PARLOR TALK: WHO IS IT BUILT FOR?

Join us in the parlor for a conversation about architecture, identity, culture & politics in Detroit with special guests Kimberly Dowdell of People Oriented Designz (PODz) and Steven Lewis of City of Detroit Planning & Development.

Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, LEED BD+C, SEED, NCARB, NOMA is Principal of People Oriented Designz (PODz), a start-up design firm focused on building community and designing places that bring value to neighborhoods of all socio-economic status. A graduate of Cornell University (B.Arch) and Harvard University (MPA), Dowdell was a Sheila C. Johnson Leadership Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. A native of Detroit, Dowdell grew up with an ambition to revitalize cities using real estate development and sustainable design as tools for renewal. She has worked as a licensed architect and real estate project manager in New York City, Washington D.C. and Detroit.
R. Steven Lewis, FAIA, NOMAC, LEED AP is an architect and advocate for social justice and diversity within the field of architecture, currently serving as the Urban Design Director for the City of Detroit’s Planning and Development Department under Director Maurice Cox. Prior to Detroit, he served with the U.S. GSA Office of the Chief Architect in Washington, D.C.; was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design; President of the National Organization of Minority Architects; and a founding partner of RAW International in L.A.. Steven recently launched a consulting practice to further assist clients using architecture & design to effect positive change to our world.

Please note our new address: Mackenzie House, 4735 Cass Avenue, Detroit