Regional and Urban Design Committee Community Blog

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RUDC Letter from the Chair (May, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 05-06-2026
RUDC is excited to announce that the Call for Speakers is now open for the RUDC Symposium this fall, developed in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture as part of the Intersections Conference . We’re also looking ahead ...
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RUDC Insight Article: An Urban Design Lens: City Parks and Community-Shared Green Spaces

By Alison Karfeld posted 05-01-2026
City parks and community-shared green spaces are a critical part of the infrastructure of a city. City-park land is renowned as a public and urban recreational land use with potential benefits to the local ecological system, stormwater management, and ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (April, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 04-07-2026
As we get closer to the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026, taking place June 10–13, 2026, in San Diego, California , we look forward to connecting with many of you in person and continuing the conversations that define and advance our ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (March, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-19-2026
As spring equinox arrives, it ushers in a season of renewal, growth, and fresh perspective—a moment to spring forward with new energy for urban design. Across our cities and regions, spring signals not just a change in weather but a chance to reimagine ...
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RUDC Leader Insights: Advancing Urban Design Principles

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-03-2026
While design guidelines and program certifications are long established in architecture—such as LEED, Fitwel, WELL, and Living Future—as catalysts for defining quality standards, those related specifically to urban design are also expanding in both utilization ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (February, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 02-11-2026
I am honored and excited to serve as your 2026 Chair of the AIA Regional & Urban Design Committee (RUDC). Our knowledge community represents a dynamic national network of architects, urban designers, planners, and allied professionals committed to ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (December, 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 12-05-2025
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 AIA, and throughout this period of change, ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (November, 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 11-18-2025
RUDC Letter from the Chair (November 2025) For those who joined us in Dallas for the 2025 RUDC Symposium, a two-day event filled with fast-paced presentations and tours, I hope you left as energized as I did by the enthusiasm, optimism, and problem-solving ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (October 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 10-22-2025
RUDC has long been one of AIA’s Knowledge Communities most deeply connected to our allied professions. We take pride in that — our events, and especially the annual RUDC Symposium, consistently draw more non-architects than architects. That’s exactly ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (September 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 09-22-2025
As autumn settles in and our post-summer routines take shape, I know it’s almost time once again for the annual RUDC Symposium. I first attended in 2019, when the theme Mind the Gap brought together structured conversations at the intersection of urban ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (August 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 08-21-2025
A new academic year always brings fresh energy to our profession. For over a decade, I’ve had the privilege of teaching part-time at Virginia Tech’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center. Balancing this schedule with full-time practice can be challenging, ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (July 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 07-22-2025
Summer is in full swing, and I hope all of us urbanists are finding time to enjoy the richness of our cities and towns – or maybe in a city or town you have the opportunity to visit. Whether at a farmers market, the playground, a celebratory event, or ...
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RUDC AIA25 Recap

By Alison Karfeld posted 06-23-2025
RUDC AIA25 Recap By Maria Antony Katticaran, AIA The AIA 2025 Conference in Boston served as a powerful reminder of the critical, evolving role architects hold at the intersection of infrastructure, and civic life. As a transportation and infrastructure ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (June 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 06-23-2025
“Architects create spaces where people interact — and that helps rebuild social trust in a world that desperately needs it.” AIA25 Keynote Pete Buttigieg argued that in our increasingly post-fact world, we have agency as architects and designers to help ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (May 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 05-15-2025
The American Institute of Architects is grounded in its nationwide network of local and state components, many of which host committees that reflect the AIA’s 21 Knowledge Communities . If you’re reading this, you’ve found your way to one—perhaps ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (April 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 04-15-2025
5280 – If you’re from Denver, that number resonates. It’s everywhere, marking the “Mile High City.” From the row of purple seats in Coors Field to the engraved granite on the fifteenth step of the Colorado State Capitol, the mark of 5,280 feet above ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (March 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-27-2025
Letter from the Chair Scott Archer RUDC Vice Chair Peter Darby and I were honored to represent the Regional & Urban Design Knowledge Community at the AIA Leadership Summit in February. Kicking off the Summit, we participated in a Knowledge ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (January 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 01-23-2025
In her reflective December article, Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, NOMAC – AIA’s 100th President – wrote about how she and AIA leaders helped secure the future of the Institute and our profession. “More Members,” “More Money,” and “More Mission” were the ...
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RUDC "Cities are relationships: Regionalism Polycentricity" Symposium Recap

By Alison Karfeld posted 12-12-2024
On November 14 and 15, RUDC hosted a symposium titled “Cities are relationships: Regionalism & Polycentricity.” Guests were welcomed to Indianapolis from all corners of the United States and across the globe. Day 1 was spent at the historic Athenaeum ...
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Letter from the Chair - Scott Archer, December Newsletter

By Alison Karfeld posted 12-12-2024
Recently returned from Indianapolis after gathering with so many urban designers, architects, planners, landscape architects, city officials, university administrators, academics, and urbanists of all stripes, I’m reminded of how incredible and important ...
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