L'Enfant Lecture on City Planning and Design

The American Planning Association and the National Building Museum have established an annual lecture to draw attention to critical issues in city and regional planning in the United States. The lecture, named for Pierre Charles L'Enfant, who created the acclaimed plan for Washington, D.C., will feature leading figures in planning, architecture, urban design, governance, and other fields.

The goal of the lecture series is to enliven national dialogue about urban and regional growth, while challenging individuals to create communities of lasting value for the 21st century and beyond. The lecture will be held in a different city each year. In each city, APA and the National Building Museum will work with a local host to select an appropriate venue, speaker, and topic.

2007 L'Enfant Lecture

Teddy Cruz
"From the Global Border to the Border Neighborhood"

November 1, 2007 • 7 p.m.
Preston Bradley Hall
Chicago Cultural Center

Teddy Cruz, renowned Guatemalan-born architect and urban theorist, will deliver the 2007 L'Enfant Lecture in Chicago.

Cruz will discuss his firm's work in creating affordable housing, community centers, and developments on both sides of the U.S.–Mexican border.

Click here for details, including registration information.

Lectures in the Series

2006
Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogota, Colombia, spoke on "Bogota and Beyond: A New Model for Urban Planning and Development" on November 16, 2006, at the Cooper Union in New York City. Click here for more.

2005
Noted British planner, teacher, and author, Sir Peter Hall, gave the inaugural lecture on December 15, 2005, at the National Building Museum. Click here for details of Sir Peter Hall's 2005 lecture.