Urban Design / Downtown Revitalization

75-Minute Education Session

SAT-A09 - Postwar Plazas: Measuring Success When Managing Change

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AIA/HSW, AICP, FL, NY/HSW

Lead Speaker(s)

• 

  Charles Birnbaum

  President and CEO
  The Cultural Landscape Foundation

Speaker(s)

• 

  Susan Rademacher, Hon. ASLA

  Parks Curator
  Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
• 

  Ken Smith, FASLA

  Principal
  Ken Smith Workshop

How have postwar modernist plazas been successfully used and integrated into this current era of urban re-renewal? This panel's replicable strategies and case studies will consider a site's carrying capacity for change based on its historic significance and design integrity, keeping in mind the question: "How do we measure success?”

Learning Objectives:

• Learn from an overview and four case studies how public, private, and nonprofit sectors are managing change at postwar modernist plazas, taking into consideration significant designs while addressing contemporary needs.
• Hear from practitioners with extensive experience in postwar modernist landscapes who oversaw/managed the rehabilitation of significant projects, while addressing ongoing stewardship.
• Analyze successful projects where purposeful change embraces a site's history and ecology while addressing contemporary issues of accessibility, programming, safety, and interpretation.
• Participate in discussions about how thoughtful and entrepreneurial design can build an engaged citizenry while addressing contemporary user needs by embracing the preservation, restoration, and/or rehabilitation of postwar plazas.