Georgetown University’s Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning program will present its third distinguished lecture series this fall with the theme “Planning Big Investments in Big Cities.”

Members of the community are invited to attend and engage guest speakers in a dialogue that explores how planning professionals are positioning large-scale investments to achieve transformative urban outcomes. Projects and topics referenced will include:

• Department of Defense military housing initiatives
• The lasting legacy of the HUD HOPE VI housing program
• McMillan Reservoir redevelopment initiative
• Washington, DC’s water and sewer infrastructure
• The Hudson Yards neighborhood development project in New York City
• Large mixed-use projects in Hong Kong and Shanghai
• The Brooklyn Waterfront Park and the High Line in New York City.

For this public lecture series, Georgetown has invited highly accomplished luminaries in the urban planning field to reflect on their work and share insights into how public, private and nonprofit organizations are reimagining the future of urban communities.

October 6: New Community Development: A Topic of Research
Mahlon “Sandy” Apgar, IV
CEO, Apgar & Company

October 20: A Hope VI Legacy: Community-Initiated Makeovers
Michael Kelly
Director, DC Department of Housing and Community Development

October 27: Finding Balance: Planning Long-term Impacts
Jair Lynch
CEO, Jair Lynch Development Partners

November 3: Planning Social Equity Through Infrastructure
George Hawkins
General Manager, DC Water

November 10: Planning Large Buildings in Large Cities
James Von Klemperer
Managing Partner, Kohn Pedersen Fox PC

November 17: New Parks Transforming Old Cities
John Alschuler
Principal, HR&A Advisors and Chairman, Friends of the Highline

Lectures are scheduled for Monday afternoons and will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. The series is hosted in the auditorium of Georgetown’s downtown campus at 640 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. 

While these lectures are free and open to the public, an RSVP is requested due to limited space.

About the Program

Georgetown’s Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning program trains visionary leaders to integrate urban design with community development, creating more livable neighborhoods, cities and regions. The program’s applied curriculum covers the range of urban planning expertise including economic development, land use, urban form, housing, culture, transportation, energy and environment. Housed in a state-of-the-art campus in downtown Washington, DC, the National Capital Region serves as an urban laboratory for exploring the process of urbanization globally.