Name: Opening Plenary: Public Joy as Civic Infrastructure
Start: 2026-04-23T09:00:00-0400
End: 2026-04-23T10:15:00-0400

Opening Plenary: Public Joy as Civic Infrastructure

Thursday April 23, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am EDT

Joe's Movement Emporium - Main Theater

We begin the conference by grounding ourselves in why we gather: to strengthen communities through design, creativity, and collective action.

The morning will open with a screening of music videos featuring local musicians, created by filmmaker Antonio Hernandez, celebrating the creative energy of our region. Following the screening, we’ll share welcome remarks and hear from our agency partner, the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission.

Keynote Speaker
Jay Pitter, author of Black Public Joy, public space practitioner, and urban planning professor will lead a thought-provoking talk on Public Joy: The Missing Infrastructure for Civic Life. Drawing from her work, Jay will explore how public joy functions as essential infrastructure and what it asks of today’s community design practice.

The session will conclude with a Q&A, followed by brief conference-wide announcements to prepare you for the day ahead.

This plenary is made possible through the generous support of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

This video reflects contemporary cultural expression from the region and includes some explicit language.

Speakers

Jennifer Goold

Executive Director, The Neighborhood Design Center

Jennifer Goold is Executive Director of the Neighborhood Design Center, where she leads cross-disciplinary teams advancing community-driven design, placemaking, and equitable development. Since 2012, she has guided NDC’s strategic growth, expanded its fee-for-service and technical... Read More →