Note to Correspondents

Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum to Present

 

“Design With the Other 90%:  Cities” at the United Nations

 

“Design with the Other 90%:  Cities”, the second in a series of themed exhibitions by Cooper-Hewitt that demonstrate how design can address the world’s most critical issues, will open with a formal ceremony in the Main Gallery of the Visitors’ Lobby at 6 pm on Monday, 17 October.

The exhibit, which will remain on display through 9 January 2012, was organized by Cynthia E. Smith, the Museum’s curator of socially responsible design, and will feature more than 60 projects from 22 countries around the globe.

“Cities” will explore design solutions to the challenges presented by rapid urban growth in informal settlements, commonly referred to as slums.  Close to 1 billion people live in informal settlements, and that population is projected to swell to 2 billion people by 2030.  This accelerated urban expansion will take place primarily in developing and emerging economies in an increasingly climate-challenged world. 

Projects of both large and small scale will be represented, and numerous topics will be highlighted, including alternative housing designs and materials, urban planning, clean water and sanitation management, transportation solutions, and accessible educational initiatives.

This exhibition is presented at the United Nations under the auspices of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), of which Cooper-Hewitt is a member.  UNAI, an initiative of the Department of Public Information, encourages institutions of higher education, scholarship and research to work with the United Nations, and with each other, to address issues of global concern.  UNAI is facilitating a series of educational programmes organized by Cooper-Hewitt relating to the themes of the exhibit. 

UNAI also strives to connect the global academic community with United Nations programmes.  In this regard, the theme of the exhibit is closely aligned with UN-Habitat, the United Nations agency responsible for improving cities with the aim of achieving a better quality of life for all citizens.  UN-Habitat promotes economically, socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter, job opportunities and a better life for all.  It works with organizations at all levels to build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development.  

Additional information on UNAI can be found at:  http://outreach.un.org/unai.  Additional information on UN-Habitat can be found at:  www.unhabitat.org.

“Design with the Other 90%:  Cities” is sponsored by Citi, with generous support provided by the Rockefeller Foundation.  Additional funding is provided by Procter & Gamble, Deutsche Bank, Smithsonian 2.0 Fund, the Albert Kunstadter Family Foundation and Smithsonian Institution’s Research Opportunity Fund.

For more information on United Nations exhibitions, please contact Jan Arnesen at tel.:  +1 212 963 8531, e-mail:  arnesen@un.org; or Liza Wichmann at tel.:  +1 212-963-0089, e-mail: wichmann@un.org; or visit http://visit.un.org.

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For information media • not an official record