Monday, September 17, John visited the “Devils” class and spoke about his practice and his work as centered in collaboration — often with community groups. What was immediately notable about John was his engagement with the class — in particular asking everyone about who they were. This ability to engage and connect with others seems crucial to any designer hoping to succeed doing work with a “client” who isn’t just one individual, but many. John spoke about his background designing skyscrapers and the challenge of designing the look of things without understanding why that ultimately led him to his interest in urban design. His presentation defines urban design while it also describes its origins. What was revealed most significantly was the way in which different community participate in the process of set the right balance for their desires and needs, driven most significantly in trying to achieve balance between efficiency and justice. The process of a community-based collaboration was demonstrated through a case study — the Green Street Project.
Below is a pdf of John’s presentation, “What is Urban Design?”