ARON CHANG Urban Designer and Educator aron.y.chang@gmail.com (949)981-9159 1920 Euterpe B New Orleans, LA 70113 PROFILE Aron Chang is an urban designer and educator based in New Orleans, with a focus on community-based planning and urban design in New Orleans and other coastal communities. He is a co-founder and director at the Blue House, a Central City collective and work space. He teaches at the Tulane School of Architecture and at Bard Early College New Orleans, and draws on six years of professional design and planning experience at Waggonner & Ball Architecture and Environment. He is also a co-founder of Ripple Effect, and a founding member of the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans. Co-founder and Director, Blue House (founded in 2014) The Blue House is a collective and shared work space located in Central City, New Orleans. Members have a shared interest in civic issues and collaborative design processes. Project Director for Mixed Media, which explores the role of artists in shaping civic dialogue on critical issues -- such as incarceration and water infrastructure -- through mainstream media. Lead Organizer for Blue House Design Workshops, which connect underserved communities with local designers for pro bono design services Co-Lead for Blue House fikas, a weekly public event through which invited guests guide discussions on civic issues that range from planning and design to housing and criminal justice Adjunct Lecturer and Visiting Scholar, Tulane University Lead instructor for Site Strategies for Architects, a required course all architecture students. Lead instructor for Spring 2018 seminar and options studio, focused on living with water and community-based planning and design practices. Visiting Scholar at the Taylor Center, with a focus on climate change adaptation. Co-Founder, Ripple Effect (Co-Director from 2014 to 2018, Current Board Member) Ripple Effect is a community of teachers, water experts, and design educators working to redefine environmental education through place-based teaching, learning, research, and design. K-5 teachers in New Orleans schools learn to plan standards-aligned and design-based curriculum. In addition, Ripple Effect organizes an annual Bayou Day, which brings together community partners and school communities to celebrate the region s water resources and infrastructure. Project Co-Director for 2015 KIPP Central City Primary Courtyard Redesign Project, which addressed flooding through the creation of rain gardens and a water literacy campus at KCCP Urban Designer, Waggonner & Ball (2011 to 2017) Waggonner & Ball is an architecture and planning firm based in New Orleans, with a focus on civic and institutional buildings as well as water management, urban design, and resilience planning. Aron served as a project manager and lead designer on urban design and planning projects, and led the development and implementation of community engagement strategies.
DESIGN and PLANNING EXPERIENCE 2018 Water Leadership Pilot Program, New Orleans, LA Co-lead for a program that brings together community leaders to co-create and implement a program that connects neighborhood leaders from across New Orleans to engage water management and resilience planning. 2018 Batture Engineers + Land Surveyors, New Orleans, LA Community Engagement Lead for St. Anthony Green Streets. This project addresses flood risk, subsidence, and environmental quality as part of New Orleans s Gentilly Resilience District. 2011 to 2017 Waggonner & Ball Architecture and Environment, New Orleans, LA Project Manager for Resilient Bridgeport Strategy and Pilot Project, which addresses flood risk and climate change for low-lying coastal areas and public housing in Bridgeport, CT Project Manager for Rebuild by Design: Bridgeport, which resulted in a $10 million planning and pilot project grant for the State of Connecticut as part of a HUD initiative to envision solutions for increased resilience across the Hurricane Sandy-affected region Design Team Lead for the New Orleans National Disaster Resilience Competition proposal, which garnered the City of New Orleans a $141 million award to create the Gentilly Resilience District Project Manager for the St. Bernard Integrated Water Resources Management Plan, which provides the design and engineering basis for a systemic shift towards sustainable water resources management and water infrastructure planning in St. Bernard Parish Project Manager for the Old Arabi Revitalization Plan and Streetscape Improvements, which includes the implementation of St. Claude Avenue median zone improvements Design Team Lead for the Shreveport Cross Bayou Brownfields Area Plan Design Proposal Design Team Lead and Outreach Coordinator for the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan, which proposes sustainable strategies for managing water resources across three parishes. The plan includes overall systems proposals as well designs for pilot projects such as the Mirabeau Water Garden, which was awarded funding for construction in 2016. 2011 LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, LA Community Engagement Fellow, coordinating outreach efforts between the CSS and the Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development 2009 to 2010 Salvation Army EnviRENEW, New Orleans, LA Architecture Fellow for program to develop affordable and sustainable homes in New Orleans, and Lead Author on Honeybee Development mixed-used development proposal 2007 Orange County Great Park Design Studio, Irvine, CA Summer Intern, conducting programming research for a 1,347 acre park with landscape architecture firm Mia Lehrer + Associates 2007 Design Corps: Rebuilding After Katrina, Biloxi, MS
Summer design-build of elevated, LEED-certified, 800 SF single-family home in Katrina-damaged East Biloxi 2006 Sanctuary of the Gods, Samothrace, Greece Draftsman, on New York University archaeological site TEACHING EXPERIENCE Aron is a regularly invited guest critic at the Tulane School of Architecture, LSU School of Architecture, and LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture. He has also served as a critic at Louisiana Tech, Ohio State s Knowlton School of Architecture, Project Pipeline, Williams College, Harvard GSD Career Discovery, Harvard GSD s Project Link, and the Boston Architectural College Summer Academy. 2017 to 2018 Tulane School of Architecture Lead instructor for Site Strategies for Architects, and instructor for seminar a seminar and options studio, focused on living with water and community-based planning and design practices. 2017 to 2018 Louisiana Green Corps Instructor for urban water management component of green infrastructure job training program 2018 Bard Early College New Orleans Lead instructor for Canal Project 2017 Bard Early College New Orleans Co-instructor for Represent the City: Place-making in New Orleans 2011 Delgado Community College GED Prep Course Instructor and Volunteer Tutor 2010 LSU School of Architecture Adjunct Studio Instructor for fourth-year undergraduate service-learning studio, fall semester Adjunct studio instructor for second-year undergraduate studio, spring semester 2009 LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture Adjunct studio coordinator for third-year graduate urban design studio, fall semester 2008 Harvard GSD Career Discovery Program Drawing Instructor in the architecture program, summer LEADERSHIP and COLLABORATION Aron has been a leader on environmental issues since graduate school, where he worked to coordinate student and institutional efforts, organized public events, and initiated waste-reduction programs. In New Orleans, he was a founding member of the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans, and most recently served on Mayor Elect LaToya Cantrell s Transition Team Water Plan Subcommittee. 2018 Mayor Elect LaToya Cantrell Transition Team
Water Plan Subcommittee. This committee brings together experts and leaders in water management to develop recommendations for the mayor elect in regards to sustainable water management, planning, and policy as she takes office in spring 2018. 2014 to Present Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans Steering Committee member from 2015-2016; Builders and Designers Working Group chair from 2015-2016. The collaborative consists of architects, engineers, planners, educators, community leaders, and businesses working to improve urban water management throughout the region. In addition, Aron has served as a designer and facilitator for pro bono New Shiloh Baptist Church and Crocker Elementary green infrastructure projects. 2017 to 2018 New Orleans City Council Environmental Advisory Committee Council District B Appointee. The committee advises and recommends to the City Council guiding principles and policies for environmental, resilience, and sustainability issues. 2005 to 2009 Harvard University and the Harvard Graduate School of Design Environment Society at Harvard Co-Coordinator from 2008 to 2009 for student group umbrella organization Harvard Climate Collaborative Co-Founder and Co-Chair of knowledge-sharing and coordination group, with emphasis on achieving University-wide goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions Marketing, Communications, and Engagement Working Group Student Representative on working group for Harvard University Office for Sustainability GSD Green Design Co-Chair from 2006 to 2007. The student group organized site visits and lectures as well as the implementation of composting and other waste-reduction measures on campus. trays Journal Co-Founder and Co-Chief Editor from 2006 to 2008. trays was the Harvard Graduate School of Design s first student-led online journal. PROFESSIONAL AWARDS 2016 HUD National Disaster Resilience Competition Contributing member of the project teams for three winning proposals: City of New Orleans, State of Louisiana, and the State of Connecticut. In total, HUD awarded these entities over $280 million in funding for resilient housing and infrastructure projects. 2016 AIA Louisiana Merit Award New Orleans Gentilly Resilience District proposal developed by Waggonner & Ball for the 2016 HUD National Disaster Resilience Competition 2016 AIA New Orleans Honor Award for Master Planning and Urban Design New Orleans Gentilly Resilience District
2016 AIA New Orleans Honorable Mention for Master Planning and Urban Design Resilient Bridgeport proposal developed by Waggonner & Ball for the 2015 HUD Rebuild by Design competition 2015 HUD Rebuild by Design Competition Finalist Resilient Bridgeport finalist entry, resulting in $10 million award for the State of Connecticut 2015 AIA New Orleans Honorable Mention for Master Planning and Urban Design Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan 2015 APA National Environmental Planning Award for Urban Water Plan Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan 2015 AIA New Orleans Honor Award for Master Planning and Urban Design Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan 2013 National Association of Development Organizations Innovation Award Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan 2011 ASLA National Honor Award for Research Backyard Farm Service: Localizing Food Production, in collaboration with Brad Cantrell, Natalie Yates, and Patrick Michaels SCHOLARSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS, and PERSONAL AWARDS 2017 to 2018 Visiting Scholar, Tulane s Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking 2017 Gambit Weekly s 40 Under 40 Honoree 2008 Harvard GSD Community Service Fellowship Extension of NicaEstudio options studio master plan development for low-income housing site in Nicaragua, with construction of water harvesting system and composting toilet 2007 Harvard GSD Alumni Council Book Prize Award for leadership in the Harvard Graduate School of Design community 2007 Harvard GSD Community Service Fellowship Participant in the Design Corps summer design-build program in Biloxi, Mississippi 2001 to 2009 Tyng Scholar, Williams College Full scholarship for undergraduate studies and graduate studies 2000 to 2001 Congress-Bundestag Scholarship Exchange year in Berlin, Germany
WRITING 2018 PLAT Journal Dinner & Design at the Blue House, with Alexandra Stokes 2017 Urban Orders Lab 4: Occupying Urban Seams in New Orleans The Contradictory City, with Dustin Robertson and Mikel Thelle 2017 Corridor Journal Ripple Effect and Bridgeport 2014 Suburbanisms: Casino Urbanization, Chinatowns, and the Contested American Landscape Versailles, New Orleans: Building and Sustaining an Immigrant Community in the Urban Periphery 2013 The Economy of Sustainable Construction Garage Conversions and Resilient Suburbs: Adapting Suburban Environments 2012 Hypocrite Reader Casting Light 2012 Hypocrite Reader This is My House 2011 PLACES Journal Beyond Foreclosure: The Future of Suburban Housing 2010 C-LAB COLUMN City of the Dead: A Tragedy in Bronze 2009 trays Journal Rebuilding Biloxi s Ohr-O Keefe Museum of Art LECTURES and PANELS Aron speaks regularly at education, community development, neighborhood, resilience, planning, and water management events, as well as with primary to graduate level school groups. Selected speaking, workshop, and facilitation: 2018 New York City Climate Week Living on the Coast: Civic Collaboration in a Time of Rising Seas 2018 Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting Lessons learned: Resilience planning through community engagement and in-school education 2018 Tulane Graduate Student Colloquium, New Orleans, LA River Cities
2018 Tulane Climate Action Day, New Orleans, LA Living with Water: Tulane's Place in the Watershed 2017 Downriver Festival, New Orleans, LA Restoring the Coast: The Next Generation 2017 Texas ASLA, Austin, TX Texas/Louisiana Dialogue: Building Resilience through Green Infrastructure on the Gulf Coast 2017 Building Resilience Workshop, St. Bernard, LA Living With Water 2016, CPEX Smart Growth Summit, New Orleans, LA Texas/Louisiana Dialogue: Building Resilience through Green Infrastructure on the Gulf Coast 2016 Antenna Gallery: Signals Issue 002: Reflections on Exile: Displacement, Migration, and Dissociation, New Orleans, LA Mass Migration in an Era of Climate Change 2016 Swampy Science Social Club, New Orleans, LA Green Infrastructure: Living with Water 2016 Red Beans Roundtable, New Orleans, LA Growth and Decay in an Urban Delta co-panelist with Richard Campanella and Maggie Hansen 2015 TEDx New Orleans, New Orleans, LA Make Your Mark 2015 Ohio State Knowlton School of Architecture, Columbus, OH Systems and Sectors: Implementing the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan 2015 Water Table, Tulane Graduate Student Colloquium, New Orleans, LA A Panel Discussion on Water, Policy, and Design 2013 Neighborhood Partnership Network Capacity College, New Orleans, LA Stormwater Management Through Vacant Land 2012 Williams College Log Lunch Lecture, Williamstown, MA Take it to the Gas Station: Art, Design, and Vulnerability on the Gulf Coast 2008 Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA Design Agency Revisited in La Prusia, Nicaragua -- Presentation with Christine Canabou, Quilian Riano, and Simon Bussiere 2008 Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA Post-Disaster Sustainability on the Gulf Coast -- Presentation with Christoph Ibele and Sabeen Hasan
INSTALLATIONS, FILMS, and EXHIBITS Aron works with other designers and artists on large-scale public art projects that encourage new uses and perceptions of public spaces. In addition, he has contributed drawings, sketches, collages, and design proposals to a range of art and design exhibitions. Most recently, he served as an associate producer on a short film focused on water systems and flood risk in New Orleans. 2017 STATION 15, dir. By Kira Akerman Associate Producer and Technical Advisor 2017 Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design, New Orleans, LA In-Between: Architecture at the Local Scale and Reimagining Brown s Dairy 2016 Antenna Gallery, New Orleans, LA Signals: Exile 2011 Octavia Art Gallery, New Orleans, LA Drawing the Line 2011 PARK(ing) Day, New Orleans, LA Music Deck at Poydras and St. Charles 2010 APA National Planning Conference, New Orleans, LA Reworking the Suburbs: One Home at a Time 2010 WORK Gallery and the Wassaic Project, Brooklyn, New York City, NY I Heart Art 2009 Harvard Graduate School of Design Ecological Urbanism Conference, Cambridge, MA Wind Field kinetic sculpture 2009 Gund Hall, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA Sign Here 2009 WORK Gallery and the Wassaic Project, Brooklyn, New York City, NY I Heart Art 2008 Quincy Street and Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA Welcome Mat installation 2008 Gund Hall, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA Sustainable Rebuilding on the Gulf Coast -- Exhibition designed and constructed with Christoph Ibele and Sabeen Hasan 2007 Union Square, Somerville, MA Light Cycle PublicSpaceProject s winning entry for the Somerville Arts Council Lightscapes competition 2006 Gund Hall, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA Salvage Benches -- PublicSpaceProject in collaboration with architect John Peterson and
Harvard GSD students 2005 Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA Senior Art Show EDUCATION 2009 Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, MA MArch Reworking the Suburbs, One Home at a Time design thesis on suburban infill housing, conducted with advisor Andrea Leers, and readers Margaret Crawford and Mark Mulligan NicaEstudio Options Studio master plan development for a low-income housing site in Nicaragua, conducted with multi-disciplinary team under the guidance of Teddy Cruz Mumbai Options Studio urban design proposals for housing, transportation, and commerce under the guidance of Niall Kirkwood and Nazneen Cooper Teaching and Research Assistant GSD 9206 Reimagining India: A New Urban Enterprise? GSD 1401 Mumbai Metropolitan Options Design Studio GSD 6112: Energy, Technology, and Building 2005 Williams College, Williamstown, MA, -- B.A. cum laude Studio Art and German double major Erastus C. Benedict, Class of 1821 Prize, awarded to top German major 2001 Robert-Havemann Oberschule. Berlin, Germany Congress-Bundestag exchange student SKILLS and INTERESTS Language Writing and editing Native Chinese speaker Fluency in German Cooking and Catering Professional experience at Putnam Camp and Surrey s Café and Juice Bar Co-founder and Chef for TSAI from 2011 to 2013. TSAI was a vegetarian pop-up restaurant that combined food and live music at venues throughout the city. The restaurant was featured on National Public Radio s affiliate WWNO, and in Garden & Gun magazine, Country Roads magazine, the Times Picayune, and Untapped Cities. Music Violin Performances with the Furniture Music Ensemble and Toonces in 2017
Chamber music with the Onota String Quarter from 2002 to 2004 Orchestral music with the Berlin Landesjugendorchester in 2001, Berkshire Symphony from 2001 to 2005, and the Harvard Dudley Orchestra in 2006 Sports Basketball Squash Crew, with Williams College from 2001 to 2005, and Harvard Law School from 2005 to 2008