Freedom of Assembly: Public Space Today

When: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17 Where: At The Center In an age of social unrest, political upheaval, and economic uncertainty, the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York and around the country, has challenged the physical manifestation of the First Amendment rights to freedom of assembly. New York’s Zuccotti Park has been at the center of a very public debate on democracy and class strife. Where can the public congregate at a time when public parks close at dark, and “POP’s,” privately owned public spaces, are in fact privately controlled? Where and how do people congregate today? Architects, urban planners, and civil liberties experts will put in context the state of public space today, and how design can play a role in our free expression through assembly. Introductory Remarks: Lance Jay Brown, FAIA, ACSA, Distinguished Professor in the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at The City College of New York Moderator: Michael Kimmelman, chief architecture critic, The New York Times Panelists: Rick Bell, FAIA, Executive Director, American Institute of Architects New York Chapter Alexander Cooper, FAIA, Founding Partner, Cooper Robertson & Partners; architect of Zuccotti Park Arthur Eisenberg, Legal Director, New York Civil Liberties Union Dr. Mindy Thompson Fullilove, Professor of Clinical Sociomedical Sciences and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Lisa Keller, Associate Professor of History School of Humanities, Purchase College; Columbia University; Author Elizabeth J. Kennedy, ASLA, Principal, Elizabeth Kennedy Landscape Architect PLLC Brad Lander, Council Member, Progressive Caucus Gregory Smithsimon, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Brooklyn College Michael Sorkin, Principal, Michael Sorkin Studios; Distinguished Professor of Architecture and Director of the Graduate Urban Design Program at The City College of New York Closing Remarks: Ron Shiffman, FAICP, Professor, Pratt Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment Organized by the Center for Architecture, City College of New York School of Architecture, and Pratt Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment. Cost: Free The program will be available for viewing live online at http://ustre.am/FCti. Center for Architecture