On today's episode of “Matt About Town,” WTOP's Matt Kaufax heads to the National Building Museum, where a new exhibit aims to improve life in the city.
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How a new exhibition at the National Building Museum crowdsources the future of America's downtowns
If you were asked to help design (or redesign) DC, Fairfax, Virginia, or downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, what would you recommend?
On today's episode of Matt About Town, we head to the National Building Museum, where a new exhibition aims to improve life in the city, starting with ideas from you.
“Coming Together” examines the makeup of U.S. downtowns, introduces modern innovations—what “works”—and asks the fundamental question: How can cities become more activated, regardless of their size?
The museum said: “Through case studies, data infographics, large-format videos, digital interactives and voting activities, the exhibition offers a multimedia exploration of how promising the future of America's inner cities can be if we continue to come together.”
The exhibition is the first of three major exhibitions planned as part of the museum's “Future Cities” initiative, a multi-year project that delves deep into the city and examines our urban centers as building blocks and reflections of society.
The museum plans to collect input from guests who interact with exhibits to generate new data. In the City Action Hall exhibition space, the museum actively hosts meetings with local governments, nonprofits, and other planning organizations involved in urban planning nationwide.
By simply showing up and getting involved, you can help planners develop the next big improvements for our cities of tomorrow!
The exhibition is curated by Uwe Brandes, professor of urban planning at Georgetown University.
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