Page Proposals in SXSW PanelPicker 2017

SXSW (South by Southwest) originated as an indy music festival in Austin in the late 1980s and quickly grew into one of the premiere annual events in the US in film, music, interactive media and thought leadership. This year, two of the proposals under consideration out of nearly 5,000 entries submitted feature Pagers: Senior Principal Larry Speck and Designer Marcus Martinez. Members of the public can vote for them in the SXSW PanelPicker through August 25.

The Texas Society of Architects (TxA) is proposing a panel featuring Larry Speck, FAIA, and fellow architects Betsy del Monte, FAIA, of Transform Global, a community engagement organization, and San Antonio City Councilmember Roberto Trevino, AIA, in discussing how the growth and development of cities has shifted due to emphasis on sustainability and resiliency in the face of climate change. The submission Growth and Evolution of Cities asks how this is influenced by morphing attitudes toward transportation, career and life-style choices among younger generations.  

Marcus Martinez’s PRIME-TOPIA: Rescripting Systems For Better Cities, is one of 285 submissions in the Design track. He and co-presenter Amna Ansari note that when technologies like the automobile entered the fabric of cities, what started out small got big – fast - like parking garages, data centers and warehouses. They ask if technology can address increasing demands on public space on the ground and in the air to lead society to a new urban future?

Several years ago, SXSW organizers realized they could not give every submittal the attention each deserved so they came up with the idea of involving the festival community members in the process. Today, members of the public are the first to review and vote on submissions, then SXSW staff review them. The final step in the selection process is the SXSW Advisory Board. Help TxA, Larry and Marcus get their ideas heard by voting today.