I have been recently thinking about a number of ideas which I believe are connected to each other:

- During the recession there was initially some speculation that perhaps those conditions would lead more people to develop visionary and experimental architecture in the absence of employment, similarly to what happened during previous economic downturns. A manifestation of those hopes never materialized.

- I have some ideas for new architectural theories which I have been developing on my own inside my head, and I wish that there was some forum where I could further enrich those ideas through debate and discussion.

- Certain events and publications seem to suggest the presence of a "scene" of emerging contemporary architects in New York, but from what I have noticed those dialogues seem to take place as either formal exchanges inside an academic institution or as conversations between people who are partners within the same firm or otherwise already know each other.

- Some of my former classmates who have been out of school for a few years (I more recently graduated) have reported that they feel a yearning to exercise themselves intellectually again.

- There isn't a lot of dialog between students at different schools. I remember having a fun and educational experience a few years ago when I attended the Architecture League's Annual Student Program and met some students from another school, but that exchange only lasted a day.

- I feel like critical/conceptual/experimental architecture is currently being overlooked in some cases, and I have also seen/heard that it is beginning to fall out of favor at several schools. In an environment where everyone is primarily hungry to get a job (or later to get clients), the role of ideas needs to be nurtured and protected. Encouraging more humanitarian/socially responsible architecture would be good too.

- There obviously isn't a lot of upward mobility for young people with aspirations of eventually developing their own architectural visions, and we need to help each other out as much as we can.

I feel like there isn't really a place in New York (or the world) right now where people who have had any of the above thoughts can meet other like-minded individuals without the prerequisite of a formal academic affiliation. (And of course it is just as hard to develop such ideas in a school context where one is constantly under the burden of studio.) The Architectural League, the Van Alen Institute and the Storefront are all great resources, but I feel like I go to their events for an evening and then leave without developing any ongoing relationship to the organization or to other people who come. I consequently have found myself wishing for something like a successor to the IAUS.

I imagine that such a hypothetical organization could be both a conceptual think tank and a place for certain types of professional support such as mentoring programs. Ideally it would appeal to people in a range of different age groups and experience levels, from students to professionals. For example in the mentoring program a young architect could mentor an advanced student, and that advanced student could in turn mentor a first-year student. There could also be more social/fun events for members to get to know each other and network; I imagine that alcohol would be involved. :)

I have been thinking about starting something like a Meetup group for experimental architecture, but I don't know if I would be the only person crazy enough to join. Does anyone else feel the same way, or have any thoughts or suggestions?