President Barack Obama appears at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2022

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["sup"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.obama.org\/the-center\/","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/twbta.com\/","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/articles\/82746-michelle-obama-speaks-to-a17-on-the-impact-o","target","_blank"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The 44"],[0,[0],1,"th"],[0,[],0," President of the United States Barack\nObama headlined AIA\u2019s Conference on Architecture 2022 on Friday, June 24, in\nChicago. He sat in conversation with AIA President Dan Hart, FAIA, where they\ndiscussed a wide variety of topics including his relationship to architecture, the\nissues facing the country, advice for architects and much more. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"A longtime Chicago resident, President Obama reveled in the\nenergy of his hometown by sharing anecdotes and wisdom gleaned from his eight\nyears as President of the United States of America."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Much of the conversation revolved around President Obama\u2019s\nrelationship to many of AIA\u2019s strategic priorities, including the link between\nenvironmental issues and social justice. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cChicago is a case study of times architecture reinforced\ninequity,\u201d he said, citing lower income housing in the city that wasn\u2019t energy\nefficient and didn\u2019t \u201cgive a lot of thought to how people live,\u201d particularly\nin the winter."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cGood planning and skilled architects are needed, but this\nis where government policy makes a difference. Sprawl in America isn\u2019t good for\nour climate, so we have to think about how we create a liveable density that allows\nus to take mass transit and allows us to take bicycles and foot traffic,\u201d he\nsaid. \u201cIt\u2019s not just lack of funding for affordable housing, frankly some very\nwell intentioned laws and regulations at the local level, often generated from\nthe left and my own party, sometimes are inhibiting the creation of affordable\nhousing and empowering NIMBY attitudes that make it very difficult to integrate\ncommunities.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"He also looked inward at his experience with architecture\nand explained that at one point in his life the President wanted to be an\narchitect. He also gave advice to architects that listening to the community\ncan impact their work. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThe single most important thing I learned and carried\nthrough my entire career is listening to people. Turns out you don\u2019t learn that\nmuch talking, but you do learn a lot listening,\u201d President Obama said. \u201cIf\npeople feel as if you\u2019re actively listening and care about their stories and lives,\nthey will tell you what\u2019s important to them and who they are. That applies to\nevery profession, including architecture.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThe gesture of interest that can then inform design is\nsomething that anyone can do,\u201d he added. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"President Obama looked back on his time in the White House\nand discussed both the high points and low points of his presidency. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The passing of the Affordable Care Act was a highlight for\nPresident Obama, adding that he enjoyed a cold martini on the Truman Balcony at\nthe White House with staff who worked on the legislation after it was codified into law. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown,\nConnecticut was the lowest point of his time in office. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThat was a low point in waves. There was the shock of what\nhad happened. There was me traveling to try to comfort parents to whom this had\njust happened,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was the only time I saw Secret Service members cry\non the job,\u201d adding that he also felt fury at Congress for not doing anything\nto pass tighter gun control legislation. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"He reflected on the state of the country and looked at some\nof the biggest challenges that the country faces, and why he thinks there\u2019s a\nneed for the public to focus on facts again. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cEveryone used to be working off the same base of facts. Now\nif you read the New York Times you occupy different world than if you watch Fox\nNews,\u201d he said. \u201cThink about what\u2019s happening with the January 6th Commission\nand hearings taking place in the House. If you\u2019re watching it, you\u2019re seeing\none set of facts and if you\u2019re watching Tucker Carlson you are seeing a very\ndifferent set of facts.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The President\u2019s appearance at A\u201922 coincides with ongoing\nwork at the "],[0,[1],1,"The\nObama Presidential Center"],[0,[],0,", an architecture project in the city\u2019s Jackson\nPark neighborhood, a South Side neighborhood located mere miles from his speech\nat the McCormick Place Convention Center. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The project, which broke ground in September 2021, is\ndesigned by AIA Architecture Firm Award winners "],[0,[2],1,"Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects"],[0,[],0,". It will feature a\nmuseum that will emphasize \u201cthe fullness of the American story,\u201d ample public\nspace designed as a community gathering area, a new branch of the Chicago\nPublic Library, and much more. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"President Obama\u2019s wife, First Lady Michelle Obama "],[0,[3],1,"previously headlined"],[0,[],0," the 2017 AIA Conference on\nArchitecture in Orlando, Florida.\u202f\u202f "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"A more comprehensive report of President Obama\u2019s\nappearance at A\u201922 is forthcoming."]]]]}