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The Committee on Design (COD) was founded to promote design excellence among members of the AIA, the broader design community, and the public at large, both nationally and internationally.

2024 COD Conferences

Arkansas

April 3-7 | 21c Hotel | Bentonville and Eureka Springs - Registration is sold out.

Brazil

Thu, Oct 17 - Sat, Oct 26, 2024
Sao Paulo > Brasilia > Rio de Janerio.  Registration will open in late April.

2024 Sponsorships

Download the prospectus for Arkansas and Brazil opportunities.


2023 COD Conferences

Last year, COD held two domestic design conferences investigating The Authenticity of Place.  The first conference was held in New Orleans, LA.  View the short video of the venue tours and download the conference program book. The second conference was held in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, September 21-24, 2023. Download the Minneapolis guidebook and view the conference video. 

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Rotterdam's Urban Design and Architecture (a travel report)

  • 1.  Rotterdam's Urban Design and Architecture (a travel report)

    Posted 04-11-2023 02:02 PM

    Rotterdam 2023: Part 2 - Urban Design and Architecture 

    Introduction

    The sister City relationship between Baltimore (pop 600,000) and Rotterdam (pop 650,000) is brought to life by the Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee and by various activities of individuals and organizations that believe exchange is fruitful, 
    Rotterdam - City of Architecture (Photo: Philipsen)
     
    Through my past teaching and current mentoring role at Morgan State University I was invited to participate in a recent architecture trip to Rotterdam 
     Part 1 covered transportation.

    Urban Design

    Surveying the nightly skyline of Rotterdam from my 16th floor hotel window, I realize that I could just as well look at a city in the US, Denver, for example. Blocky high rises all around, in between, in a big clash of scales, some familar brands glow on small two story shopping arcades: "Footlocker", Dunkin Donuts etc.
    In some ways Rotterdam is the most American of Dutch cities
    (photo Philipsen)

    Upon closer inspection a few distinctions emerge, though: I can't find the telltale surface parking lots that are always present in US cities, and zooming in even further, though traffic is really sparse at this late hour, there are still some bicyclists pedaling through the night, but no-one is camping out on sidewalks. Rotterdam has been called the most American of Dutch cities, but it has taken a  READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE


    ------------------------------
    [Klaus] Philipsen FAIA
    Archplan Inc. Philipsen Architects
    Baltimore MD
    ------------------------------
    24.06.07 CODAIA24


  • 2.  RE: Rotterdam's Urban Design and Architecture (a travel report)

    Posted 04-12-2023 06:09 PM
    You were most fortunate to have visited Rotterdam. It is far past time for me to go again to see it, 1968!  I left on the Holland America's Rotterdam at the end of my Fulbright Scholarship year In Copenhagen, leaving my then future wife, Caroline for her three further years in England and Canada.

    I began my career in education back at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 

    My purpose in responding now is to applaud you for supporting foreign studies for architecture students. It is not just 'nice.' It is transformational and in the most marvelous ways.    

    Bravo

    Roy Knight, FAIA



    Original Message
    24.06.07 CODAIA24