University of Minnesota College of Design Commencement Address | May 2012

Invited by Dean Thomas Fisher, John’s commencement address encouraged graduates to understand that the world needs more connectors; the world is filled with deserving clients like Rachel Lloyd; and that public interest design is movement in the making. The YouTube video above as well as the text of John’s remarks were subsequently published by Metropolis Magazine.

Metropolis Magazine 30th Anniversary Interview | June 2011

Invited by editor-in-chief Susan Szenasy, John joined the likes of MASS Design Group co-founder Michael Murphy, designer Paula Scher of Pentagram, David Rockwell of Rockwell Group, and Craig Dykers of Snøhetta in reflecting on Metropolis Magazine‘s 30 years of service.

UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design Commencement Address | May 2011

Invited by Dean Jennifer Wolch, John’s commencement address, titled “Remember Two Things,” encouraged graduates to never lose sight of where they came from and why they got into design in the first place. The amateur YouTube video above as well as the text of John’s remarks were subsequently published by Metropolis Magazine.

City Centre for Urban Ecology | April 2011

Invited by director Mary Rowe, John gave the keynote for the Centre for City Ecology‘s debut event. The new Toronto-based organization focused on strengthening the ecology of the city, a term defined by Jane Jacobs as “the physical-economic-ethical processes active at a given time within a city and its close dependencies.”