Marques King - "But, For Who?: A discussion on the possibility of Neighborhood Equity"

In 2050, experts expect the global population to hit the 10 billion with close to 70% of those humans living in urban areas. With no shortage of issues to solve, we must seriously address the question: "For Who and For What are cities being designed for?" 
 

Biography

Marques King was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He Attended Lawrence Technological University where he received his Bachelor of Science in both Architecture and Construction Management. Unable to find a job in the architecture field, he worked as a cabinet maker and a structural steel draftsman before deciding to attend the University of Maryland for graduate studies.

Marques' thesis was titled "D-Constructing Architecture" where he questioned the application of urban deconstruction as a means to salvage urban history in a city that must shrink to survive, using his hometown of Detroit as the testing ground. Upon graduating from Maryland, Marques immediately began working for renowned urban designer Dhiru Thadani, where he was instrumental in many planning, design and documentation projects, most notably The Seaside Nolli Plan, Luhe City Center Masterplan in Nanjing, China, and the recently codified Westside Atlanta Neighborhood masterplan—all of which have received Congress for the New Urbanism awards and other international awards. Currently, Marques works as a licensed project architect for Bonstra|Haresign Architects in Washington, D.C., and has worked on a variety of complex multi-family residential and mixed-use projects all over the District of Columbia.