Feature...
CNU XVI ArchiveA Record of the Congress»»»
Sustainable Communities 2008
Join a group of foremost green experts in exploring the field that will determine the future of our cities and our planet — community sustainability. Plenary speakers include Paul Hawken, Stewart Brand, Peter Schwartz, Peter Calthorpe, former governor Jerry Brown and Sim Van Der Ryn.ENERGY & COMMUNITY: AGAIN AT THE TOP OF THE AGENDAStarting with their collaboration on groundbreaking green policies and designs for the State of California under then-Governor Brown, this incredible group of people introduced and advanced many of the innovations that form the backbone of the green building and sustainability movements. And they helped show that environmentalism must extend beyond conservation of natural lands and resources to encompass a comprehensive vision for human habitats -- sustainable cities and towns. On September 26, 2008, these leading innovators will join together in San Francisco for a rare one-day seminar on the past and future of sustainable communities. With Jacky Grimshaw of the Center for Neighborhood Technologies moderating, they will explore the juncture of ecology and urbanism that's now more critical than ever. Between buildings and transportation systems, the design of communities accounts for at least two-thirds of U.S. energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. LEADING THE WAY THROUGH THE PAST AND THE COMING TRANSFORMATIONSThirty years ago the environmental movement began to integrate the ideas of conservation with differing ways of “living lightly on the land” and the idea of Sustainable Communities emerged. In many ways the issues confronted and addressed then foreshadowed the challenges we face today. The oil embargo in 1972 highlighted a fundamental challenge in energy conservation, but there were other complementary concerns: the nature of our food and farming systems, the chemistry of our waste and water systems, our modes of transportation, in sum, the kind of communities we built. Energy was just the tip of the iceberg. Out of this came Sim Van der Ryn’s notion of Sustainable Communities, a concept still at the center of much needed standards for change. Seeing these challenges with a whole systems approach was at the core of what Van der Ryn and colleagues joining him at the symposium accomplished at that time. Then California Governor Jerry Brown, who had hired Sim as state architect, became a convener of much of the progressive thinking and led the world with policies such as the California Urban Strategy, Title 24 energy standards, and the Office of Appropriate Technology. Paul Hawken was a leader in the notion that economics ordered by appropriate public policy could be the prime driver of systemic change. Stewart Brand, who had published the Whole Earth Catalog, advanced thinking about technologies that could empower individuals to bring about profound change. Peter Schwartz brought the skills of large-scale scenario planning to frame and quantify the issues at a global scale. Peter Calthorpe coauthored the book Sustainable Communities with Sim and has since developed the concept of Transit-Oriented Developments and pioneered regional planning efforts around the world. After morning sessions featuring these speakers and the lunchtime awards ceremony, the sumposium’s afternoon session will focus on current state and federal policies that can advance the sustainable communities agenda. NRDC advocacy director Ann Notthoff will share insights from shaping legislation to make land use and transportation an integral part of achieving California’s climate change goals. Judy Corbett, executive director of the Local Government Commission, will review the challenges of implementing California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32). And Shelley Poticha, president of Reconnecting America and the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, will provide an overview of critical upcoming federal transportation legislation. The session will conclude with a panel discussion led by Jacky Grimshaw of the Center for Neighborhood Technology. As issues with energy prices, greenhouse gas emissions, water quality and quantity, and food production point increasingly to the need to reform the ways our communities are built--this seminar is a must for design professionals and citizens alike. Be sure to join them. HONORING A GIANT IN GREEN DESIGNThe host of the seminar is the Congress for the New Urbanism, the leading organization promoting walkable, neighborhood-based development as an alternative to sprawl. In a special lunchtime ceremony at the event, the father of sustainable communities Sim Van der Ryn will be awarded an Athena Medal. The CNU award is given to design and development leaders who laid the groundwork for today’s re-emergence of urbanism and green community design. As ecological and economic challenges mount, the solutions initiated by Sim Van der Ryn become more relevant. "He is the Albus Dumbledore of green architecture,” wrote Patricia Leigh Brown in the New York Times. "Long before the Prius hit the road and sustainability became the buzzword du jour, there was Sim Van der Ryn….the intrepid pioneer of the eco-frontier."Read coverage of Sustainable Communities 2008 in the July/August issue of New Urban News. Sustainable Communities 2008 Partner Organizations Reconnecting America |
SpeakersSim Van der Ryn, Jerry Brown, Paul Hawken, Peter Calthorpe, Stewart Brand and Peter Schwartz. Learn more about the participants in Sustainable Communities 2008.
VenueThe seminar will be held at Westin St. Francis in San Francisco. HotelsFind nearby hotels. (The venue is in Union Square.)Contact Nora Beck Media contact: Stephen Filmanowicz
|
