Vishaan Chakrabarti Discusses “The Architecture of Urbanity” at Henry Hart Rice Urban Policy Forum
On Thursday, October 10, 2024, NYU Wagner hosted the annual Henry Hart Rice Urban Policy Forum, featuring guest speaker Vishaan Chakrabarti, founder and creative director of the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU).
Henry Hart Rice Professor of Urban Policy & Planning Mitchell L. Moss delivered the welcome remarks, noting the event’s interim space in the NYU Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life while Wagner transitions to its new space on 17th Street.
Chakrabarti, who currently teaches at Cornell University as the Thomas J. Baird Visiting Critic in Architecture and who has been involved in projects including reimagining the High Line, rebuilding the World Trade Center, and extending the #7 subway line, discussed the crucial intersection between architecture and urbanity. He dispelled the myth that “urbanity” always refers to big cities or cosmopolitan spaces, instead defining it as any space where people from all walks of life can gather.
Upon establishing the historical context of architecture within the function of urbanity, Chakrabarti showcased some of PAU’s recent projects, including the revitalization of the Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn, which features not only a spectacular glass structure within the frame of the old factory but also an expansive outdoor area for neighbors to gather; a free, public space sheltered from the elements at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland; and a modern building that reflects centuries of tradition on Princeton University’s campus.
Chakrabarti noted Wagner’s urban planning program’s unique positioning within a school of public policy, honing in on housing’s crucial role at the crux of architecture and public service.
“Housing is not widgets,” he said. “It’s not just about transactions and the percentage of affordability. All of that is critically important, but it’s also people’s homes. And their experience of that is incredibly important.”
The discussion was inspired by his most recent book, The Architecture of Urbanity: Designing for Nature, Culture, and Joy, in which he purports that “designing connected physical communities that bridge our differences—as opposed to disconnected technologies that exacerbate them—is essential to addressing our greatest societal challenges from climate change to political division to our growing public health crises.”
Watch the recording of the 2024 Henry Hart Rice Urban Policy Forum. View the photo gallery.
About the Henry Hart Rice Urban Policy Forum
Henry Hart Rice was an industry senior statesman, public servant, author, and lecturer, who conceived and developed projects throughout the U.S. and Canada. But it was in New York City that he made his mark. We will celebrate the Rice family during this special evening with leading policy experts and the NYU Wagner community.