Coffee & Conversations

Start your workday with a discussion on Faith in Housing initiatives featuring free espresso drinks, treats, and a lively Q+A!

We are pleased to host Ellen Dunham-Jones, an inspiring urbanist who teaches both in the classroom and on the airwaves.

Did we mention the free tea and espresso beverages?! We’ll have a coffee cart with made-to-order espresso and breakfast treats. Grab a cup and join us for an exciting presentation and discussion hosted at the Charlotte Urban Design Center.

Space is limited, so register early to secure your spot!

Ellen Dunham-Jones

Ellen Dunham-Jones is professor of architecture, directs the MS in Urban Design and hosts the REDESIGNING CITIES podcast series at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. She was recognized in 2017 and 2023 by Planetizen as one of the 100 most influential urbanists (ever.) She is co-author with June Williamson of a pair of award-winning books: Case Studies in Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Strategies for Urgent Challenges (Wiley, 2021) and Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs, (Wiley, 2009, 2011) Their documentation of successful retrofits of aging, parking-dominated properties, such as shopping malls, office parks, and commercial corridors into more sustainable places won them the Seaside Prize in 2025 and has been featured in The New York Times, TED, NPR, PBS, Harvard Business Review, and other prominent venues. She maintains a unique database of over 2,500 successful suburban retrofits, is a Fellow of the Congress for the New Urbanism as well as the Brook Byers Institute of Sustainable Systems, lectures widely, and serves on several national committees. She has BS and M.Arch degrees from Princeton University, practiced architecture for 20 years, and taught at UVA and MIT before being recruited to direct the Architecture Program at Georgia Tech in 2000.

The Urban Design Center is located at 1507 Camden Rd. in the heart of South End. Parking options at the Urban Design Center are limited. We encourage you to walk, bike, or take the light rail as we are steps away from the Bland Street Light Rail Station. On-street/free parking is available in limited areas of South End. Please check out the parking map by clicking on the link below.

https://southendclt.org/visit/parking

Also check out other Arts events in Charlotte, Literary Art events in Charlotte.