Susan S. Szenasy, editor in chief of Metropolis Magazine, recently interviewed Rick Bell, executive director of the Center for Architecture New York and an editor and contributor to the book Beyond Zuccotti Park, about his involvement at the Center as well as what an active group of architects can do for themselves, their profession, their city, and the world.

An excerpt:

Susan S. Szensy: In the years since you took your post as executive director of the Center for Architecture, what is the most dramatic shift you’ve seen in professional practices and equally important, in the professionals’ attitudes and aspirations?

Rick Bell: The most dramatic shift I’ve seen in the decade since I’ve been at the Center for Architecture is the falling away of boundaries and barricades. International work has kept New York architects and designers alive. A global approach to practice, relying on technology and partnership, has become the rule rather than the exception. This coincides with an openness to learn from other cities, other practices, not only for survival and profit, but to create a better world. Those of us who came of age in the late ‘60s used to think that we had a generational monopoly on idealism. My take–influenced by the Future Now!—our theme this year is that there has never been a better time for the next generation of practitioners to make a difference. The downturn has caused us all to catch our breath and tighten our belts. In so doing it has forced a reassessment of what architects do and why we do it.

Read the full interview.