Location: Boston, MA
Venue: BSA Space, Boston Society of Architects
Date: October 17, 2014
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm Eastern Time
RSVP to rsvp@architects.org
During his three terms as mayor of Curitiba, Brazil in the 1970s and ’80s, architect and urbanist Jaime Lerner transformed his city into a model of sustainable living. From its pioneering Bus Rapid Transit system to parks that minimize flooding and city zones reserved for pedestrians, Lerner has been the visionary behind a host of innovative urban projects. In Urban Acupuncture (Island Press, September 2014), he celebrates initiatives from cities around the world that uplift their communities, from Barcelona’s bustling La Boqueria market to Seoul’s revitalized Cheonggyecheon River.
Following Mr. Lerner’s presentation, Nigel Jacob, Co-Chair, Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics and Katie Swenson, Vice President, Design Initiatives, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. will join Jaime for a community discussion and question and answer period.
This event is sponsored by BSA Space. This book tour is made possible with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Center for the Living City.
About BSA Space, Boston’s leading center for architecture and design
BSA Space is Boston’s leading center for architecture and design, and home to the Boston Society of Architects and the Boston Foundation for Architecture. BSA Space hosts exhibitions on design and architecture, architectural cruises and walking tours, and other programs and events that foster exchange between design and construction, the profession and the public, and encourage collaboration across the city and world. More information: architects.org/bsaspace
The Boston Society of Architects (BSA) is committed to professional development for its members, advocacy on behalf of great design, and sharing an appreciation for the built environment with the public at large. Established in 1867, the BSA today consists of nearly 4,000 members and produces a diverse array of programs and publications, including ArchitectureBoston Expo and ArchitectureBoston magazine. A chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the BSA is a nonprofit, professional-service organization. Its partner organization, the Boston Foundation for Architecture, supports the civic and public outreach of the architectural community. For more information, visit www.architects.org or http://www.architects.org/bsaspace/about/bfa.
During his three terms as mayor of Curitiba, Brazil in the 1970s and ‘80s, architect and urbanist Jaime Lerner transformed his city into a global model of the sustainable and livable community. From the pioneering Bus Rapid Transit system to parks designed to catch runoff and reduce flooding and the creation of pedestrian-only zones, Lerner has been the driving force behind a host of innovative urban projects. In more than forty years of work in cities around the globe, Lerner has found that changes to a community don’t need to be large-scale and expensive to have a transformative impact—in fact, one block, park, or a single person can have an outsized effect on life in the surrounding city.
In Urban Acupuncture, Lerner celebrates these “pinpricks” of urbanism—projects, people, and initiatives from around the world that ripple through their communities to uplift city life. With meditative and descriptive prose, Lerner brings readers around the world to streets and neighborhoods where urban acupuncture has been practiced best, from the bustling La Boqueria market in Barcelona to the revitalization of the Cheonggyecheon River in Seoul, South Korea. Through this journey, Lerner invites us to re-examine the true building blocks of vibrant communities—the tree-lined avenues, night vendors, and songs and traditions that connect us to our cities and to one another.
Urban Acupuncture is the first of Jaime Lerner’s visionary work to be published in English. It is a love letter to the elements that make a street hum with life or a neighborhood feel like home, penned by one of the world’s most successful advocates for sustainable and livable urbanism.