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Annual Lecture Series

The Kansas City Design Center’s annual lecture series helps to build public awareness of leading ideas and issues in urban design, and provides a unique opportunity for initiating community dialogues about critical issues facing the region’s built environment.

Each series features nationally-distinguished speakers with profound insights on how to improve the quality of architectural and urban design and the character vitality of the public realm. All presentations are free and open to the public.

Past Series

Our 2006 series, Transformations: Leadership for the Public Realm, featured individuals who have played a direct and significant role in devising and implementing civic agendas for good urban design and stewardship of the public realm.

During the 2004-05 academic year, the KCDC presented Re-imagining the Public Realm, five lectures by leading urbanists and design practitioners. The series focused on how public leadership, sound design and planning principles, and an emphasis on quality public spaces can be combined to create a public realm that is vital, innovative, and a powerful symbol of a city's identity and character.

In 2003, through a collaboration with AIA Kansas City, the KCDC presented architecture + cityscape: urban ambitions and city design, a series of lectures intended to help the public, practitioners and decision makers better understand the potential contribution of dynamic, innovative architecture to the city's vitality and quality of life.

Our 2002 series, entitled Sustaining a Sense of Region: Civic Dialogues on Ecology, Urbanism, and Metropolitan Growth, offered critical perspectives on regional growth and sustainability.

Upcoming KCDC events, as well as public events hosted by our partner universities and academic programs, can be found on our Event Calendar.