Creating Equitable Communities

933 Lee Street Southwest,Atlanta GA 30310

05 October, 2021

Description

A Conversation with GA State Rep Park Cannon x Todd Bertsch, Design Director, HOK - Creating Equitable Communities. Creating an Equitable Community: What makes cities such as Paris, New York, and Rio de Janeiro beloved places? They have developed distinct identities that are shaped and transformed by the people who live there and contribute to a high quality of life. But ensuring that places remain inclusive, without compromising the rich diversity that comes with living in cities, is not simple. It requires that growth and development in cities and communities happen equitably. Therefore, the way we think about planning, designing, and using places is important both locally and globally. The Talk is moderated by Josh Green, the Editor of Urbanize Atlanta. __ GA State Rep Park Cannon State Representative Park Cannon currently serves as the Secretary to the Georgia House Democratic Caucus, and is assigned to the Insurance, Small Business Development, Human Relations & Aging, Code Revision andEthics committees. Her legislative efforts focus on reproductive justice issues such as access to quality health care, housing, and education. Rep. Cannon seeks to stop the erosion of affordability for basic needs, which she believes are the foundations of social stability. She also devotes her legislative work to protectingGeorgia’s most vulnerable citizens: women and children, the elderly and the LGBTQ+ community. These communities are often the most at risk for losing their homes and access to quality health care. __ Todd Bertsch, Design Director of HOK As Senior Principal and Design Director of the Atlanta HOK office, Todd leads the Atlanta office and the design of our most complex projects. His high level of design, attention to detail and vast knowledge of complex buildings characterizes his unique contribution.Todd is passionate about creating sustainable, environmentally sensitive and high-performance projects. He assists clients in making prudent decisions and ensures their satisfaction. With over 30 years of experience around the world and in the Atlanta area, Todd has been leading numerous technically challenging projects for private, institutional andeducational agenciesincluding PorscheCars North America,Center forDiseaseControl and Prevention,Emory UniversityandGeorgia StateUniversity. __ Josh Green, the Editor of Urbanize Atlanta Josh Green writes freelance magazine and newspaper stories, long and short fiction, and edits the news site Urbanize Atlanta, which debuted in January. He was formerly editor of Curbed Atlanta from 2012 until its demise last year. Urbanize, which began in Los Angeles in 2015, was born from a passion for cities and how they evolve through urban planning, architecture, transportation, and real estate. Atlanta’s was the first new city site to launch. Atlanta Design Festival (formerly Design is Human Atlanta) is organized by MA! Design is Human, a creative enterprise platform helping to grow brand awareness and sustainable prosperity in design. MA! Design is Human is dedicated to use its expertise in helping Atlanta and businesses understand what a design economy means to economic growth and where resources are best invested.