Claire Weisz is a founding partner of WXY, known for their innovative approach to community, public space, structures, and cities. Claire was awarded the Medal of Honor from AIANY in 2018 and the Women in Architecture Award by Architectural Record in 2019. WXY is globally recognized for its place-based approach to architecture, urban design, and planning, and has played a vital role in design thinking around resiliency. In 2019, Fast Company named WXY one of the World’s Most Innovative Architecture Firms.

She currently holds a seat on the Industry Advisory Group for the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Operations and teaches a Design Studio at Parsons School of Design. Her work and interviews around urban issues have been featured widely in national and international publications, including the New York Times, AD, Architectural Record, and many others. Most recently, Weisz was featured in Metropolis’ 2020 Game Changers.

The CSU 2020 Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Lecture is co-sponsored by UN-Habitat as part of both the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York Chapter Center for Architecture ARCHTOBER and the UN-Habitat URBAN OCTOBER.

Claire Weisz, FAIA, is the inaugural speaker. She shared her insights about designing and planning for a future informed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

MILLENIAL THINKING: Reflections on our Designed Future
Inaugural H.E. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Lecture by Claire Weisz, FAIA
Recipient of CSU’s 2020 Champion Award

Lecture description

Over the course of this talk, architect and urbanist Claire Weisz, FAIA, will discuss how renewing interest in designing for the long term is “millennial thinking”. Today we consider our world of social distancing. As we practice and study in both virtual and analog places and spaces; the knowledge of urbanism and what is needed and meant by outdoor space is deepening. The health of people is linked to the design of their places, spaces, and systems. Thinking beyond our life span is a strategy inherent to architectural theory and practice and has the potential to impact the contemporary world on multiple scales of urbanization. It is clear the millennial generation is leading this discussion. The talk will reflect on how current project-based professions in the built environment have failed to address concerns of the future; to explore this, examples will be discussed that illustrate how changing the perspective on the role of design in the development of neighborhoods, districts, and regions can help restore mechanisms for long-term planning in a multi-disciplinary and digitally-driven world. Acknowledging time as a critical force for people in city-building can link to UN Sustainable Development Goals and has the potential to increase interest in their effectiveness and popularization.

The video of the lecture is now available on the UN-Habitat YouTube Channel.