Annual Dick Wolf Memorial Lecture to Highlight Future of City Planning

Jan 13, 2026 | CHRS Activities, Dick Wolf Lecture, On Home

James Darius Ball, director of Future Cities at the National Building Museum, will give the Capitol Hill Restoration Society’s Dick Wolf Memorial Lecture at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11, at the Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. The event is free and open to the public.

Ball’s lecture will deal with future cities and how the power of public imagination and collective vision is shaping the future of urban life. The presentation will spotlight Coming Together, the National Building Museum’s first exhibition of their Future Cities initiative, which examines how American cities are reimagining and reshaping their downtown districts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ball has a background in sustainable development, building science and community engagement. He brings a rich experience and passion to questions of urban identity and opportunity.

The Dick Wolf Memorial Lecture is named for former CHRS president Dick Wolf, a city planner and activist who was a Hill resident who championed the cause of historic preservation. The lecture series features themes of historic preservation and urban planning in Washington, DC.

A reception will follow the presentation. All are welcome. Reservations are not required but are appreciated; please sign up through Eventbrite.