- The Civic Designer
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- Art, Memory, and Community—Rethinking Portsmouth Square
The interplay between urban redevelopment, cultural heritage, and community engagement can be complex. We must underscore the need for inclusive dialogue in shaping our public spaces.
Portsmouth Square in San Francisco’s historic Chinatown is poised for a significant renovation, a decision that brings to the forefront the challenging issue of how to deal with nearly a dozen controversial public artworks, monuments, and plaques within the park. Amidst national conversations on public art and historical representation triggered by protests against police brutality, San Francisco faces a pivotal moment in reevaluating public spaces and the narratives they support.
This redevelopment process includes extensive community engagement to decide the fate of existing monuments and the introduction of new artwork that accurately reflects the historical and contemporary experiences of the Chinese and Asian American communities, with proposals to use technology for more immersive educational experiences and to ensure the park’s role as a vibrant center for activism and cultural expression.
Exploring design’s role in the public sector through a listening tour, revealing the complexity and challenges of establishing design careers within government, and introducing a new initiative by Rosenfeld Media to foster a community and conference centered on civic design.
 | Investigate what makes our bursting cities human and how this may liberate our growing urban population. |
 For this new organization uniting San Francisco’s parks, Office created an identity that reflects the magic and wonder within these gardens. |  The result is a new and distinct symbol, which seeks inspiration from elements of the national flag. |
 Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community. |  Graphic and exhibition designers, fabricators and architects, media developers and creative technologists, students and educators. |
CAPIO Conference | May 13–16, 2024
CAPIO connects you with more than 900 public sector communicators throughout California. This year’s conference will be in the heart of the captivating desert landscape of Indian Wells.
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