Jonathan Tate is principal of OJT (Office of Jonathan Tate), an architecture and urban design practice in New Orleans whose work spans architecture, applied research, planning, and strategic development. The recipient of the Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Tate has earned national recognition for projects that address housing, urban development, and community revitalization.

In this lecture, Tate explores several recurring themes in the practice's work, including speculative development, housing as a catalyst for community change, and design at the scale of the town. Drawing on projects ranging from self-developed infill housing and housing guidebooks developed with NGOs and municipalities to community health initiatives and small-town revitalization efforts in the rural American South, Tate examines how architects can expand their influence beyond individual buildings to shape broader social, economic, and urban outcomes. Featuring work that is both realized and in progress, and spanning a range of scales, the lecture considers architecture's role in shaping the urban environment.