Dear June 8 roundtable participants - Tulane School of Architecture ...
Dear June 8 roundtable participants - Tulane School of Architecture ... Dear June 8 roundtable participants - Tulane School of Architecture ...
The Architectural League of New York 594 Broadway, Suite 607 New York, NY 10012 212.753.1722 info@archleague.org www.archleague.org President Annabelle Selldorf Vice Presidents Paul Lewis Leo Villareal Michael Bierut Ken Smith Mahadev Raman Michael Sorkin Tucker Viemeister Mitch Epstein Secretary Vishaan Chakrabarti Treasurer Nat Oppenheimer Directors Amale Andraos Walter Chatham Kevin Chavers Arthur Cohen Roger Duffy Leslie Gill Maxine Griffith Frances Halsband Hugh Hardy Steven Holl Wendy Evans Joseph Craig Konyk Frank Lupo Thom Mayne Richard Meier Joseph Mizzi Peter Mullan Kate Orff Gregg Pasquarelli Lyn Rice Mark Robbins Susan Rodriguez Aby Rosen Karen Stein Robert A.M. Stern David Thurm Calvin Tsao Billie Tsien Life Trustees Christo and Jeanne-Claude Ulrich Franzen Barbara Jakobson Suzanne Stephens Massimo Vignelli Executive Director Rosalie Genevro Dear June 8 roundtable participants: Thank you for accepting our invitation to participate in the June 8 roundtable, cohosted by IBM, on the intersection of digital and information technologies and the urban environment. An absolutely stellar group of individuals will take part (a list with brief biographies is attached) and we are looking forward to a thought-provoking discussion. We intend for the roundtable to be an open-ended exploration of issues and challenges that participants currently find compelling. Participants include architects, engineers, government officials, technologists, information designers, communications theorists, design journalists, among other areas of expertise, and we think the conversation will be stimulating in its cross-disciplinarity as well as for the specific topics addressed. Greg Wessner, Cassim Shepard and I from the League will open and frame the conversation by outlining the work the League has undertaken over the past few years on architecture and pervasive computing and the new perspectives on these topics that we have shared through Urban Omnibus. IBM’s Sharon Nunes will kick off introductions with an overview of IBM’s Smarter Cities Initiative and the company’s efforts to help build more intelligent, connected and sustainable cities. To guide the ensuing conversation, we have asked several individuals with diverse perspectives – Laura Forlano, Mahadev Raman and Jonathan Mallie – to pose questions that are of current interest to them. Topics of discussion raised through their questions will focus on the values we want to preserve in our cities as they become increasingly overlaid and instrumented with digital systems; how cities can radically increase their resilience; and how the accessibility of information is affecting the building industry. Please come with your own questions related to the evolving relationship between digital systems and the design of the built environment. The discussion will take place at the Architectural League office, at 594 Broadway, Suite 607, beginning at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, June 8. At about 5:45 we will walk over to the Trespa Design Centre, at 62 Greene Street, for a reception and viewing of the “City of Systems” short videos created by Urban Omnibus and made possible by IBM as part of its commitment to use technology and information to help build more sustainable and intelligent cities. If you would like a guest to join you at the reception, please RSVP to Beth Schechner at beth.schechner@ketchum.com by Friday, June 3rd. I look forward to seeing you all next week. Rosalie Genevro Executive Director Architectural League of New York
- Page 2 and 3: Participant Biographies: Guruduth B
- Page 4 and 5: Laura Kurgan teaches architecture a
The Architectural League<br />
<strong>of</strong> New York<br />
594 Broadway, Suite 607<br />
New York, NY 10012<br />
212.753.1722<br />
info@archleague.org<br />
www.archleague.org<br />
President<br />
Annabelle Selldorf<br />
Vice Presidents<br />
Paul Lewis<br />
Leo Villareal<br />
Michael Bierut<br />
Ken Smith<br />
Mahadev Raman<br />
Michael Sorkin<br />
Tucker Viemeister<br />
Mitch Epstein<br />
Secretary<br />
Vishaan Chakrabarti<br />
Treasurer<br />
Nat Oppenheimer<br />
Directors<br />
Amale Andraos<br />
Walter Chatham<br />
Kevin Chavers<br />
Arthur Cohen<br />
Roger Duffy<br />
Leslie Gill<br />
Maxine Griffith<br />
Frances Halsband<br />
Hugh Hardy<br />
Steven Holl<br />
Wendy Evans Joseph<br />
Craig Konyk<br />
Frank Lupo<br />
Thom Mayne<br />
Richard Meier<br />
Joseph Mizzi<br />
Peter Mullan<br />
Kate Orff<br />
Gregg Pasquarelli<br />
Lyn Rice<br />
Mark Robbins<br />
Susan Rodriguez<br />
Aby Rosen<br />
Karen Stein<br />
Robert A.M. Stern<br />
David Thurm<br />
Calvin Tsao<br />
Billie Tsien<br />
Life Trustees<br />
Christo and Jeanne-Claude<br />
Ulrich Franzen<br />
Barbara Jakobson<br />
Suzanne Stephens<br />
Massimo Vignelli<br />
Executive Director<br />
Rosalie Genevro<br />
<strong>Dear</strong> <strong>June</strong> 8 <strong>roundtable</strong> <strong>participants</strong>:<br />
Thank you for accepting our invitation to participate in the <strong>June</strong> 8 <strong>roundtable</strong>, cohosted<br />
by IBM, on the intersection <strong>of</strong> digital and information technologies and the<br />
urban environment. An absolutely stellar group <strong>of</strong> individuals will take part (a list with<br />
brief biographies is attached) and we are looking forward to a thought-provoking<br />
discussion.<br />
We intend for the <strong>roundtable</strong> to be an open-ended exploration <strong>of</strong> issues and<br />
challenges that <strong>participants</strong> currently find compelling. Participants include<br />
architects, engineers, government <strong>of</strong>ficials, technologists, information designers,<br />
communications theorists, design journalists, among other areas <strong>of</strong> expertise, and<br />
we think the conversation will be stimulating in its cross-disciplinarity as well as for<br />
the specific topics addressed.<br />
Greg Wessner, Cassim Shepard and I from the League will open and frame the<br />
conversation by outlining the work the League has undertaken over the past few<br />
years on architecture and pervasive computing and the new perspectives on these<br />
topics that we have shared through Urban Omnibus. IBM’s Sharon Nunes will kick <strong>of</strong>f<br />
introductions with an overview <strong>of</strong> IBM’s Smarter Cities Initiative and the company’s<br />
efforts to help build more intelligent, connected and sustainable cities. To guide the<br />
ensuing conversation, we have asked several individuals with diverse perspectives<br />
– Laura Forlano, Mahadev Raman and Jonathan Mallie – to pose questions that are<br />
<strong>of</strong> current interest to them. Topics <strong>of</strong> discussion raised through their questions will<br />
focus on the values we want to preserve in our cities as they become increasingly<br />
overlaid and instrumented with digital systems; how cities can radically increase their<br />
resilience; and how the accessibility <strong>of</strong> information is affecting the building industry.<br />
Please come with your own questions related to the evolving relationship between<br />
digital systems and the design <strong>of</strong> the built environment.<br />
The discussion will take place at the Architectural League <strong>of</strong>fice, at 594 Broadway,<br />
Suite 607, beginning at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, <strong>June</strong> 8. At about 5:45 we will walk<br />
over to the Trespa Design Centre, at 62 Greene Street, for a reception and viewing<br />
<strong>of</strong> the “City <strong>of</strong> Systems” short videos created by Urban Omnibus and made possible<br />
by IBM as part <strong>of</strong> its commitment to use technology and information to help build<br />
more sustainable and intelligent cities. If you would like a guest to join you at the<br />
reception, please RSVP to Beth Schechner at beth.schechner@ketchum.com by<br />
Friday, <strong>June</strong> 3rd.<br />
I look forward to seeing you all next week.<br />
Rosalie Genevro<br />
Executive Director<br />
Architectural League <strong>of</strong> New York
Participant Biographies:<br />
Guruduth Banavar is Vice President and Chief Technology Officer <strong>of</strong> the Global Public Sector in IBM. In this<br />
role, he is responsible for providing technical leadership across the Public Sector, with a particular focus on<br />
IBM’s Smarter Cities initiatives to capture strategic opportunities, improve upon solutions, harvest core assets<br />
and maintain a vital link to IBM Research. Previously, Dr. Banavar was the Director <strong>of</strong> IBM Research in India.<br />
domino.research.ibm.com/comm/research_people.nsf/pages/banavar.index.html<br />
Jake Barton is Founder and Principal <strong>of</strong> Local Projects, a media design firm for museums and public spaces.<br />
Recognized as a leader in interactive design for physical spaces, Local Projects is partnering with Thinc Design<br />
as lead exhibition designers for the National September 11th Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center;<br />
other projects include interactive design for Storycorps, six films for the Beijing Olympics, media design for the<br />
Official New York City Visitors Information Center and work for clients including jetBlue and the Tribeca Film<br />
Festival. www.localprojects.net<br />
David Benjamin is a principal <strong>of</strong> the architecture firm The Living and director <strong>of</strong> the Living <strong>Architecture</strong> Lab<br />
at Columbia University Graduate <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong>, Planning and Preservation. The Living’s ongoing<br />
investigation <strong>of</strong> open source research and design includes recent projects such as Living City (a platform for<br />
buildings to talk to one another), Amphibious <strong>Architecture</strong> (a cloud <strong>of</strong> light above the East River that changes<br />
color according to conditions underwater), Living Light (a pavilion in Seoul that displays air quality and collective<br />
interest in the environment), and Pro<strong>of</strong> (a series <strong>of</strong> design studios at Columbia that explore testing as a design<br />
methodology and evolutionary computation as an exploration technique). www.thelivingnewyork.com<br />
Andrew Blum is an independent journalist whose work is inspired by his interest in the relationship between<br />
place and technology. He is a contributing editor at Metropolis, a correspondent at Wired and a consulting editor<br />
at Urban Omnibus. His forthcoming book will examine the physical infrastructure <strong>of</strong> the Internet. Since 1999,<br />
his articles and essays have appeared in Metropolis, Wired, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Business<br />
Week, Travel & Leisure, Print, ID, Popular Science, Architectural Record, Slate, Surface, Dialogue, The Globe<br />
and Mail, The National Post and Interior Design. www.andrewblum.net<br />
Jennifer Broutin is a designer based in New York City with pr<strong>of</strong>essional experience in architecture, exhibition<br />
design, and architectural publication. She teaches at Columbia University’s Graduate <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong>,<br />
Planning and Preservation, the Pratt Institute, and the New York City College <strong>of</strong> Technology. Broutin is a partner<br />
in Fluxxlab, a research and design studio focused on innovative energy solutions and sustainable practice and<br />
is also associated with Empire, a project that anticipates design opportunities by stimulating latent desires.<br />
www.fluxxlab.com<br />
Vishaan Chakrabarti is the Marc Holliday Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Real Estate Development and the Director <strong>of</strong> the Real<br />
Estate Development program in the Graduate <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong>, Planning and Preservation at Columbia<br />
University. The founding principal <strong>of</strong> VCDC, an urban design firm based in Manhattan, Chakrabarti was formerly<br />
an executive vice president <strong>of</strong> Related Companies, running design operations for the firm’s development<br />
portfolio including Moynihan Station. From 2002 to 2005, he served as the director <strong>of</strong> the Manhattan Office for<br />
the New York Department <strong>of</strong> City Planning. Prior to this, Chakrabarti was an associate partner at Skidmore,<br />
Owings & Merrill. www.arch.columbia.edu/programs/real-estate-development<br />
Amanda McDonald Crowley is the executive director <strong>of</strong> Eyebeam, a New York City-based art and technology<br />
center that supports digital research and experimentation. McDonald Crowley has worked extensively as a<br />
curator and cultural worker in her native Australia and in Europe and Asia. From 1995 to 2000, she was Director<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT), and has worked with many other organizations and<br />
projects including Electronic Media Arts Australia, the International Symposium for Electronic Arts 2004, and<br />
as co-chair <strong>of</strong> the working group that curated the exhibition and symposium “conVerge: where art and science<br />
meet.” www.eyebeam.org<br />
Benjamin de la Peña is Associate Director for Urban Development at The Rockefeller Foundation. de la Peña<br />
has extensive expertise in urban planning, change management, leadership development communications<br />
and innovation technologies. He previously served as Associate Director for Implementation at Smart Growth<br />
America and worked with communities across the US to implement progressive and innovative development<br />
strategies. www.rockefellerfoundation.org
Anna Dyson teaches design, technology and theory at the <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong> at Rensselaer Polytechnic<br />
Institute and is Director <strong>of</strong> the Center for <strong>Architecture</strong>, Science and Ecology (CASE), host to the Built Ecologies<br />
graduate program. She has worked as a design architect and product designer in several <strong>of</strong>fices in Canada,<br />
Europe and the United States. As Director <strong>of</strong> Materialab and then CASE, she has directed interdisciplinary<br />
systems research sponsored by the US DOE, NYSTAR and NYSERDA.<br />
www.arch.rpi.edu<br />
Wendy Feuer has been Assistant Commissioner for Urban Design & Art at the New York City Department <strong>of</strong><br />
Transportation since <strong>June</strong> <strong>of</strong> 2007. At DOT Feuer has overseen the international competition for NYCityRack,<br />
participated in the publication <strong>of</strong> Active Design Guidelines with the Departments <strong>of</strong> Health, Design and<br />
Construction and City Planning, launched the Urban Art Program in the fall <strong>of</strong> 2008, and served as part <strong>of</strong> a<br />
team to produce the DOT Street Design Manual in May 2009. www.nyc.gov<br />
Jim Fletcher is an IBM Distinguished Engineer and Chief Architect for the Tivoli Industry Solutions. In this<br />
role, Fletcher has overall responsibility for the architecture and technical direction <strong>of</strong> Tivoli’s Industry Solutions<br />
including Smarter Buildings and Datacenters. During his career at IBM, he has served in technical leadership<br />
positions in areas <strong>of</strong> networking and pervasive computing. Prior to his role in Industry Solutions, Fletcher was<br />
Chief Architect in the area <strong>of</strong> IT Service Availability and Performance Management. He holds over 25 patents,<br />
has published over 40 articles in technical journals, and coauthored three books. He is an IBM Master Inventor<br />
and member <strong>of</strong> the IBM Academy. www.ibm.com<br />
Laura Forlano is a writer, researcher and consultant based in New York City. Currently, she is a Postdoctoral<br />
Associate in the Interaction Design Lab in the Departments <strong>of</strong> Communication and Information Science at<br />
Cornell University. Forlano’s research is on the role <strong>of</strong> information technology in supporting open innovation<br />
networks in urban environments with a specific emphasis on the use <strong>of</strong> mobile, wireless and ubiquitous<br />
computing technologies to support collaboration. In 2008-2009, she was a Kauffman Fellow in Law at the<br />
Information Society Project at Yale Law <strong>School</strong>. Since 2007, Forlano has been an Adjunct Faculty member in<br />
the Design and Management department at Parsons and the Graduate Programs in International Affairs and<br />
Media Studies at The New <strong>School</strong>. She has also been active in research on public policy issues related to<br />
telecommunications and information technology. Forlano received her Ph.D. in Communications from Columbia<br />
University in 2008, a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University, a Diploma in International<br />
Relations from The Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s in Asian Studies from Skidmore College.<br />
www.lauraforlano.org<br />
Neil Freeman is an urban planner and artist. His work has appeared in The Believer, Black Book and Next<br />
American City, and in exhibitions in Chicago, London, New York and Cambridge. www.fakeisthenewreal.org<br />
Richard Garber is Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor at NJIT’s New Jersey <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong>, where he teaches design<br />
studios and directs an on-campus design and manufacturing laboratory, FABLAB. His work uses computer<br />
simulation and computer numerically-controlled hardware to generate innovative design, construction and<br />
assembly solutions. Garber was previously a project manager at SHoP Architects and at Greg Lynn FORM.<br />
www.njit.edu/news/experts/garber.php<br />
Adam Greenfield is the founder and managing director <strong>of</strong> Urbanscale LLC, a New York City-based urban<br />
systems design practice focused on “design for networked cities and citizens.” He is the author <strong>of</strong> Everyware:<br />
The Dawning Age <strong>of</strong> Ubiquitous Computing (2006), and the forthcoming The City is Here for You to Use, and,<br />
with Mark Shepard, Urban Computing and Its Discontents. www.urbanscale.org<br />
Ilana Judah leads FXFOWLE’s sustainability workgroup Team Green, which researches and disseminates<br />
information on the latest advancements in green architecture technologies, products, policies and philosophies.<br />
She participates in Mayor Bloomberg’s New York City Green Codes Task Force on the Climate Change<br />
Adaptation Committee. Ilana is a Steering Committee member <strong>of</strong> AIA-NY’s Committee on the Environment<br />
(COTE), a member <strong>of</strong> ASHRAE’s New York Sustainability Committee, as well as an active member <strong>of</strong> the New<br />
York Chapter <strong>of</strong> the U.S. Green Building Council. www.fxfowle.com<br />
Todd Kimmel is Director and Business Development Manager for the Trespa Design Centre, which he<br />
established in New York in 2007 for the global supplier <strong>of</strong> façade design solutions. Trained as a civil engineer,<br />
Todd worked earlier in his career in construction management and architectural materials, including managing<br />
façade system installations on commercial buildings such as the Metreon Building in San Francisco.<br />
www.trespa.com/na/
Laura Kurgan teaches architecture at the Graduate <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong>, Planning and Preservation at<br />
Columbia University, where she is Co-Director <strong>of</strong> the Spatial Information Design Lab (SIDL) and Director <strong>of</strong><br />
Visual Studies. Her work explores issues and topics ranging from digital mapping technologies to the ethics and<br />
politics <strong>of</strong> mapping, new structures <strong>of</strong> participation in design, and the visualization <strong>of</strong> urban and global data.<br />
www.l00k.org<br />
www.spatialinformationdesignlab.org<br />
Greg Lindsay is a contributing writer for Fast Company and the author <strong>of</strong> Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live<br />
Next (with John D. Kasarda). Aerotropolis asserts that the cities native to our globalized era are cities effectively<br />
orbiting their airports, rather than the other way around. He was previously a contributing writer for Fortune and<br />
an editor-at-large for Advertising Age. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street<br />
Journal, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The Financial Times, McKinsey Quarterly, Time, Wired, Travel + Leisure,<br />
Condé Nast Traveler and The Daily Beast. Lindsay is a visiting scholar at New York University’s Rudin Center<br />
for Transportation Policy & Management. www.greglindsay.org<br />
Jonathan Mallie is a founding principal <strong>of</strong> SHoP Construction, established in 2007. Mallie currently serves<br />
as Managing Director <strong>of</strong> SHoP Construction and as an associate principal <strong>of</strong> SHoP Architects, where he was<br />
their first full-time employee hired in 1999. Mallie received a Bachelor <strong>of</strong> Science in Design from the University<br />
<strong>of</strong> Florida (1996), and a Master <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong> from Columbia University (1999) where he graduated with<br />
Honors for Excellence in Design. Through his years at SHoP, Mr. Mallie has engaged in the usage <strong>of</strong> emerging<br />
technologies as a means to facilitate communication and information sharing with fabricators and builders,<br />
thus promoting a hands-on approach towards the design and construction process. Together with his partners,<br />
Mallie has developed integrated design and construction platforms that have instituted transparent working<br />
environments and enabled seamless exchanges <strong>of</strong> information to take place amongst project stakeholders.<br />
Jonathan has also taught at multiple universities including the University <strong>of</strong> Florida’s Graduate <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Architecture</strong>’s Global Lab, Columbia University’s Graduate <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong>, Planning and Preservation,<br />
Miami University <strong>of</strong> Ohio, and the New Jersey Institute <strong>of</strong> Technology. He is a registered architect in the State <strong>of</strong><br />
New York. www.shop-construction.com/<br />
Sharon Nunes is Vice President, IBM Smarter Cities Strategy & Solutions. Previously, Nunes was Vice<br />
President <strong>of</strong> Big Green Innovations and launched IBM’s program in Advanced Water Management in 2009<br />
as part <strong>of</strong> IBM’s Smarter Planet initiative. Nunes has held numerous executive positions leading new growth<br />
initiatives in IBM including a special assignment as Vice President <strong>of</strong> Technology, working with IBM’s Chairman<br />
and the senior executive team to set the technical agenda for the company. Nunes launched and led IBM’s<br />
Computational Biology Center, and was one <strong>of</strong> the executive leaders <strong>of</strong> the Life Sciences business unit in its<br />
start-up phase. She received her PhD in Materials Science in 1983 from the University <strong>of</strong> Connecticut. She<br />
has held numerous academic advisory board positions, was a National Academy <strong>of</strong> Engineering “Frontiers <strong>of</strong><br />
Engineering” fellow and was a member <strong>of</strong> the National Academy <strong>of</strong> Engineering “Engineer <strong>of</strong> 2020” advisory<br />
board. She was also elected to the University <strong>of</strong> Connecticut’s Academy <strong>of</strong> Engineering for distinguished<br />
engineers. www.research.ibm.com/theworldin2050/bios-Nunes.shtml<br />
Nat Oppenheimer is a structural engineer at Robert Silman Associates with extensive experience in new<br />
construction, renovation, historic preservation and sustainable engineering. He teaches structural engineering<br />
at Princeton University, and serves on the boards <strong>of</strong> the Salvadori Center and the Architectural League.<br />
www.rsapc.com<br />
Elisa Orlanski Ours is Vice President <strong>of</strong> Planning & Design for Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, and<br />
directs Corcoran Sunshine’s Planning and Design department, which she founded in 2007. Trained as an<br />
architect, she has previously worked in architecture firms and as a construction manager.<br />
www.corcoransunshine.com<br />
Bruce Schaller is Deputy Commissioner for Planning and Sustainability at the New York City Department<br />
<strong>of</strong> Transportation. He oversees agency planning, design and implementation <strong>of</strong> the transportation elements<br />
in Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC and key elements <strong>of</strong> DOT’s Sustainable Streets Strategic Plan. Previously,<br />
Schaller was Principal <strong>of</strong> Schaller Consulting, where he consulted with a variety <strong>of</strong> government, institutional,<br />
and private clients on identifying transportation needs, developing effective transit programs, taxicab regulation,<br />
transit fare policy, road pricing, transportation finance, customer communications and bus rapid transit.<br />
www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/schallerbio.shtml
Kenneth Schwartz is Dean <strong>of</strong> the <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong> at <strong>Tulane</strong> University, and formerly department<br />
chair and pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> architecture at the University <strong>of</strong> Virginia. Ken is also a founding principal <strong>of</strong> CP+D<br />
(Community Planning + Design) and Schwartz-Kinnard, Architects. Ken has served as a planning<br />
commissioner and member <strong>of</strong> the Board <strong>of</strong> Architectural Review for the City <strong>of</strong> Charlottesville, on the<br />
University <strong>of</strong> Virginia Master Planning Committee and on the Art and <strong>Architecture</strong> Review Board for the<br />
Commonwealth <strong>of</strong> Virginia. He is a Past President <strong>of</strong> the National <strong>Architecture</strong> Accrediting Board and recent<br />
board member <strong>of</strong> the Association <strong>of</strong> Collegiate <strong>School</strong>s <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong>. architecture.tulane.edu<br />
Sylvia Smith formed and leads FXFOWLE’s Cultural/Educational Studio. Smith’s current work includes<br />
the design <strong>of</strong> SUNY Purchase’s Center for Integrated Technology Learning, the design for the HealthCare<br />
Chaplaincy in Lower Manhattan, a large school in Hunters Point South for the NYC <strong>School</strong> Construction<br />
Authority, and a master plan for the National University <strong>of</strong> Rwanda.www.fxfowle.com<br />
Brian R. Steinwurtzel is a principal <strong>of</strong> the Newmark Holding’s portfolio. Newmark Knight Frank owns and<br />
operates approximately nine million square feet <strong>of</strong> real estate in the United States. Prior to joining Newmark<br />
Knight Frank, Brian was an equity research analyst for Triene Inc., a Goldman Sachs Ventures’ firm, and a<br />
management consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP. www.newmarkkf.com<br />
Anthony Townsend is the Director <strong>of</strong> Technology and Development <strong>of</strong> the Institute for the Future, and<br />
focuses his research on the impact <strong>of</strong> new technology on cities and public institutions. His interests span<br />
several inter-related topics: mobility and urbanization, innovation systems and innovation strategy, science<br />
and technology parks and economic development, and sustainability and telework. www.iftf.org/user/20<br />
Claire Weisz is a founding partner <strong>of</strong> New York design firm WXY <strong>Architecture</strong> + Urban Design, which carries<br />
out a wide range <strong>of</strong> design projects at all scales, including the new bench system The Zipper, the Times<br />
Square Visitors Center (with Local Projects), and the Nanhe River Landscape Bridge. Weisz was on the<br />
founding board for the Design Trust for Public Space and served as its co-executive director and is on the<br />
faculty <strong>of</strong> NYU’s Wagner Graduate <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> Public Service. www.wxystudio.com<br />
Tom Wright is Executive Director <strong>of</strong> Regional Plan Association (RPA) where he has directed such projects<br />
as the Draft Vision Plan for the City <strong>of</strong> Newark (2006) and A Region at Risk: The Third Regional Plan for the<br />
New York-New Jersey-Connecticut Metropolitan Area (1996). Wright lectures widely on growth management<br />
and regional planning and is a Visiting Lecturer in Public Policy at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson<br />
<strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> Public and International Affairs. www.rpa.org