President’s Report – August 2010
Municipal Art Society President
Vin Cipolla
Although it seems that summer just started, fall is right around the corner. We at MAS have been busy preparing for our new season, and I am writing to give you a sneak preview of some very exciting new programs planned for the months ahead.
As an organization committed to improving quality of life and livability in our city, New York’s future will take center stage during our fall 2010 season, Next for New York. We’ll discuss the next wave in urban planning, preservation and climate change, new tools for civic activism, and examine specific projects that will help shape New York’s future as a vibrant global city and as a city of neighborhoods.
We are planning three major events that we hope will engage New Yorkers from all walks of life in a new, provocative discussion about our future, and the future of cities everywhere:
October 15 – 17: Preservation and Climate Change Conference
Can old buildings play a role in making New York a more sustainable city? Join us as policy makers, architects, environmentalists, planners, preservationists and others gather at Columbia University to explore how preservation can be integrated into New York City’s climate change, green building and sustainability agenda. We anticipate a lively series of discussions that we hope will find a common ground among many diverse disciplines and advance both the fields of preservation and sustainability.
October 21 –22: MAS Summit for New York City
We will present two days of fresh ideas on improving livability in our city, from sidewalks to skyline. Thought leaders from the planning, design, housing, economics and urban policy worlds will explore the challenges New York faces as a growing global city as well as a city of diverse neighborhoods. Through provocative keynote addresses and lively discussions, the Summit will present both global and local perspectives on issues that affect the quality of life in our city.
November 10: Jane Jacobs Forum
MAS is again delighted to be partnering with the Rockefeller Foundation on an enlightening public program that seeks to highlight the legacy of Jacobs in New York City today. The success of MAS’s second annual Jane Jacobs Forum last November – with its focus on urban farming and a standing-room-only audience of more than 350 people – solidified the event as one at which New Yorkers can learn and exchange ideas about compelling issues affecting their city. This year, MAS will focus the forum on a true Jacobsean issue: The Walkable City, with an emphasis on urban design, health and safety.
You can visit us at MAS.org to learn more about these programs or purchase tickets. You will also receive more information in our September/October calendar, which will mail later this month.
As MAS members, you have demonstrated your commitment to our work, and to our city. You have made these programs possible. I hope you can join us for one or all of them, and, as always, I deeply appreciate your support.
Enjoy the remainder of the summer, and here’s to a spectacular and enlightening fall!
