What will the aftermath of the 2016 election mean for cities? Participants joined us for a post-Election Day reflection of the mandate of everyday city dwellers to improve one another’s lives. Following the November 8 election results, we applied performance, satire, and rapid presentations to mix policy and play and proclaimed the power of participation:

• Concrete Justice and Theatre of the Oppressed presented “Homestead Instead: Reclaiming the Dream,” an interactive play that addressed issues of homelessness, gentrification, and homesteading, based on the real-life experiences of the actors
• Protest Karaoke with artists Angel Nevarez and Valerie Tevere: We chose from thousands of popular titles in the artists’ hand-bound karaoke songbooks and decontextualized pop into politics
• Everything you’ve always wanted to know about Community Boards but were afraid to ask: Van Alen Director of Strategic Initiatives Anne Guiney discussed finding a sense of home in the maze of subcommittees, long meetings, and strong personalities of city politics at its most local
• “Connecting Initiatives” explored international models for how elected leaders can better connect with citizens and communities through alternative initiatives, with Yazmany Arboleda (Nairobi: “Color in Faith”), New York-based artist; Hanif Yazdi (New York City: “NYC ID”), urban planner, Office of the Mayor; Kouki Mojadidi (Kabul: “Women Centers”), architect; Discussion Convener: Francisco Brown; (Kabul: “Border Protection”), design professional and ARQUINE Magazine correspondent

This event was designated for AIA CES (1.5 LU)