The AIA and New Urban Agenda
An opportunity for architects to impact the next 20 years of urban development
The United Nations Conference on Housing and Urban Sustainable Development (Habitat III) took place in Quito, Ecuador on October 17-21, 2016. The bi-decennial conference focused on reinvigorating the global commitment to sustainable urbanization, the implementation of a New Urban Agenda, and building on the Habitat Agenda of Istanbul in 1996.
New Urban Agenda aims to:
- embrace urbanization at all levels of human settlements
- integrate equity to the development agenda
- foster national urban planning and planned city extensions
- support relevant sustainable development goals through sustainable urbanization.
- align and strengthen institutional arrangements to ensure effectiveness
- strengthen urban rules and regulations
- advance urban planning and design
- improve municipal finance
Read more about New Urban Agenda at Habitat3.org
The AIA’s engagement in regards to Habitat III and New Urban Agenda is focused on how architects are key to making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
As part of the commitment to global urban solutions for some of today's most challenging problems, the Institute sent an esteemed delegation to Quito and showcased a carefully curated collection of projects selected from various AIA award programs.
The AIA's delegation included:
- Russell A. Davidson, FAIA, 2016 AIA President
- Thomas V. Vonier, FAIA, 2016 AIA First Vice President/2017 President
- Jamie Blosser, AIA, executive director of the Santa Fe Art Institute
- Mary Kell, AIA, acting chief resilience officer for the City of Tulsa
- Catherine Baker, AIA, principal at Landon Bone Baker Architects
Fayetteville 2030: Food City Scenario
The project team envisioned a way to reduce hunger in Arkansas's third-largest city by integrating mid-sized agricultural sites into the urban grid.
Flycycle High Density Bike Rack for MIT Climate CoLab (Kendall Square)
The Flycycle offers a solution for high densities of bike parking in urban areas.
Building Hope: A Community + Water Initiative
Funded and run by local organizations, the community center will provide assistance, security, and social engagement for locals.
Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative
A vacant housing project in Chicago has become an important arts and culture hub for the Grand Crossing neighborhood.
H-E-B at Mueller
This massive retail store and fresh food market slashes its energy use by an estimated 64 percent over the grocery store national median.
West Branch of the Berkeley Public Library
Achieving zero net energy status with well-lit interiors led to this project becoming the first Living Building Challenge public library in California.
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