David Lewis, Urban Design Pioneer

Few people have been as integral to the urban design of Pittsburgh – and to the field of urban design as a whole – as David Lewis. Founder of the community-based design firm Urban Design Associates and a professor emeritus at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture, Lewis has been heavily involved in shaping the city of Pittsburgh, not to mention teaching the students who would eventually do the same. He recently turned 90, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette marked the occasion with a terrific profile.

Since moving there in the early 1960s and founding UDA in 1964, Lewis has had a huge influence on the urban design and architecture of the city of Pittsburgh, contributing to a variety of projects ranging from neighborhood development to master plans to historic preservation. He's also been a champion of the field of urban design, helping to bring it to prominence. At CMU, he established one of the first urban design graduate programs in the country.