MAPP@50: Concrete Pasts, Possible Futures

UMD School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation’s 50th anniversary was an opportunity to showcase the depth of our community and to define our future. The stories of faculty and alums and students’ questions and aspirations were displayed as “concrete pasts” on the columns. The displays showed how our graduates’ accomplishments are shaped by their education, intellectual curiosity, sense of justice and agency. Our faculty shared their research, creative work, and the passions and knowledge that spark their pedagogy. The possible futures floated above on interconnected banners posing questions from the Future Forum workshops. Prompts, “We are moving towards” & “Moving forward I will...” provoked powerful responses but one continues to resonate. “Moving forward I will...trust that my future self will figure it out.” This attitude of optimism, of being in the right place now is a response that recreates the space necessary for allowing oneself to err and learn now for tomorrow.