As many of us review our year-end “wrapped” summaries—whether from our music, reading, or even transit apps—we thought it fitting to offer an RUDC Wrapped for 2025. It has been a transformative year across the AIA, and throughout this period of change, one constant has stood out: the remarkable consistency and depth of engagement from our members. This year, RUDC surpassed 10,300 active participants on the AIA Community Hub. If you are not yet connected there, we encourage you to join the conversation—subscribe, share your thoughts, and tell us how RUDC can better support your practice and your city.
RUDC now connects 22 state and local chapters advancing regional and urban design discourse across the country. In 2026, we look forward to strengthening these relationships through more structured collaboration. If you are active in a local committee—or interested in helping to establish one—please reach out to us (aiarudckc@gmail.com). We want to highlight your initiatives, learn from your efforts, and amplify the work happening in your communities.
In 2025, 53 speakers, tour leaders, and moderators contributed to RUDC programs, representing 17 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Their work illustrates the breadth of urban design practice across North America. Our audiences and contributors spanned the full ecosystem of city-building: architects, landscape architects, planners, academics, policymakers, engineers, developers, and other allied professionals. RUDC is proud to continue expanding AIA’s reach, demonstrating architecture’s leadership within a collaborative, interdisciplinary urban design process.
RUDC programming had a presence across four major AIA platforms this year:
RUDC leaders also represented architects at key national gatherings, including the APA National Planning Conference in Denver, the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture in New Orleans, and numerous regional and local events across the country.
Our leaders are also contributing valuable expertise to two significant industry efforts: the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities and LEED v5 for Cities. By offering technical feedback and critical review, they are helping to strengthen the policy and performance frameworks that shape our collective work in climate-responsive urbanism. Their dedication to advancing these standards is exemplary, and RUDC is proud to support these influential documents.
These achievements were made possible through the dedication of our 12 appointed leaders, whose commitment and expertise powered RUDC’s work throughout 2025. As the 2025 Chair and Vice Chair, we extend our sincere appreciation to: Joseph Ahmadi, AIA; Rex Cabaniss, AIA; Sean Crosby; Ashlee Dingler; Abigail Gillin, Associate AIA; Maria Antony Katticaran, AIA; Shrey Patel, Associate AIA; Manuel Sanchez-Rios, AIA; Griffin Sanderoff, Associate AIA; and Chris Stroik, AIA. We are also delighted to welcome our 2026 appointees: Alexia Chen, AIA, and Danille DeLeo Kim, AIA.
Countless AIA staff supported the RUDC team with logistics, financials, and communications. There are too many to name here, but we want to thank two in particular. We extend special thanks to Susan Parrish, our long-time staff liaison whose guidance and institutional knowledge have been invaluable, and to Alison Karfeld, who keeps this newsletter—and all of us—connected. We are likewise grateful to the staff at AIA Dallas, led by Executive Director Zaida Basora, for their partnership in hosting an extremely successful 2025 RUDC Symposium.
As we close out 2025 and prepare for the year ahead, we hope RUDC has been a meaningful resource for you. We also invite you to help shape RUDC’s evolution in 2026—your insights and aspirations are central to our mission. Please reach out and let us know what you would like to see in the coming year.
Until then, we wish you a warm and joyful Happy Holidays, and we look forward to building the future of cities together in 2026.
Scott Archer, AIA, AICP, LEED AP ND (2025 RUDC Chair)
Peter Darby, AIA (2025 RUDC Vice Chair & 2026 RUDC Chair)