Saturday, February 18, 2006
Sheraton Raleigh Hotel, 421 S. Salisbury St.

Opening address by Randolph Croxton, FAIA, of the Croxton Collaborative, New York City

Sustainable Imperatives: Moving Beyond Green Models + Existing Boundaries Sustainability and its transformation of design, development, and planning of the built environment has reached a ‘tipping point,’ as reflected in the near nation-wide adoption of green/sustainable guidelines predominantly based on the U.S. Green Building Council’s  LEED™ rating system for buildings. Although significant, this is only the initial phase of the wide-ranging transformations that will follow in achieving community and regional resourcefulness and long term viability. There is an increasingly clear pathway forward that transitions to these higher levels of large scale efficiency/sustainability. This session defines an expanded sustainability context ranging in scale from regional/urban issues to individual structures and the communities they serve.

10:15 am Concurrent Sessions (choose sites and buildings or regional planning)

Designing Sustainable Sites and Buildings

Part 1: Building Sustainability Into The Urban Context: The way we live is making us sick. Healthy buildings and active living are the keys to healthy cities. Therefore, we must improve how we build in order to improve how we live. This session will discuss how urban buildings can be designed to make the most of natural light and ventilation so that they use less energy from coal-fired power plants, thus reducing pollution and improving the quality of the air. It will address the need for interior applications of natural materials without toxic byproducts to improve the quality of air inside our buildings. And it will address the need for "green," or vegetated roofs in the urban context to collect and filter water on top of our buildings, a source of destructive runoff, to reduce the "heat island" effect, and to create more inhabitable surfaces in our cites. Presenter: Frank Harmon, FAIA, NC State College of Design

Part 2: Greening Outside the Box: At a time when urbanization patterns are impacting and displacing the natural systems that support life on our planet, the sustainable redevelopment of our urban centers plays a pivotal role in solving the world's resources crisis. Drawing upon contemporary and historical precedents, this presentation will illustrate the manner in which design professionals can increase ecosystem health, foster biotic integrity and preserve cultural well-being in collaboration with building and construction professionals. This presentation will review sustainable site development strategies and discuss their application in several projects. The attendees will learn the benefits of an integrated design process that addresses buildings, site and landscape design. Presenter: Jose Almiñana, ASLA, Andropogon Associates

Planning for Regional Sustainability

Part 1: Sketching out the Big Picture: Can Green Design at the Site Scale Add up to a Sustainable City and Region?: The fundamental questions that designers and planners must ask are: Can the design approaches we´re starting to take at the site scale provide critical benefits at the regional scale? And if so, in what ways and what quantities? Are there limits to what we can sustain using green building methods? What combination of regional planning approaches and new design prototypes will provide the best chance for sustaining urban regions? Dr. Hill will take on these questions using examples from the US and abroad with the goal of putting sustainable design in a larger landscape context and provoking a dialogue that connects sites and systems to their regions. Presenter: Dr. Kristina Hill, University of Washington

Part 2: Measuring Sustainable Urban Form: Communities across the country are using sustainable design guidelines that make streets more walkable, neighborhoods more compact, and transit better integrated into the city. But do these community initiatives result in a more sustainable region? Are there regional lessons learned by measuring the impacts of neighborhood scale plans? Dr. Song will address these and other issues of regional sustainability by presenting lessons learned from an analysis growth in Portland, Oregon. Attendees will learn characteristics of sustainable form at the neighborhood and regional scales, the use of contemporary techniques to evaluate urban form, and ways of making the connection from neighborhood to regional sustainability. Presenter: Dr. Yan Song, UNC Chapel Hill

Noon:  Luncheon Address by Ignacio Bunster-Ossa, ASLA of Wallace Roberts & Todd introduced by Rodney Swink, FASLA

1:30 pm Concurrent Sessions (choose transportation or policies)

Transportation Alternatives for Sustainable Cities

Part 1: Creating Sustainability through Transit Oriented Development: This presentation will provide an overview of sustainable practices precipitated by the South Corridor Light Rail Project which is now under construction in Charlotte. Mr. Tober will also provide an update on the 2025 Corridor System Plan. Participants will gain an understanding of transportation approaches with particular emphasis on transit oriented development. Presenter: Ron Tober, Charlotte Area Transit System

Part 2: Transportation and Public Space in a Sustainable City: This presentation will focus on the importance of providing a variety of transportation choices, and how planning and urban design can and should promote walking, biking, and mass transit as meaningful alternatives to car dependence. Through case study examples, participants will learn ways of incorporating transportation options at local and regional scales, incorporating good designs for streets, parks and other public spaces in a more sustainable city.  Presenter: David Walters, RIBA, APA, Architect, College of Architecture, UNC Charlotte

Transforming Policies for Sustainable Cities

Part 1:  The Greening of Chicago: Policies of the City’s Environmental Action Agenda: This presentation will take a look at the policies that have transformed Chicago into the most environmentally friendly city in the US. The presentation will include Chicago’s environmental action and green building agendas (including the expedited green building permit process), its comprehensive water agenda and its work in leading by example with city operations. Areas covered will include sustainable procurement, capital improvement, housing, energy, transportation policies and economic development. Presenter: Sadhu Johnston, AICP, Commissioner, Dept. of Environment, City of Chicago

Part 2: New Urbanism in Charlotte: This presentation of the City of Charlotte’s transit strategy will chronicle the city’s efforts to transform itself from a traditional sprawling, low density, single-use community to a vibrant, mixed/multi-use urban center linked to a comprehensive transit system. Campbell will provide information on the policies and tools that Charlotte has or will adopt and the decision-making process behind their adoption. Presenter: Debra Campbell, Director, Planning Commission, City of Charlotte

3:15 pm Break

3:30 pm Q & A Panel Session, moderated by Michael Cole, ASLA. Panelists include speakers from throughout the day. Participants will have the opportunity to address questions to specific speakers.

4:30 pm Adjourn

5:00 pm Reception hosted by the City of Raleigh Urban Design Center