Architect and urbanist Erkin Özay’s work explores the role of institutions in addressing the needs of disadvantaged urban communities. Bridging facets of urban development, education policy, and design, Özay’s talk will focus on the recent history of school-led redevelopment in East Baltimore, reflecting on it as an illustrative case to examine the persistent paradigms of community-building in American urbanism, as well as the spatial ideology of “saving cities.”

Erkin’s research is concerned with the architecture of institutional settings and their capacity to serve as spaces of collective experience, with a specific concentration on educational environments and resettlement practices. A registered architect, he previously taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, University of Toronto, and Northeastern University, and practiced architecture with various international design firms.

Join us at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center for our eighth year of Faculty Fellows talks! This lecture series brings current UB humanities research out into the community – with complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres. Free and open to the public.