Six-part event Celebrando LatinX in San Diego highlighted personal stories to inspire and spark change
LPA recently teamed up with AIA San Diego to celebrate LatinX Heritage through an exploration of art, culture and architectural design. The six-part virtual, bi-lingual event featured unique personal narratives, captivating stories, student highlights and project spotlights that highlight the issues unique in the border region, and the vitality LatinX influence brings to our communities.
“As Hispanics, Latinos and Latinas, we have a big impact on the built environment, and it’s important for the next generation of professionals to have mentors they can relate to,” says Ozzie Tapia, LPA project designer. “The more we can do that, the more momentum we can create for what we want our future communities to look like.”
Jamie Intervalo, LPA’s project manager and AIA San Diego Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, helped plan the event. Tapia and Intervalo were also moderators for all six panels.
“On the San Diego-Tijuana border, the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives adds so much color and vibrancy to architecture, food and culture,” Intervalo says. “We hope that these stories can inspire people and be a spark for change.”
Additional topics included a vision for a united, bi-national international friendship park; community-centric designs for breweries and dispensaries as part of an exploration of how food and drink bring people together; and the integration of art into both our political and built environment.
“My Latin heritage is extremely important to me,” LPA design director of landscape architecture Rocio Gertler says. “I feel very connected to my roots, and that’s translated in everything that I do. I don’t really believe in borders, between professions or cultures. We are all interconnected in so many ways.”
In Gertler’s panel, Part Five of the event, she discussed the ability of art, architecture and landscape architecture to work together for true placemaking.
Watch the full event below, and find additional content here: https://aiasandiego.org/latinx
