President's message: The center of conversations

There are hundreds of public programs at the Center for Architecture every year, presenting innovative ideas and landmark achievements in architecture, planning, and urbanism. But this fall, I noticed the level of dialogue at the Center for Architecture seemed to reach a higher level. The titles themselves are telling: Paris/New York: Two Metropoles in Flux, ContextContrast: New Architecture in Historic Districts, 1967-2009, and What if? Five Principles for Greenwich South. Clearly, debate was on the docket. Why have these conversations? These programs challenged their participants to compare, contrast, and ultimately, learn from one another's ideas, and in doing so, achieved the goal of the Center for Architecture: to foster an exchange and collaboration among individuals shaping the built environment. I was reminded, time and again, by our wide variety of presenters that nothing less than the future of our cities was at stake, and it is only through action-inspiring conversations that these goals can move towards realization. In the case of Paris/New York: Two Metropoles in Flux (a two-day conference happening as I write this column), AIANY and the French Cultural Services of the French Embassy brought together leading urbanists from New York and Paris to discuss analogous urban planning programs, Paris' Grand Paris and New York's own PlaNYC. City and regional leaders from Paris compared notes with the Bloomberg administrations' powerbrokers and internationally renowned planners. What I learned was that while it's true that the two cities are at different points in their development, their motivations were the same—living in and interacting with the city should be a positive experience, both for the development of the urban environment, and the people that live there. Towards these aims, Christian de Portzamparc is leading a team of designers to redevelop the city's train system on the local, regional, and international level - including building a new train portal to the city - while Amanda Burden and the NYC Department of City Planning are using zoning to redevelop the city around the existing transit system. It was exciting to listen, and contribute, to this conversation, and I look forward to watching the progress in Paris and New York, especially now that PlaNYC is renewed with Mayor Bloomberg's reelection. From intercontinental dialogues to intra-neighborhood discussions, the Center also hosted a series of conversations on the very local issue of New York City's historic districts, in conjunction with our exhibition ContextContrast: New Architecture in Historic Districts, 1967-2009. Local neighborhood groups presented their campaigns to save their neighborhoods' character, while architects spoke candidly about the challenges of building in neighborhoods regulated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The exhibition will remain on view at the Center for Architecture through January 23, 2010, and I hope it provokes many more conversations while it's on display. We also hosted conversations about the future of neighborhoods, in conjunction with the Helfand Spotlight Exhibition What if: Five Principles for Greenwich South, on view for the month of October. The Downtown Alliance-sponsored ideas program imagined inventive futures for the south-western tip of Manhattan, and it was fascinating to hear the innovative ideas debated at the Center. Watching these dialogues unfold has made for an exciting season of programs, and reminds me why it is so important that the Center be a home to such debates. In our mission, the Center for Architecture is more than just the home of the American Institute of Architect's New York Chapter, it is a host for the entire design community and the public to engage in meaningful dialogues about architecture and urbanism. It is with that shared goal of improving the quality of the built environment that I welcome these conversations, and look forward to many more. Sherida Paulsen, FAIA is the 2009 president of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, New York, N.Y.