Matt Shaw
New York-based author, editor, and columnist
Total Community Project
Matt Shaw will discuss how architecture was used to build Columbus, Indiana. With a wealth of never-before-seen archival material, nearly 100 first-hand interviews, and original photography by Iwan Baan, Total Community Project will show for the first time the remarkable story of Columbus, Indiana and how that legacy is living on today. The book details how local industrialists, most notably the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller family, brought in world-class modern architects to create “the best community of its size in the country.” With works from Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Venturi Scott Brown Associates, John Johansen, Dan Kiley, and many others, Columbus is a living monument to the progressive ideals of post-war America and LBJ’s Great Society program of social change for all. He will draw out lessons about how civic leadership and public-private partnerships in the Columbus area played a unique role there—and can be an example for cities around the world.
