Who Is the City For?

Exhibit / Program of Plans & People Shaping Washington, D.C.

Attend this West End Community Salon, and engage with four leaders in the field of urban planning.

Who Is the City For? is a salon-style program about the plans and people shaping Washington, DC. This program of four expert panelists also celebrates the traveling exhibit Planning Washington: Capital and Community and the Centennial of the National Capital Planning Commission.

Every day, planning professionals in Washington, DC, work to prepare our region for the evolving needs of a dynamic, diverse, and growing population. On September 26, enjoy this lively salon-style panel with four regional experts; for whom cities and city planning is the stuff of their daily work.  

Who Is the City For? is produced by the West End Neighborhood Library and program partner, American Purpose. This event is co-sponsored by the National Capital Planning Commission.

  5:30 pm  Guided tour of Planning Washington: Capital and Community, on display inside the West End Neighborhood Library through September 29
  6:00 p.m.—7:45 pm  Salon-style panel conversation in the library's large meeting room

About the Panelists

Laura M. Richards is actively involved in urban planning and historic preservation in Washington, D.C. She has been a Trustee and past Chairman of the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting responsible land use and planning in the nation’s capital.  Her work advocates for policies that protect the historic character of Washington, D.C. while supporting sustainable development.   Now an attorney in the private sector, she was formerly deputy general counsel at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. 

Alex Baca has worked in journalism, advocacy, architecture, construction, and transportation in DC, San Francisco, and Cleveland and is currently the DC Policy Director at Greater Greater Washington, seeking to increase the production of housing and affordable housing and reduce trips by car in the District of Columbia. Alex has written about all of the above for CityLab, Slate, Vox, Washington City Paper, and other publications.

Alexis Robinson works as an Associate at Justice & Sustainability Associates where she manages projects in planning and development, open space and recreation and transportation.  She has worked with local government in long-range planning and development review.  She has recently been certified as a professional planner by the American Institute of Certified Planners and holds a Master of Community Planning from the University of Maryland. 

Julia Koster serves as Secretary of the National Capital Planning Commission.  She also directs the Office of Public Engagement to inform and involve the public and foster partnerships in all aspects of the NCPC’s work. Ms. Koster was previously development coordinator for the Governor’s Office of Smart Growth in Maryland and a senior land use and environmental planner in Washington State.  She received a master’s degree in Urban Planning from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. 

Artwork City Dwellers by Dana Ellyn, Painter. This image is used with the artist's permission

2024 is the 100th Anniversary of the National Capital Planning Commission.

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