High Line Photo Courtesy of Ed Yourdon

Thursday, August 19, 2010, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Neuhoff Complex, 1319 Adams Street, Nashville, TN 37208

Free for Members, $10 for Guests

August Urban Design Forum “Jazz, Beer and Barbeque” will feature keynote speaker Megan Canning, Deputy Director of the Design Trust for Public Space in New York, NY. TheDesign Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving public space in New York City. From the critical study demonstrating the feasibility of High Line Park (Reclaiming the High Line, pub. 2002) to the recent project investigating the role creative industries play in urban neighborhoods, the Design Trust consistently identifies and implements forward-thinking projects in the public realm.

Ms. Canning has been with the Design Trust for over five years and plays an integral role in every aspect of the organization, including planning, development and programming. She is the author and editor of several Design Trust publications, including The Taxi 07 Exhibit and Reinventing Grand Army Plaza, which chronicles the international ideas competition to revisit and rejuvenate Fredrick Law Olmstead’s historic plan for the heart of Brooklyn - also Brooklyn’s busiest traffic circle. Most recently, she oversaw the design and creation of the Design Trust’s first interactive, multimedia study, MadeinMidtown.org.

Ms. Canning’s talk will center on the role successful public spaces play in creating vibrant cities, and how cities can utilize public spaces more creatively with innovative approaches to planning and programming. In her presentation, she will highlight the Design Trust’s work on the High Line and Reinventing Grand Army Plaza, an ideas competition that sparked imaginations worldwide and galvanized local communities to advocate for a safer, better-designed Plaza.

“Jazz, Beer and Barbeque” also celebrates the launch of NCDC’s recent Membership Campaign. The event is free for members of the NCDC and $10 for guests. 

A special thanks to our Event Sponsors: