Retrofitting Suburbia for 21st Century Challenges

The “Retrofitting Suburbia Workshop” will be a deep dive into one of the more ambitious suburban retrofits, the White Flint/Pike District in North Bethesda, Maryland. After a presentation of the project, Professor Dunham-Jones will lead participants in a discussion of the diverse impacts of the redevelopment and a comparison of how public-private partnerships operate in the U.S. and Canada.

This workshop will take place Wednesday April 12 from 10:30 am – 11: 30 am in HNES 207 and is open to students interested in planning and suburban issues. Space is limited so please RSVP at suburban@yorku.ca in order to attend.

Following the workshop, Professor Dunham-Jones will be presenting in the MCRI Global Suburbanisms “Towards Suburbia” seminar series. Students are invited to attend “Retrofitting Suburbia for 21st Century Challenges” from 12:30 pm- 2:00 pm in the Harry Crowe Room (Atkinson room 109).

Ellen Dunham-Jones is a professor of architecture at Georgia Tech and director of the MS in Urban Design degree. Her teaching and 60+ published articles address the intersection of contemporary theory and real estate practice. A leading authority on suburban redevelopment, she lectures widely and conducts workshops with municipalities. She and co-author June Williamson wrote Retrofitting Suburbia; Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs (Wiley, 2009, 2011, mandarin edition 2013). The award-winning book’s documentation of successful retrofits of dead big box stores, malls, office parks, and other suburban property types into more sustainable places has received significant media attention in The New York Times, PBS, NPR, Harvard Business Review, Urban Land, TED and other venues. The Retrofitting Suburbia Case Studies: Designs for 21st Century Challenges is forthcoming.