The 2008 Beijing Olympics highlighted China’s emergence as the world’s premiere stage for architectural innovation. In a mere generation, China’s cities have undergone a metamorphosis that took 150 years to complete in the United States.

Please join us for the Kansas City Design Center’s annual lecture, featuring a special presentation by Thomas J. Campanella, author of The Concrete Dragon: China’s Urban Revolution and What it Means for the World (Princeton Architectural Press, 2008).

Prof. Campanella will shed light on this extraordinary chapter in world urban history. His presentation surveys the driving forces behind the great Chinese building boom, traces the historical precedents and global flows of ideas and information that are fusing to create a bold new Chinese cityscape, and considers the social and environmental impacts of China’s urban future.

Our event begins at 5:30pm with an open house featuring work by past and current students, as well as brief presentations about upcoming Design Center projects.

Prof. Campanella’s lecture will begin promptly at 6:30pm.

More information about this event and our speaker is available at our website, www.kcdesigncenter.org.