What a joy it was to speak at Epicenter – Future of Cities: A Creative Exchange in Oslo 🌍
Thank you to Hossein Farmani and the International Design Awards (IDA), and to Geir Rognlien Elgvin of Consult1 AS for the kind invitation. Takk!
It was a pleasure to share the stage with Rasmus Reinvang from OMA and Anders Røberg-Larsen—such thoughtful perspectives on where our cities are headed.
In my talk, I reflected on how co-design has shaped every part of my journey—from childhood summers along the Aegean coast, learning early lessons in sustainability, to designing alongside inspiring community leaders like Karl Linn and Morag Gamble, to founding a school in Berkeley that wove education and design into a shared community fabric.
At the heart of it all: a belief that inclusive design—where we create with communities, not just for them—is essential to shaping cities that truly serve everyone.
📸: Torleif Kvinnesland

Feeling inspired and energized after witnessing the incredible talent celebrated at the International Design Awards Gala in Oslo, Norway this week. It was an honor to present awards to some of the winners and to stand alongside such visionary changemakers.
A special highlight: meeting Mayor Anne Lindboe of Oslo and Ellen de Vibe, the former Chief Town Planner whose work has shaped this beautiful city’s future.
Deep thanks to Mr. Farmani for setting the stage with such an extraordinary platform for design excellence, and to the powerhouse behind the scenes—Hannah Lillethun—for orchestrating every detail of this unforgettable event.
Design has the power to shape better futures—and this night was a beautiful reminder of that.
hashtag#IDAGala hashtag#DesignAwards hashtag#CoDesign hashtag#DesignForImpact hashtag#Sustainability hashtag#FutureCities hashtag#LifeCenteredDesign

Life Centered Design

What does designing for 'one planet living’ look like? Join host Başak Altan, IDSA and guests Morag Gamble, Founder of Permaculture Education Institute, and Chhaya Bhanti, Founder and Creative Director at VERTIVER, a women-owned social enterprise, to find out. They’ll share their inspiring journeys designing with communities for a more sustainable, fair, and cleaner world, all through their diverse work encompassing six continents on ecological design and applied systems thinking.

REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL RECORDING AT: https://www.idsa.org/Design-Voices

Discussion on Closing the Gender Gap Through Design

"When women are involved in decision-making, in research, in knowledge production, women do not get forgotten. Female lives and perspectives are brought out of the shadows. This is to the benefit of women everywhere ... and it is often to the benefit of humanity as a whole." - Caroline Criado Perez, Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men

Join us for a discussion of Perez’s book, reflecting on your experiences as designers and where you see opportunities for improvement and growth in your profession to close the representation gap.

REGISTER AT : IDSA.org/WIDDD2021

#IDSADeepDive