Press Release: Carnegie Mellon To Welcome Urban Designer, Author Dhiru Thadani Oct. 3

Thadani To Speak as Part of CMU's David Lewis Lecture Series

Contact: Ken Walters / 412-268-1151 / walters1@andrew.cmu.edu

PITTSBURGH—Urban planner and author Dhiru Thadani will speak about his global urban design and architecture work at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 3 at the Carnegie Museum of Art Theater in Oakland as part of Carnegie Mellon University's David Lewis Lecture Series.

Co-sponsored by the Remaking Cities Institute of the School of Architecture at CMU and the Heinz Architectural Center of the Carnegie Museum of Art, Thadani's talk will mark the 10th annual David Lewis Lecture on Urban Design. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Thadani, a native of Mumbai, India, is the author of "The Language of Cities and Towns: A Visual Dictionary," which meticulously surveys the world of urban design and planning. With the help of 50 contributors, Thadani brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this blend of encyclopedia, illustrated design manual and photo-essay collection. With more than 500 definitions, articles, case studies, biographies and essays, plus thousands of informative diagrams and photographs, the book is considered an essential reference for all urbanists.

Thadani has worked on urban design and architecture projects in North America, Central America, Asia and Europe. He was design partner in the Thadani Hetzel Partnership from 1987 to 2002 and principal and director of Urban Design and Town Planning at Ayers Saint Gross from 2002 to 2009. He received bachelor's and master's of architecture degrees from Catholic University and has taught at various institutions at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. A charter member of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) since its formation in 1993, he was appointed to the CNU Board in 2005. He was awarded the Seaside Prize by the Seaside Institute in 2010.

The lecture series is underwritten by Urban Design Associates in honor of David Lewis, founder of the firm and Emeritus Distinguished University Professor at Carnegie Mellon. Previous speakers in the David Lewis lecture series have been Donlyn Lyndon, Fred Koetter, John Norquist, Leon Krier, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Hank Dittmar, Joan Busquets, Peter Bosselmann and Marilyn Taylor.

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