Global Dialogues: Seoul, Newark, and New York

Seoul Deputy Mayor Young-Gull Kwon will be joined in conversation by Newark Deputy Mayor Stefan Pryor and New York City Chief Urban Designer Alexandros Washburn to discuss the integration of environmental design and urbanism. Please RSVP by following this link: http://aiany.org/calendar/rsvp.php?id=1010685. Dr. Young-Gull Kwon, Deputy Mayor and Chief Design Officer of Seoul and previously Dean of the Fine Arts College of Seoul National University, is the architect and planner responsible for many of the remarkable urban design and environmental improvements in Seoul, working with Mayor Oh Se-Hoon and Korea’s President Lee Myung-Bak, the previous Mayor of Seoul. The Cheong Gye Cheon project gave life to a stream buried for 600 years, uprooting a highway to transform the center of Seoul and show the way for a revitalization of the city through environmental urbanism. The Han River Renaissance Project similarly reclaims the edge of the city’s primary stream for bike paths and access to the water. The integrated “greening” of the city, creates a livable and softer metropolis that has been designated World Design Capital for 2010. The 2008 Seoul Design Olympiad was recently celebrated, bringing architects, planners, industrial designers and landscape architects to Seoul from all over the world. Dr. Kwon will present Seoul’s vision of the future and the lessons of the Design Olympiad. As Deputy Mayor for Economic Development in the City of Newark, Stefan Pryor oversees the City office responsible for economic development, city planning and housing, among other areas. Newark has been particularly innovative, since the election of Mayor Corey Booker, in planning for waterfront revitalization, sustainability, and affordable housing. Before his appointment to this post, Pryor served as President of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. The LMDC was created in the aftermath of September 11th by the State and City of New York to plan and help coordinate the physical rebuilding and economic revitalization of Lower Manhattan. Alexandros Washburn, AIA, Chief Urban Designer for the City of New York’s Department of City Planning, has extensive experience in environmental projects and public works, which now inform New York City’s transformation of the East River waterfront and other major initiatives. He has won local and national AIA awards as the Founding President of the Moynihan (Pennsylvania) Station Redevelopment Project. Previously Alex served as Environmental and Public Works Advisor to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and, as such, the only architect on the Senate staff. Alex also was a partner in W Architecture and Landscape Architecture which created innovative design strategies for waterfront, urban and campus environments. He has worked on several projects in Seoul in that capacity. The event continues the Global Dialogue emphasis of the AIA New York Chapter and will be introduced by 2008 Chapter President James McCullar, FAIA and moderated by Rick Bell, FAIA, Executive Director of the AIA New York Chapter. Rick was a speaker at the Seoul Design Olympiad where the AIA New York Chapter’s 2008 Design Awards represented New York City in the global cities exhibition. Organized by: AIA New York Chapter Sponsored by: NY Projects Location: Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place (Directions) Member Price: Free Nonmember Price: $10 Center for Architecture | 536 LaGuardia Place; New York, NY 10012 Visit our calendar entry here: http://www.aiany.org/calendar/event.php?id=1010685