Opinion Eyes on the Street

Jan 7-11: Strong Towns, ‘Visual Futurist’, Tod Williams & Billie Tsien, PHL2035 update

Eyes on the Street

January 7, 2013

cityhallclock — City Hall Clock (David Swift, EOTS Flickr Group)

This week you can take in a curbside chat, consier the art and life of futurist designer Syd Mead, hear Tod Williams and Billie Tsien’s Philadelphia Story, and get up to speed on the city’s comprehensive planning process.

Strong Towns Curbside Chat

Monday, January 7, Noon-1:30pm. Storefront for Urban Innovation, 2711 West Girard Ave. Strong Towns, a Minnesota-based nonprofit, will visit Next City’s HQ to kick off their Pennsylvania tour, talking about their efforts to make American towns financially strong, self-sufficient places, where public investments are used efficiently and the full cost of growth is accounted for in decision-making. Curbside Chats help Strong Towns talk about the impact of “macroeconomic changes on the way cities, towns, and neighborhoods prosper.” Free, register online.

Architecture in Film: Visual Futurist: The Art and Life of Syd Mead

Monday, January 7, 6:30pm, film starts at 7pm. Center for Architecture, 1218 Arch Street. Architecture in Film, hosted by John DeFazio, architect and Associate Professor at Drexel University, continues this month with Visual Futurist: The Art and Life of Syd Mead (2006). $10 donation requested at the door.

The Philadelphia Story: Tod Williams and Billie Tsien

Tuesday, January 8, 6:30-8pm. Drexel University, Mandell Theater, 33rd and Chestnut streets. Tod Williams and Billie Tsien will consider their recently completed work on the new Barnes Foundation building on the Parkway for this year’s AARFA Lecture at Drexel. Free and open to the public.

The Future is Now: Philadelphia 2035 Update

Thursday, January 10, 5:30-7:30. Center for Architecture, 1218 Arch Street. Hear about progress on Philadelphia2035, the city’s comprehensive plan, with a panel discussion between Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Alan Greenberger, Deputy Mayor for Environmental and Community Resources Michael DiBerardinis, and Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities Chief of Staff Andrew Stober, moderated by PennDesign Dean Marilyn Jordan Taylor. The evening will also recognize the recent graduates from the Citizen’s Planning Institute and offer a preview of PHL2035: The Game. Free, register online.

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