Photo credit: Florian Göpfert on Unsplash

Event Description

Across regions and cultures, we are seeing a growing convergence in building forms, streetscapes, and even the experiences our projects deliver. Too often, computer-generated imagery becomes the primary decision-making currency and rewards what looks familiar rather than what is culturally and regionally specific. As AI becomes embedded in urban design, masterplanning, and architectural workflows, the urgency increases: without a disciplined, culture-first method, we risk accelerating generic outcomes.

This lecture offers a practical countermeasure: a repeatable Place Process demonstrated through paired case examples from China/Asia and the U.S. Midwest, concluding with tools attendees can apply immediately, including a Sameness Diagnostic and a Place Test rubric for evaluating whether proposals are truly rooted in context.

Speaker

Gregory Yager, FAIA, Founder, GW Design Consultant Group

Speaker Bios