Blogs

RUDC Letter from the Chair (May, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 05-06-2026
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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 to our gathering next month at the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026 in San Diego. Together, these events represent important opportunities to elevate the role of urban design across practice, research, and civic engagement. RUDC Symposium 2026 — Call for Speakers This year's symposium will take place October 1–3, 2026, in New York ...
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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
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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 overall human well-being. Increasingly, these places have been acknowledged by cities as urban development assets within the evolution of public spaces in downtowns, providing positive economic, environmental, and community-driven impacts. Challenges in creating sustainable, resilient, and inclusive development in the downtowns of cities of all sizes are being framed within the future of city parks and ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (April, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 04-07-2026
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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 work in urban design. If you are planning to attend and are engaged in urban design within your practice, we encourage you to join us for two RUDC-related programs taking place during the conference. These sessions reflect two important dimensions of our work—peer exchange and real-world application. Hope to see you there! Learn more & register: AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026 ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (March, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-19-2026
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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 how we shape the built environment, strengthen communities, and design for resilience and connection. For RUDC, this sense of renewal reflects the work we do every day—advancing ideas, fostering collaboration, and cultivating leadership across a network now more than 10,500 members strong. Save the Date: 2026 RUDC Symposium – New York City We are pleased to share a Save the Date for the 2026 RUDC Symposium, ...
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RUDC Leader Insights: Advancing Urban Design Principles

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-03-2026
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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 and impact. Urban design–related programs such as LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND), the STAR Community Rating System (STAR) by the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), and the Living Community Challenge by Living Future categorize critical components of urban quality. The ten principles of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence "…informs progress toward a zero-carbon, ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (February, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 02-11-2026
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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 advancing the dialogue around cities, regions, and the future of urban life. First, I want to thank Scott Archer for his leadership in 2025 and acknowledge the many past leaders who have shaped RUDC within AIA over the years. RUDC has established a strong platform for collaboration, education, and advocacy around urban design—one we will continue to build upon in 2026, with the help of the current RUDC ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (December, 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 12-05-2025
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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, 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're 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 ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (November, 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 11-18-2025
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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 spirit that defined this year’s symposium. We explored a remarkable range of ideas, leaving both inspired and invigorated by the collective energy brought from cities across the United States and into Canada—looking at you, Toronto contingent! We owe immense gratitude to our speakers and tour leaders for curating such compelling content. Across scales and contexts, discussions spanned community-led ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (October 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 10-22-2025
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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 as it should be. Urban design is inherently interdisciplinary; it thrives on many voices. As I write this, just ahead of the RUDC Symposium in October (although you may be reading this after the symposium has wrapped), I’m looking at the registration list with real enthusiasm. It’s a vibrant mix of urban designers, architects, landscape architects, planners, academics, and city officials, among others — ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (September 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 09-22-2025
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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 design teaching and practice. I still recall the provocative and inspiring discussions led by David Gamble, Anne Tate, Terry Schwartz, and Dennis Pieprz—an experience that immediately hooked me as both practitioner and adjunct faculty. Soon after, I joined the RUDC Leadership Group and helped relaunch the symposium in the post-Covid era. In 2023, we convened in Washington, DC for Cities in Transition: ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (August 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 08-21-2025
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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, but the inspiration our students bring—their optimism, creativity, and ambition—always outweighs the demands. They arrive eager to meet new collaborators, tackle design challenges, and shape a better future. (And honestly, is there anything more satisfying than back-to-school shopping for new pens and sketchbooks?) This year, however, begins under a shadow of uncertainty. Many international students ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (July 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 07-22-2025
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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 just observing street life from a park bench, hopefully we can all find time to engage in the amenities that our neighborhoods offer (and not just imagine them digitally with photoshop entourage). Here in Washington, DC, the pace of change is striking. Just last week, another wave of federal employees—including many architects, engineers, planners, and designers—were released through mass layoffs and reductions ...
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RUDC AIA25 Recap

By Alison Karfeld posted 06-23-2025
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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 architect and urban designer, I was particularly struck by Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s reflections on the potential of design to bridge divides and foster belonging in communities historically fractured by the very systems we seek to improve. His framing of architects as stewards of connection echoes my own belief that we are, at our core, problem-solvers — uniquely positioned to synthesize technical complexity ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (June 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 06-23-2025
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“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 shape change. When we gather in person, in the tangible reality of physical spaces, we acknowledge a shared presence, a shared existence, and a shared respect for one another. While buildings are often designed for specific groups, the spaces between them — the urban spaces we as urban designers engage — are truly democratic: places where we can encounter one another, share experiences, and discover the unique ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (May 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 05-15-2025
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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 through your local chapter’s urban design, planning, or regional and urbanism-focused group. That’s how I began my journey, first as an inaugural member and then as Co-Chair of the AIA|DC Urban Design Committee (UD DC). RUDC remains a dynamic and committed group—organizing design competitions, lecture series, film screenings, panel discussions, and public programs. As I’ve moved from local engagement to national ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (April 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 04-15-2025
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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 sea level appears again and again. (Note: Some 1969 researchers put the distinction of 5,280 feet at the 18th Capitol step, and in 2003, they changed it again to the 13th step. So let’s just say it’s approximately a mile high.) I had the privilege of visiting Denver earlier this month for the American Planning Association’s conference (#npc25). During the sessions and tours, one theme kept emerging: authenticity. ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (March 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-27-2025
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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 Community Leadership Retreat where AIA’s 21 Knowledge Communities alongside other leaders within AIA – such as representatives of the Strategic Council and BoKnoCo (Board Knowledge Community) – collaborated on developing ideas around themes of climate resilience, advanced technology, and equitable community development. All three themes are central to our work in Regional & Urban Design. Keep an eye out for ...
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RUDC Letter from the Chair (January 2025)

By Alison Karfeld posted 01-23-2025
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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 focus of 2024 and created a foundation for us all in 2025. In order to secure our future, change is inevitable, and the AIA Knowledge Communities, including Regional & Urban Design (RUDC), will be in the process of evolution this year. As the 2025 Chair, I’m excited for this opportunity to help chart our future in collaboration with the RUDC Leadership Group (including six new leaders!) and with all of you. ...
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RUDC "Cities are relationships: Regionalism Polycentricity" Symposium Recap

By Alison Karfeld posted 12-12-2024
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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 interacting with 21 speakers across 5 panels and 2 keystones. The topics were wide ranging yet interconnected, demonstrating that not only are communities related, but the issues the face and the solutions they utilize are related too. The day started with a discussion about how Indianapolis is planning for culture and equity by bridging gaps between groups as the city fosters thriving communities. It ...
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Letter from the Chair - Scott Archer, December Newsletter

By Alison Karfeld posted 12-12-2024
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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 the Regional & Urban Design Knowledge Community (RUDC) is. Urban Design as a discipline is often considered adrift between all of these disciplinary islands. While it may lack a permanent home, its flexibility and transdisciplinarity may be its primary strength. These gatherings are invigorating, educational, and growing, and we hope that other urbanists will find value and join us in the year to come! As ...
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