Question 7

Jane is a licensed architect and urban designer with twenty years of experience working with municipalities and agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Her work includes urban design for streetscape improvements, transit area planning, revitalizing mixed-use districts, and supporting housing policy. Jane is a lecturer at UC Berkeley and teaches architecture to school aged students (K-12). It is important to Jane that large groups of non-designers become empowered with creative communication skills because they are the key to making our communities better.

Q: Your work seems to resonate with a wide audience, from vibrant mixed-use developments to serene green pockets. Looking ahead, what new frontiers in urban design are you excited to explore, and how do you envision your impact evolving as these new challenges and opportunities arise?

A: The challenges for urban design have been around for a long time! One of our biggest challenges in the United States is the impact of private vehicle use on our urban and daily patterns. We also have a greater need than ever for social spaces, a feeling of community cohesion. If re-framed, the built environment can be an opportunity to highlight the identity of a place so that it is more meaningful to the people that live there and more coherent to those who visit. For many communities, building that pride and sense of place is a new frontier. The innovation in urban design may be the way that we facilitate and communicate our design.