Gaskins to join National Building Museum panel on equitable cities
Free Feb. 12 event to highlight Alexandria waterfront resilience, 11th Street Bridge Park
Mayor Alyia Gaskins will join urban planners and a science fiction author at the National Building Museum next month for a discussion on building healthier, more equitable cities.
The free event, “In Pursuit of Healthy and Equitable Cities,” is scheduled for 6 p.m. Feb. 12.
Gaskins will appear alongside Anna McCorvey, senior equitable development manager for the 11th Street Bridge Park, and Sam J. Miller, author of “Blackfish City.” Emily Badger, urban policy reporter for The New York Times, will moderate.
The panelists will explore how policy, design, and imagination can shape cities that support well-being, resilience, and equity, highlighting waterfront resilience efforts in Alexandria and community-centered programs connected to the 11th Street Bridge Park.
Gaskins brings a background in public health and urban planning to the discussion, with experience in housing, homelessness, and community investment. She also runs CitiesRX, a consulting practice focused on building healthier, more equitable cities. At a December forum at the Lyceum, she discussed how Alexandria has lost approximately 12,000 naturally occurring affordable units since 2000.
The 11th Street Bridge Park is a project of Building Bridges Across the River that aims to connect communities on both sides of the Anacostia River. McCorvey, a D.C.-based architect, works to ensure longtime residents can thrive in place as the area develops. Her career spans affordable housing, schools, and public-interest design.
Miller’s novel is the National Building Museum’s 2025 Big Read selection. The award-winning speculative fiction explores themes of community, climate and justice, blending imaginative world-building with urgent social questions. His storytelling invites audiences to consider bold, transformative futures for cities. Attendees can receive a free copy while supplies last.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The program runs until 7:30 p.m., followed by a light reception.
Admission is free. Register at nbm.org.