San Francisco’s Chinatown has an incredible history that dates back to the 1800’s when it was the port of entry for early Chinese immigrants. Since then it has become a thriving hub of commerce, culture, and celebrations. Hear about the fascinating details about Chinatown’s master plan — its past, present, and future.

Darlene Chiu Bryant, Founder/Executive Director, GlobalSF,

Darlene is founder and executive director of GlobalSF, a global not for profit platform committed to bringing together key stakeholders in the public and private sectors to create sustainable economic growth for San Francisco and the Bay Area. Prior to founding GlobalSF, Darlene was appointed by the late San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee to head up ChinaSF, a public private partnership of the City of San Francisco. She oversaw efforts that brought in more than $5.1 billion in Foreign Direct Investment to San Francisco Bay Area.

Darlene has had a diverse career in both the public and private sectors, in international trade overseas working for German, Japanese and Chinese multinational firms and in her native San Francisco to work in communications and public affairs for Mayor Gavin Newsom, East West Bank, United Commercial Bank and Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

Darlene currently serves as boardmember of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, founding board member of the Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation, and as advisory board member to the University of San Francisco Chinese Business Studies Initiative.

Recently nominated one of the most influential businesswomen in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times, in 2015 Darlene was named the “Fixer” for Chinese Companies wanting to make hay in San Francisco in San Francisco Magazine

Darlene Jang, Principal, Barcelon Jang Architecture

Darlene is Principal of Barcelon Jang Architecture which focuses on the cultural enrichment of communities. Through the firm’s work on fine arts museums, educational facilities, community centers, and affordable housing, BJA explores the surrounding environment to present clients with modern design possibilities for a sustainable future.

BJA won awards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, California Preservation Foundation, and San Francisco Beautiful for their adaptive reuse design converting the Julia Morgan YWCA building on Clay Street in Chinatown to a museum and learning center for the Chinese Historical Society of America.

In a joint venture with EHDD, they designed the CCSF Chinatown-North Beach campus at the corner of Kearny and Washington streets, incorporating the work of world-renowned artists on the exterior.

BJA’s other Chinatown projects include the design of the community-initiated Washington Hyde Park, filling the historic void of outdoor play areas for children, and the renovation of the historic First Chinese Baptist Church on Waverly Street.

Betty Louie, Chinatown Merchants Association

Lydia So, AIA, LEED AP, Principal + Founder, SOLYD Architecture

Malcolm Yeung, Executive Director, Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC)

Malcolm is the Executive Director of the Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), a San Francisco based affordable housing and community development organization. In 2011, Malcolm served as a Senior Advisor to Mayor Edwin M. Lee, during which time he focused primarily on City affordable housing policy and programs. Malcolm practiced tenants rights and consumer protection law at the Asian Law Caucus from 2003 to 2008 and was a litigation and corporate associate at O’Melveny & Meyers LLP and Perkins Coie LLP from 2001 to 2003. Malcolm served in the first National AmeriCorps class, teaching English as a Second Language at the Houston Chinese Community Center and is a Houston native.

Malcolm is a member of the San Francisco Airport Commission, Board of Directors of Chinese Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco, and the Rose Pak Community Fund. He also serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the API Council, a coalition of over 50 non-profit organizations serving San Francisco’s Asian American community. In 2011, Malcolm Yeung was President of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, the Bay Area’s largest minority bar association with over 1,000 members. He has previously served on the Boards of the Community Housing Partnership and Non-Profit Association of Northern California.

Malcolm graduated with a J.D. from the Berkeley School of Law in 2001, a Masters in History from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1997, and from undergrad at Duke University in 1994. Malcolm has been a member of the State Bar of California since 2001.

About the Architecture + the City Festival (September 11-30)

Co-presented by AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture + Design, the 17th annual Architecture + the City goes virtual and will continue to offer behind-the-scenes programs, walking tours, literature, live presentations and more that provide an excellent opportunity for all communities to experience architecture and design in a myriad of ways throughout the city. Every September, the festival reveals the many facets and layers of San Francisco, and how ­architecture and design play a key role in this ever-changing urban landscape.

For more info visit www.archandcity.org