1991: The Oakland-Berkeley Fire Aftermath Photographs by Richard Misrach

Paul Groth and John King in Conversation

December 4, 2011; 3:00 p.m.

Continuing our series of public conversations inspired by the exhibition 1991: The Oakland-Berkeley Fire Aftermath, Photographs by Richard Misrach, UC Berkeley professor of geography and architecture Paul Groth and San Francisco Chronicle urban design writer John King take up a range of ideas about the possibilities and limits of urban architecture, including the ultimate urban dilemma—natural disaster in a metropolitan environment.

Professor Groth’s interests include cultural landscape studies, urban life and urban form in the United States, and the history of ordinary urban architecture, emphasizing the value of regions as a rubric for studying human culture and history. His recent books include Understanding Ordinary Landscapes, coedited with Todd Bressi, and Living Downtown: The History of Residential Hotels in the United States. John King became the San Francisco Chronicle’s first urban design writer in 2001. In his articles and in his weekly column, “Place,” he has educated readers about the interface of urban form and function, the complex relationships between the natural and built environments, and the impact of natural disasters in urban settings. His first book, Cityscapes: San Francisco and its Buildings, was published last spring.