February 20-24: Kahn in Rome, Thaddeus Squire at Visibly Invisible, Scott Gabriel Knowles on risk and disaster, Paula Scher on design, Grid Alive, reimagining urban highways

Kahn in Rome

Monday, February 20, 6-8pm. University of Pennsylvania, Kroiz Gallery, Architectural Archives, 220 S. 34th Street. To celebrate Louis I. Kahn’s 111th birthday the Architectural Archives will host a private reception and viewing of the recently acquired Kahn work, Piazza Campidoglio, Rome, 1950. Free. Register online.

Thaddeus Squire: “Hide and Seek”

Tuesday, February 21, 6-7:30pm. University of the Arts, Hamilton Hall, 320 South Broad Street. Next up in DesignPhiladelphia’s “Visibly Invisible” speaker series comes Thaddeus Squire, founder of Hidden City and president of CultureWorks, who will examine our longing for history through pop cultural expressions. Free, register in advance for tickets.

Scott Gabriel Knowles: “The Disaster Experts, Mastering Risk in Modern America”

Wednesday, February 22, 5:30-6:30, Penn Book Store, 36th and Walnut streets. Can we do anything to prevent large-scale disasters or mitigate risk? In his book The Disaster Experts, historian Scott Gabriel Knowles explores the emergence of disaster expertise, and how those professionals – from insurance inspectors to civil defense planners – have shaped modern America. Free, register online.

Paula Scher

Thursday, February 23, 5:30-7:30pm. PennDesign, Meyerson Hall, 210 S. 34th Street. Graphic designer Paula Scher, a principal of Pentagram, has spent decades redefining and energizing American graphic design through her work with cultural institutions, architectural clients, record companies, and classic American brands. Her art has been exhibited worldwide. Scher studied at Tyler School of Art. Free, registration required.

Grid Alive with Marilyn Anthony and Mary Elizabeth Clark

Thursday, February 23, 5:30-8pm. Trinity Memorial Church, 22nd and Spruce streets. Grid launches its new event series, Grid Alive, this month. Marilyn Anthony (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) will talk about local farming, Mary Elizabeth Clark (Sisters of Saint Joseph Earth Center and Sustainability Assistant to the President at Chestnut Hill College) will discuss the intersection of religion and sustainability. Rounding out the bill is musical guest, The Great Unknown. $5, register online.

Re-imagining Urban Highways

Thursday, February 23, 6-8:30pm. Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Explore how American cities are redesigning and removing stretches of urban highway, and what cities like Philadelphia have to learn from these efforts. The panel discussion will be moderated by Streetsblog’s Aaron Naparstek, and will feature Diana Linda (Editor, Next American City), Ashwin Balakrishnan (Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance), Thomas Deller (City of Providence), and Peter Park (University of Colorado). Free, register online.