March 20th, 2025
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Center for Architecture
536 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY 10012, USA
Maria Vassilakou envisages cities as open, green, affordable, family friendly and diverse places for life. In her nine years (2010-2019) serving as Vice Mayor she implemented successfully a vast transformation agenda comprising numerous innovative projects, contributing substantially to Vienna's number one position in all major international livability rankings within the last decade. Vassilakou now works worldwide as an independent advisor on urban transformation. Since 2019, Vassilakou is also a member of the EU Horizon Mission experts board on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities.
Join Urban Design Forum and the AIANY Housing Committee for a conversation about housing, transformation, and livability in Vienna with Maria Vassilakou.
Vienna has been recognized as the world’s most livable city for three years in a row. Vienna’s world-class public transportation infrastructure and high quality social housing, widely regarded as the international gold standard, have propelled the city’s success.
Maria Vassilakou, Vienna’s former Vice Mayor responsible for Urban Planning, Traffic and Transport, Climate Protection, Energy and Public Participation, will share lessons learned from Vienna’s transformations. This lecture is co-hosted with the AIANY Housing Committee, as part of their annual Samuel Ratensky Memorial Lecture series.
What can urban leaders in New York City learn from Vienna’s big swings to build a more inclusive, livable city?
Guest & Accessibility Policies
This event is open to Urban Design Forum Fellows, Global Circle members and their invited guests.
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully.
- The venue will have an entrance and elevators that are ADA-accessible.
- This event will have microphones and speakers.
- If you’re not feeling well, please stay home. Face masks are encouraged, particularly if you have been recently exposed to colds, flus, or other illness. If you have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days, a high-quality, well-fitting face covering is required at all times.
- Please refrain from wearing strong fragrances to accommodate guests with allergies or environmental sensitivities.
- If you have additional needs, we will do our best to accommodate. Please contact rsvp@urbandesignforum.org.
About the Big Swings
Our 2024 Global Exchange initiative, Big Swings seeks to build solidarity between leaders in New York and other cities taking “big swings” at their housing crises. By exploring the cultures and politics behind housing shifts around the world, we will equip decision-makers to better advocate for reform and support a new generation of leaders to house every New Yorker.
Continuing Education
This event is been approved for 1.5 AIA CES LUs.
Urban Design Forum is now an AIA CES provider. If there are other continuing education credits you are interested in receiving, please contact Miranda Bellizia, Director of Member Engagement, miranda@urbandesignforum.org.
Support
Global Exchange is made possible through support of our Global Circle. We thank sponsors Apple Bank, Camba Housing Ventures, Charney, Cozen O’Connor, Fogarty Finger, HKS, Jamie von Klemperer, KPF, One Architecture, Perkins Eastman, Skylight, Turner Construction, Upside Collab and Zillow.
Global Exchange is made possible with additional support from our Board of Directors, Director’s Circle, and company and individual members. Our programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
To learn more about supporting Global Exchange, please contact Miranda Bellizia, miranda@urbandesignform.org.
Image credit: Viennaphotographer; Lucas Beck
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