City, Town, & Country: The Impact of Traditional Architecture & Urbanism in the Evolution of Place

Places change over time. But how can we ensure that they change for the betterment of the people living there?

In November 2023, the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art hosted the national conference Enduring Places. For three days, 225 participants from around the country gathered in Charleston, South Carolina and engaged in a diverse offering of talks, panel discussions, working sessions, and tours focused on three themes: craftsmanship, preservation, and sustainability.

In this panel discussion, an architect, two developers, and a preservationist explore issues facing three contexts: an expanding metropolis, a town that is a victim of its success, and an agricultural context that will be overrun with sprawl. Each of these contexts has challenges, and this panel explores how traditional architecture and urbanism are impacting the evolution of places in a timeless fashion.

About the Series:

From April to June 2024, the ICAA will be releasing all of the recordings from Enduring Places. Sign up for the ICAA's biweekly newsletter, World of Classicism, to be notified when other installments are released in the coming weeks: bit.ly/ICAAemails

About the Speakers:

Stephen James serves as Chief Visioning Officer for Larry H. Miller Real Estate, an organization committed to developing high- quality neighborhoods and environments in the Salt Lake Valley. These efforts include several new development efforts in varying contexts including Salt Lake City, neighboring towns, and the valleys around the region, the most notable of which is Daybreak, an entirely new city-like environment in South Jordan, UT. Trained as an architect, Stephen works with design consultants and the development team, coordinating implementation of new urban environments.

At Urban Design Associates, Eric Osth serves as Chairman, and Principal-in-Charge on urban design and architecture projects across the United States and abroad. In addition to his responsibilities at UDA, Eric is a Board Member and Fellow at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art in New York City. At the ICAA, Eric co-founded the Gindroz Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing and serves as a chair of the award committee.

Peter Talty is Vice President & Director of Properties at Belvedere Property Management, leading land acquisition and development for the home office of Louis Bacon, with an emphasis on large-scale land planning and protection through donated conservation easements. Through these efforts, over 220,000 acres of land are within conservation easements within the continental US and similar protection efforts, including Kenya, Panama, and the United Kingdom.

Domestically, one of Peter’s most remarkable efforts has included purchasing, acquiring, and revitalizing Taos Ski Valley, Inc. (TSVI), acquired in 2014. This effort included coordination with the municipality to establish a master plan for development at the base of the ski area and a series of efforts aimed at developing a sustainable environment for the future of Taos.

He is on the Board of Directors at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and has been a member of other Boards including Peconic Land Trust, Blanca Forestry Products, and Taos Ski Valley, Inc.

Krupali Krusche is an Associate Professor and Director of DHARMA (Digital Historic Architectural Research and Material Analysis). Her research specializes in 3D documentation of World Heritage Sites. The team documented four major Renaissance-age tomb monuments in India, including the Taj Mahal, in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India. She and her team documented the world-renowned Roman Forum in partnership with the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, and the Archaeological Service, Rome. A 3D Exhibit and International Conference, ‘The Digital Future of World Heritage’, was conducted in partnership with the United States Embassy to Italy, NASA, UNESCO, and the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage.

Her latest project is documenting the Belvedere at the Vatican in collaboration with the Chief Architect at the Vatican Museums and the Sovrintendenza Beni Architettonici.

Krusche co-edited From Pen to Pixel: Studies of the Roman Forum and the Digital Future of World Heritage and co-authored Rediscovering the Hindu Temple, The Sacred Architecture and Urbanism of India. She received her Ph.D. from Technical University Dresden and Master’s from Anhalt University, Germany. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Bombay University, India.