscape architect Diane Jones Allen, transportation equity planner Naomi Doerner, and community organizer Yordanos Teferi.

These professionals share the common characteristic of centering communities of color from a foundation of advocacy and design for democracy. Their work traverses themes of transportation, environmental justice, and cultural preservation, from New Orleans’ Ninth Ward to Seattle’s Othello neighborhood.

This event was hosted by the Diversity Committee in the Department of Urban Design and Planning. The program was primarily funded by the University of Washington Office of Equity and Diversity. Additional funding support came from The College of Built Environments, Deans Office, The Department of Urban Design and Planning, Urban @UW and The Department of Landscape Architecture.

Claiming Space – UW Department of Urban Design and Planning from UW College of Built Environments on Vimeo.