Calling all female city-makers to reSITE 2019 REGENERATE
reSITE aims to do its part in elevating female voices as an opportunity to achieve social balance in architecture and design. By bringing together all different backgrounds we can create provocative conversations around the regeneration of cities that reflect the needs of everyone.
The existing gender imbalance in architecture and design is reflected in conferences or events. reSITE is the exception.
Since its genesis in 2012, reSITE has always invited and attracted outstanding women, both on the stage and in the audience. Our ambition is to continue our work while fostering the gender balance in the architecture and design professions, as well as city making to correct the ratio of female voices in urban design disciplines and municipal decision making.
“When reSITE organizes an event, gender and race balance is a central determinant of whom we invite to speak and whom we invite to participate. Our goal is to achieve gender balance, or do better than that in every single one. Gender balance is a relatively personal discussion for me. For my first job in architecture, I chose to work for Barbara Wilks, a pioneering architect and landscape architect who is one of the few practicing professionals who is a fellow of both the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). Wilks is still a mentor for me and perhaps did the most of anyone to shape my career and path." Martin Barry, Founder of reSITE
#WomenMakeCities at reSITE 2019
We are working on improving the global systematic equality problems by encouraging more women to attend our events. This issue transcends architecture. Women representation at leadership levels in the workforce is weak. In Europe, female architects make up about 30% of the workforce; 27% in the United States. Far less, around 8%, are recognized by the AIA at the highest level as fellow - meaning that their work has not been recognized for excellence.
Traditionally, it has been decided upon what to play, how to deal with it, in dark rooms, by old men, in dark suits. And it needs to change, that definitely needs to change
reSITE encourages female designers, architects and women in cities leadership to attend the annual conference reSITE 2019 REGENERATE focused on regeneration in cities. reSITE is proud to present McMansion Hell founder, Kate Wagner and architect Jee Liu as well as Bianca Wylie, and Anni Sinnemäki amongst the first announced guests to speak at the event.
A special promotion “Women in Design” has been introduced offering a 70% discount from the standard registration fee to all women working in design, architecture, cities leadership and administration (bringing the price to €75).
We, at reSITE, hope by doing our part we can inspire a growing generation of females architects, designers, city makers, entrepreneurs and beyond.
reSITE Talks from Female Voices
Landscape is Everything Around You with Kathryn Gustafson
Kathryn Gustafson is a landscape architect and co-founded the landscape architecture firm Gustafson Porter + Bowman, based in London. Gustafson’s projects include Gardens of the Imagination in Terrasson, France, Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam, Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London.
How to Design Architecture for People with Caroline Bos | reSITE City Talks
Caroline Bos is a co-founder of UNStudio based out of Amsterdam. She talks with reSITE about resilient design and her belief is that architecture is not about creating something perfect, but something inspired and designed for people to be in safely.
Immigration and Decentralizing Cities with Saskia Sassen
World renowned urban sociologist, Saskia Sassen explains how city size and openness play a role in cosmopolitan cultural development. She highlights the stark contrast between smaller and larger cities and their abilities to accommodate the influx of not only migrants but also the “thick” local cultures which influence overall quality of life.
Janette Sadik-Khan on the Value of Our Streets + PlaNYC
Janette Sadik-Khan, former Commissioner of the Department of Transportation of New York City, discusses programs implemented in her time in the department and the positive changes these have made. She especially focused on safety and community opinion in her policies, and presents how they made safety programs appeal to people and how much safer she made the streets for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
Caroline Bos on Building Cities for the Future
Caroline Bos, a Dutch urban planner and co-founder of the architectural design center UN Studio, questions the sustainability of our current cities and how to make them last into the future. She brings up ideas of resilience in cities, working with a circular economy, and managing resources more sustainably and effectively.
Kathryn Gustafson on The Art of Landscape Architecture
Co-founder of landscape architecture studio Gustafson Porter + Bowman, Kathryn Gustafson embodies the role of artistry through landscape architecture. Noting that art is often a reflection of the artists’ contemporary moment, Gustafson seeks to channel art through landscape design as a reflection of the world around.
On the Balance Between Public + Private Space | reSITE City Talks
Mimi Hoang, founder of nArchitects, discusses public space versus domestic space and affordable housing. She believes that the urban environment should encourage people to spend time in it and make the city space their own.
Saskia Sassen: City is an Extraordinary Animal
Saskia Sassen, professor of sociology at Columbia University, discusses the migrant experience relating to land use and the urban habitat. She focuses on the privatizing and corporatizing of modern cities and how these trends affect the people living in cities, especially disadvantaged and ignored populations.
Illuminating Cities After Dark with Leni Schwendinger | reSITE Small Talk
Leni Schwendinger discusses the 24-hour city, and the reality of an urbanism that utilizes nighttime hours. Through lighting that makes public spaces both accessible and emit a sense of security, the potential for activities in the urban to span throughout the night can become a reality for a wider portion of the population.
Marlena Happach on Copenhagenizing Warsaw
Marlena Happach, a Chief Architect for the city of Warsaw, discusses current issues facing Warsaw in regards to city planning and livability. She references expensive and dificult public transportation and lack of high quality public spaces as two things she wants to address, using Copenhagen as a model.
Martina Ableidinger on How Vienna Made Peace with its Waste
Martina Ableidinger, the head of Waste Prevention & External Affairs in Vienna, lectures at reSITE about the best practices that have made Vienna the most livable city. Waste prevention, recycling, citizen engagement, and creating renewable energy from waste greatly increase the quality of life in Vienna.
How We Gave Back Mariahilfer Straße to Pedestrians with Mascha Onderwater
Mascha Onderwater of Bureau B+B, redesigners of Mariahilfer Straße to a pedestrian zone, speaks on urban regeneration and creating welcoming public spaces in an era of industrialization and lack of consideration for pedestrians. She shows pictures and graphs on their work creating a walking district in downtown Vienna, focusing on urban regeneration and recreating public space.
Related Stories
The Women Shaping Cities: Who to Follow, What to Read, Watch and Listen to
On the occasion of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we’ve compiled a selection of sources what to read, watch, listen to, or follow to amplify the female voices acting to improve the built environment.
Women REGENERATE Cities at reSITE 2019
reSITE encourages women across disciplines of design, architecture, city leadership to attend the annual conference reSITE 2019 REGENERATE focused on urban regeneration.
Calling all female city-makers to reSITE 2019 REGENERATE
reSITE aims to do its part in elevating female voices as an opportunity to achieve social balance in architecture and design. By bringing together all different backgrounds we can create provocative conversations around the regeneration of cities that reflect the needs of everyone.
Human-Centered Smart Cities with Marianthi Tatari
Associate Director and Senior Architect at UNStudio, Marianthi Tatari, dissects different aspects of city-making that threaten the quality of life such as mono-functional spaces and commoditized smart cities and how to approach designing them with optimism. Photo courtesy of UNStudio
Related Talks
Creating Common Ground with Michael Kimmelman | reSITE City Talks
Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic for the New York Times, speaks to reSITE about how architects are responsible for creating healthy cities to address climate change, refugees, and urbanisation. In conversation with urban planners and designers, architects can create resilient neighborhoods and cities.
Boom Towns are Immigration Towns with Michael Kimmelman
Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic for the New York Times, uses Stuttgart, Mexico City, and Guangzhou as examples of ways cities have handled an influx of migrants and how the cities have adapted or not adapted differently. The current issues in these cities differ based on location, situation of incoming migrants, and how well the city has handled new arrivals, with Stuttgart presented as a model city for migrant reception.
Saskia Sassen: City is an Extraordinary Animal
Saskia Sassen, professor of sociology at Columbia University, discusses the migrant experience relating to land use and the urban habitat. She focuses on the privatizing and corporatizing of modern cities and how these trends affect the people living in cities, especially disadvantaged and ignored populations.
Can we Gamify Urban Design with Ekim Tam + Play the City
Ekim Tan, inventor of Play the City, moderated and listened to participants discuss the experience of their city, including the urban issues they faced and solutions to problems. At reSITE 2016, attendees played a large scale "Play the City" game where they were assigned roles and simulated making decisions and reacting to events in a city.
