The New York 2030 Notebook was launched in Venice on Saturday September 13, 2008 with a discussion moderated by Institute executive director and Notebook editor Olympia Kazi and the following contributors: Teddy Cruz, Winka Dubbeldam, Renee Kauffman, Charles McKinney, Jean-Loup Msika and Damon Rich.

In the midst of a potentially ominous and raging storm, our launch party attracted some of the brightest starts in town for the Venice Architecture Biennial. The event, held in the US Pavilion, kicked off with an introduction by William Menking, US commissioner and editor of the Architect’s Newspaper, followed by a conversation centered on the question of implementation and how to transform ideas into reality. The participants responded with a range of lessons and anecdotes, from McKinney’s experiences with the Parks Department and Kauffman’s work reforesting New York, to Rich’s emphasis on participation and an engaging political will. In all, it was a tremendously stimulating and fitting context through which to launch the Notebook. Audience members included MoMA chief architecture curator Barry Bergdoll; Susan Chin, assistant commissioner of capital projects at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Detroit-based architect Dan Pitera; architect-designer Aldo Cibic and Charles Ganz of world-architects.com along with many others contributed to the discursive, thoughtful discussion. If you haven’t yet, get your hands on a copy of the Notebook!