Janette Kim appointed director of UNM’s Design and Planning Assistance Center

The University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning (UNM SA+P) has announced Janette Kim as the new director of its Design and Planning Assistance Center (DPAC).

Founded in 1969 as part of a national community design movement connecting university design programs and practitioners with underserved communities, DPAC is today the second oldest continuously operating community design center based at a public university.

Kim succeeds longtime DPAC director Michaele Pride and joins UNM from the California College of the Arts, where she serves as associate professor and co-director of the Urban Works Agency. Her work focuses on the intersection of ecology, social equity, and the built environment. She is also the founding director of the architectural design practice All of the Above.

Previously, Kim directed the Applied Research Practices in Architecture initiative and the Urban Landscape Lab at Columbia University, where she taught from 2005 to 2015. Throughout her career, she has partnered with municipal agencies including the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority, and the City of Newark, as well as nonprofit organizations such as the East Oakland Collective and the Dellums Institute for Social Justice. Her projects include the Resilient by Design Bay Area Challenge; the board games In It Together and Bartertown; the Safari audio tours on urban ecology, created with Kate Orff and MTWTF; and the Fall Kill Creek Master Plan. Kim is also the author of The Underdome Guide to Energy Reform and the forthcoming Property Playbook.

"We are thrilled that Janette will be leading DPAC," said Robert Alexander González, dean of UNM SA+P. "She brings many years of community-based experience, and we look forward to seeing her continue to strengthen the School's and UNM's relationships with communities across the region and with the City of Albuquerque."

Kim joins DPAC during a pivotal period of transition as the center prepares to inhabit the historic home of architect Antoine Predock in the newly established Predock Center for Design and Research. In addition to directing DPAC, Kim will join the faculty of UNM's Department of Architecture. With DPAC's new public-facing, off-campus location, the School is excited to further expand opportunities for community-engaged research and design under her leadership.

Kim's work has been featured on NPR's Brian Lehrer Show, in Artforum and Architect, and in the feature-length documentary The Grove. Her work has also been exhibited at venues including the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York and in subway systems around the world. Before founding her own practice, she worked with Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Laura Kurgan Design, and Maya Lin Studio. Kim holds a Master of Architecture from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University.