The Rice University School of Architecture brought together civic leaders, designers and community members for the 2025 Rice Civic Forum, “In Motion: Downtown Streets, Stories and People,” at Architecture Center Houston.
Convened by professor in the practice Amna Ansari and co-organized with AIA Houston last month, this year’s forum turned its attention to downtown Houston — an area in the midst of profound transformation. Once defined by office towers and commuters, the district is evolving into a vibrant, mixed-use urban center alive with residents, art and public green space.
Through a series of discussions and presentations, speakers explored how downtown’s ongoing evolution can model more equitable and connected urban growth. Questions of livability, inclusion and community investment framed the afternoon as participants considered how housing, transit, schools, health care and public-private partnerships can collectively shape Houston’s next chapter.
“Projects that acknowledge human need and behavior should be sitting in discourse and not the systems that they’ve inherited,” said Cassie Hoeprich, director of planning and economic development at Downtown Houston+, underscoring the forum’s focus on people-centered design and civic engagement.
The event featured contributions from Rice faculty and alumni, including lecturer Mandi Chapa alongside Sarai Osorio, Yair Titelboim and other experts representing urban planning, data science and community development sectors. Dean Igor Marjanović opened the program with welcoming remarks emphasizing Rice’s commitment to advancing the civic role of architecture in shaping resilient, inclusive cities.
Launched in 1973, the Rice Civic Forum has long served as a platform for dialogue at the intersection of design and public life. By situating each year’s conversation in a specific Houston context, the forum continues to connect the university’s academic mission with the lived realities of the city it calls home — amplifying diverse voices and envisioning new possibilities for equitable urban futures.
The 2025 event was made possible through the support of the Betty R. and George F. Pierce Jr., FAIA, Fund; the William B. Coleman Jr. Colloquium Fund for Architecture; and the Wm. W. Caudill Lecture Series Fund.
To learn more about Civic Forums at Rice, visit arch.rice.edu/public-programs/civic-forum.