Fall 2016 @ UDL

2016 was an important year for the Urban Design Lab. Plunz spoke publicly at many events on new research directions in “Next Generation Public Space/Social Media Interfaces,” highlighting Urban Design Lab work on green infrastructure innovation in New York City, such as the 13th Annual Architecture Week of the Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos in Madrid in October. At the 2016 Architecture Week the focus was on architecture and urbanism in both Madrid and New York. This event was in collaboration with the United States Department of State.

Meanwhile, co-director Patricia Culligan participated in the planning of the second phase of the Data Science Institute and at the same time led the 2nd Interdisciplinary Workshop on Green Infrastructure on October 27th. The workshop attracted a professional audience with presentations from researchers from various universities, apart from Columbia with Drexel and the City University New York, as well as industry practitioners, representatives from government agencies and members of local community organizations. She was very active presenting at different venues, such as the SIPA-organized Columbia panel of experts discussing the 2016 Election domestic policy in early November.

Nilda Mesa, the recent director of the Urban Sustainability and Equity Planning Program, authored opinion pieces, such as City & State New York: Slant on neighborhood based strategies for fighting climate change in New York, and had a very active public presence, including the NationSwell Summit on Blueprints for Change. Their session covered The Future of Our Environment.