How can we engage our communities in the built environment, and how do we begin to find a common language to help people understand why they should even care?

At the 2009 AAO conference, we engaged a panel of experts and luminaries to discuss this very topic.

Moderated by Carol Coletta, President and CEO of CEOs for Cities, the panel's discussion was built off the issues and ideas that were presented in Carol's keynote speech from earlier that day (visit our previous blog post to hear a recording of the session).  Be sure to listed to the audio recording of this panel, and we hope this discussion brings you new ideas and new questions.  At AAO, we hope to engage our peers in conversations like this every day, so please feel free to comment below!

**Please note - the audio is located at the bottom of this post.

Carol Coletta, President and CEO, CEO's for Citites - moderator

Carol Coletta is president and CEO of CEOs for Cities and host and producer of the nationally syndicated public radio show Smart City.

Previously, she served as president of Coletta & Company in Memphis. In addition, she served as executive director of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Conference of Mayors and American Architectural Foundation.

Carol was a Knight Fellow in Community Building for 2003 at the University of Miami School of Architecture and completed coursework toward a Master of Design Methods at the Institute of Design at IIT and at the University of Houston in Future Studies.  She is a highly sought after speaker on the success formula for cities and creative communities and is frequently interviewed as an expert on urban issues by national media.

In 2008 she was named one of the world’s 50 most important urban experts by a leading European think tank.  Most recently, she was named the recipient of the Lamda Alpha International 2009 International Journalism Award for her work with CEOs for Cities and Smart City.

Story Bellows, Director, Mayors’ Institute on City Design

Story Bellows is Director of the Mayors' Institute on City Design, a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts run in partnership with the US Conference of Mayors and the American Architectural Foundation. Prior to joining the Mayors’ Institute in August, Story was Director of Research for OWP/P, a full service Architecture and Engineering firm based in Chicago. While in Chicago, Story served as the inaugural teaching and research fellow at Archeworks, an alternative design school, and on the Executive Committee for the Urban Land Institute's Chicago Chapter. She holds an undergraduate degree from Colgate University and a Masters degree in City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Maurice Cox, Director of Design, National Endowment for the Arts

Maurice Cox was appointed Director of Design for the National Endowment for the Arts in October 2007. Cox supervises the NEA grantmaking process in design, oversees the Mayors' Institute on City Design, Governors' Institute on Community Design, and Your Town: The Citizens' Institute on Rural Design, and provides professional leadership in architecture and design to the nation.

On leave from the University of Virginia, School of Architecture where he is an Associate Professor of Architecture, Cox most recently led graduate students in the development of award-winning proposals for the rebuilding of affordable housing in New Orleans following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

Cox served as Mayor of Charlottesville from 2002-2004. As mayor, architect, and urbanist he was widely recognized as the principal urban designer of his city.

He was a founding partner of RBGC Architecture, Research and Urbanism from 1996-2006 in Charlottesville, Virginia. RBGC's groundbreaking use of design as a catalyst for social change in the rural town of Bayview, Virginia has received national acclaim and has been featured on 60 Minutes and in Architecture magazine.

Maurice Cox is currently on leave as a partner with Ken Schwartz in Community Planning + Design WORKSHOP (CP+D Workshop). A recipient of the 2004-05 Loeb Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the 2006 John Hejduk Award for Architecture, Cox has lectured widely on the topics of democratic design, civic engagement, and the designer's role as leader. He received his architectural education from the Cooper Union School of Architecture, has taught at Syracuse University's School of Architecture, Harvard University's Graduate School of Design and held the 2006 Kea Visiting Professorship at the University of Maryland's School of Architecture.

Lynn Osmond, President and CEO, Chicago Architecture Foundation

Lynn Osmond has been the President and CEO of the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) since 1996. Under her leadership, public participation at CAF quadrupled. Annually, more than 476,000 people participate in CAF’s tours, exhibitions, adult and family programs, and adult and youth education programs—all designed to enhance awareness and appreciation of Chicago’s outstanding built environment.

Prior to joining CAF, Ms. Osmond managed major performing arts companies in Canada and the U.S. with noteworthy success in expanding the financial base of the organizations. These include the Sacramento Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Orchestra London Canada, and the Canadian Stage Company in Toronto.

In 2002 Ms. Osmond was awarded the Paul Berger Arts Entrepreneurship Award presented by Columbia College and in 2005 she was recognized as an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Other awards during Ms. Osmond’s tenure include 2003 Richard Driehaus Award for Schoolyards to Skylines; the Illinois Association of Museums Large Institution of the Year Award; Design Excellence Award for CitySpace Gallery from AIA Chicago; National Preservation Honor Award for Schoolyards to Skylines from the National Trust in 2004; the AIA Institute Honor Award for Collaborative Achievement for Schoolyards to Skylines in 2005; and the AIA Institute Honor Award for Collaborative Achievement for The Architecture Handbook: A Student Guide to Understanding Buildings in 2009.

Ms. Osmond received an Honor's Bachelor of Music degree from Queen's University in Kingston Ontario and in 1999 received her Certified Association Executive designation. In addition to serving as a docent herself, she also serves on boards including the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association, the Chicago Loop Alliance, and the University Club of Chicago. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Chicago Network, and is co-chair of the Toronto Sister Cities Committee.

Victoria Thornton, Hon FRIBA, Founding Director, Open House

Victoria Thornton has been involved in the field of architecture for over twenty years, working with a wide range of public bodies, community groups and professionals, to explore issues related to London’s existing and future architecture.  Victoria is Founding Director of Open House, London’s leading architecture organisation, established in 1992. Open House helps to challenge perceptions, break down barriers and inspire people to demand high quality places for current and future generations. Their pioneering programmes and initiatives target young people, decision-makers, and the wider community, and is divided into three specific strands – education, advocacy and public engagement.

Three major education initiatives created and directed by Victoria are currently under way alongside other well-established programmes:

- My City Too!  This campaign was established in 2007 to provide a high-profile platform for young people aged 12-19 to express their aspirations for the future of London’s built environment and have a voice within the process.

- Junior Open House (primary schools) and Open Up (secondary schools) - a comprehensive programme that uses London’s exemplary buildings to develop design and creativity skills.

As well as director and curator of many high-profile exhibitions/initiatives, Victoria established the RIBA Architecture Centre (1994-98); has been Architecture Consultant to the British Council VAD (1998-2000); architectural advisor to the Scottish Arts Council (2000) and judge for the RIBA Awards (2003), Chair and Board Member of Architecture Centre Network (2006) and the Department of Culture Media and Sports’ Engaging Places Advisory Panel (2007).  She is currently a Board Member of the Irish Architecture Foundation, based in Dublin.

Victoria is the author of publications including London’s Contemporary Architecture: A Visitor’s Guide (co-written with Ken Allinson).

In 2003 RIBA awarded an Honorary Fellowship to Victoria Thornton in recognition of her contribution to architecture and the education of future generations and in 2005 awarded an honorary MA degree by London Metropolitan University.  She is also a fellow of the RSA and completed an MA relating to European architecture policy and young people (2009).