Some of us may go to the park to exercise, some to picnic, some to find a quiet space to relax. We all experience and use public spaces like parks in different ways. How do we create public spaces that are designed to meet diverse needs? What are the cultural determinants of design? Join Dr. Wendy Slusser, as she chats with Professor of Urban Planning in UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, Dr. Anastasia Lukaitou-Sideris about how to create equitable public spaces for everyone.


More about Dr. Anastasia Lukaitou-Sideris

Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris is the Associate Dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, a Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning, and a core faculty of the UCLA Urban Humanities Initiative.

Professor Loukaitou-Sideris’ research focuses on the public environment of the city, its physical representation, aesthetics, social meaning and impact on the urban resident. Her work seeks to integrate social and physical issues in urban planning and architecture. An underlying theme of her work is its “user focus”; that is, she seeks to analyze and understand the built environment from the perspective of those who live and work there. Dr. Loukaitou-Sideris’ research includes documentation and analysis of the social and physical changes that have occurred in the public realm; cultural determinants of design and planning and their implications for public policy; quality-of-life issues for inner city residents; transit security, urban design, land use, and transportation issues.