There are some very interesting forums coming up on the topic of urban design in Raleigh. As the downtown Raleigh master plan gets a reboot from the one we are now experiencing, drawn up over ten years ago, these talks are great to get a little educated on the issues the city faces and how they plan to address them. The forums are also free and open to the public. Watch the video above for a previously recorded forum on the topic of “Housing in the 21st Century” hosted by the Urban Design Center.

Schedule of sessions

November 14, 2012 – “Downtown Planning-Then and Now.”

• Moderator will be Grant Meacci, planning and design manager at the Urban Design Center.
• Presenters will be Raleigh Assistant City Manager Dan Howe and David Diaz, president and CEO of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance

December 12, 2012 – “Return on Investment-Economics of Downtown Development.”

• The presenter will be Mitchell Silver, chief planning and development officer for the City of Raleigh and director of the City’s Department of City Planning

January 16, 2013 – “The Fine Art of Enjoying Downtown Living.”

• The host will be Brian Reece of Downtown Living Associates.
• Presenters will be Anne S. Franklin, urban advocate and community organizer, and Chris Roberts, associate principal and architect with LS3P Associates

February 13, 2013 – “Bike Share in Raleigh.”

• Presenters will be Jennifer Baldwin, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the City of Raleigh Office of Transportation Planning, and Mauricio Hernandez, transportation planner with Toole Design Group

March 20, 2013 – “Residual Raleigh-Tapping the Potential of Unused Space in Downtown.”

• Presenters will be Brett Hautop, an architect with Gensler, and Matthew Griffith and Erin Sterling Lewis, principals with in situ studio, a Raleigh architecture firm

April 17, 2013 – “Downtown Durham’s Open Space Plan.”

• Presenters will be Tom Dawson, urban designer, and Sara Young, Urban Design Center supervisor for the Durham City-County Planning Department

May 15, 2013 – “Raleigh, A Festival City.”

• The host will be David Diaz, President and CEO, Downtown Raleigh Alliance.
• Presenters will be Sarah Powers, executive director of Visual Art Exchange, an organizer of the SPARKcon festival, and Samantha Hatem, who handles media and outreach for Empire Eats

June 19 – “Raleigh’s Pedestrian Plan.”

• The host will be Eric Lamb, manager of the City of Raleigh Office of Transportation Planning.
• Presenters will be Lauren Blackburn and Helen Chaney of the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Fleming El-Amin, transportation planner for the City of Raleigh.