Just as the medical, scientific, and engineering schools enjoy a symbiotic and indivisible relationship with their professional counterparts, LA Now/LA Next believes the architecture community could benefit from this kind of synergy between its academic and professional realms as well. Thus, the LA Now/LA Next project advocates and forges just this kind of vital relationship.

      LA Now/LA Next’s goals rest in resolving housing, infrastructural, and ecological urban issues facing Los Angeles. The comprehension of the city begins with translating abstract statistical data into accessible graphics and, making plausible through juries of professionals, complex speculative housing proposals.

      The 90-minute discussion between Maurice Cox of the University of Virginia, School of Architecture; Richard Koshalek of Art Center College of Design; and Thom Mayne, FAIA, of Morphosis will showcase the values, aspirations, and strategies of different disciplines toward the planning of Los Angeles and, by extension, to other major metropolises. The discussion should produce a sustainable and collaborative position that can be the “seed” for planning discussions in other cities. This exportable template is LA Next-the evolution of LA Now. Moderated by Richard Weinstein of UCLA School of Architecture and Urban Design.