For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Jason Larrison and it is an honor to be the 2024 chair for AIA’s Regional and Urban Design Committee. I am an architect in Indianapolis with 24 years of urban design experience. I am following in the footsteps of past chair Nathan Ogle, AIA and looking to build on the energy, enthusiasm, and success of 2023!
There are a lot of events and activities coming up and coming fast! Our first AIAU Panel on the changing roles of downtown, suburbs, and neighborhoods and how they impact diversity, equity, & inclusion is coming up on April 30th and will be led by Rex Cabaniss, AIA.
RUDC will be at AIA24 in Washington, DC. We will host a forum and reception thanks to the leadership of Scott Archer, AIA. And this fall we will again host a symposium, this time in Indianapolis. Plus we will continue to build on our communications and outreach thanks to Ashlee Dingler, AICP and Nathan.
Over the years, I have told architects, students, and the general public that architects aren’t just designers; we are problem solvers. Our skill sets are applicable, and frankly needed, in a variety of roles in our community and society. I believe RUDC has a major role as urban design impacts so many people in our country and our world.
As we kick off 2024, I want to encourage everybody to think big, because what profession is better at big ideas than ours? But we also need to create the blueprints to move forward and execute the initial steps so that our work isn’t just aspirational, but also transformational. In short, we need to think forward and act now.
I look forward to tackling our urban design issues with all of you. Cheers to a successful 2024!