AIA and American Architectural Foundation representatives stressed joining design excellence and public safety when they conferred with national and local elected officials January 24 and 25 in events in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

Greeting Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) at the AIA national component headquarters building on Thursday the 24th, AIA Chief Operating Office James Dinegar spoke of the AIA's work at the federal level to make building security guidelines broadly available to the public and private sectors. Edwards, who sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and has been closely involved in the war against terrorism had come to the AIA building to address the Democratic Business Council. He expressed his commitment to bipartisan progress in maintaining public safety and economic well being.

Melissa Houghton, acting president of the American Architectural Foundation (AAF), and Christine Saum, director of the Mayors Institute on City Design, joined AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Norman L. Koonce, FAIA, in Washington Thursday night for a dinner with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The Mayors' Institute on City Design is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts co-administered by the AAF and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The Institute brings together mayors and urban development experts in an effort to improve the design and livability of America's cities.

Koonce went with the mayors to New York City the next day to speak on the importance of public security through design. He addressed the "Promoting Investment in America's Cities" afternoon panel.

The Conference of Mayors held its 70th winter meeting January 22–24 in Washington, D.C., and January 24–26 in New York City to pay tribute to the two urban areas most effected by the September 11 attacks.

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.