The design of 21st-century cities requires attention to a wide variety of issues not historically or directly connected to development conversations. Topics discussed included:
- Active Design / Public Health
- Smart Cities
- Climate Adaptation
- Changing Demographics
MODERATOR
Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., is considered one of the most visionary and highly effective governmental leaders in America. First elected Mayor of Charleston, SC, in December 1975, Mayor Riley is currently serving an unprecedented ninth term. As a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Mayor Riley has set the national standard for urban revitalization. Under his leadership, Charleston has experienced a remarkable revitalization of its historic downtown business district and experienced unprecedented growth in Charleston’s size and population.
FACILITATOR
Toni L. Griffin has built a twenty-year career in both the public and private sectors, combining the practice of architecture and urban design with the execution of innovative, large-scale, mixed-use urban redevelopment projects and citywide and neighborhood planning strategies. In 2010, Ms. Griffin launched her own consulting practice, Urban Planning & Design for the American City, whose first project is to work with the Kresge Foundation and the Mayor of Detroit to develop a comprehensive citywide strategic plan.
FORUM PANELISTS
Teddy Cruz has been recognized internationally for his urban research of the Tijuana-San Diego border. A Harvard University graduate, his work represented the US at the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennial and was included in the “Small Scale, Big Change” exhibition at MoMA. He is a professor in public culture in the Visual Arts Department at University of California, San Diego.
David J. Burney, FAIA was appointed Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction (“DDC”) in 2004 by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. DDC manages capital projects for a variety of City agencies and cultural institutions that receive City capital funds. With Mayor Bloomberg’s support, David Burney launched a City-wide “Design and Construction Excellence Initiative” with the goal of raising the quality of design and construction of public works throughout New York City.
John Tolva is the Director of Citizenship & Technology for the IBM Corporation. John is responsible for developing new socially-responsive projects in partnership with non-profit institutions and governmental entities around the world. Most recently, he launched “Rivers for Tomorrow,” in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, a global watershed simulator that supports land use on decision-making and “City Forward” a free online tool for interacting with and analyzing public city data at http://cityforward.org. John maintains a personal website at http://www.ascentstage.com.
