Current Newsletter
In the News | Resources | Articles | Nuts & Bolts | Submissions
Butterfly-shaped roof caps Prescott area’s first LEED designed building –
Home to the Highlands Center for Natural History’s new James Learning Center, it is located in the Prescott National Forest next to Lynx Lake. (The building’s design, construction and operation aim to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s standards called LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.) The center is the first LEED building for Prescott’s Catalyst Architecture (Matthew B. Ackerman, LEED AIA, and Jeffrey L. Zucker, LEED AIA,). Ackerman assembled a team of LEED consultants that included an energy expert and a mechanical engineer. They studied the intricacies of nature on the building site so the structure would face the best direction in relation to sunlight, wind and drainage, for example. LEED designs heavily discourage massive grading. “The idea is to work with the natural terrain,” Ackerman said. For the complete story, go to http://www.prescottaz.com to read Nathaniel Kastelic’s March 30, 2007, article from the Prescott Dailey Courier.
Shift toward downtown living creates Boise condo boom –
No longer a 9 to 5 destination, downtown Boise is experiencing a condo boom, with at least 520 units in 10 mid-rises being or about to be built and local Realtor Bryant Forrester, active in Idaho Smart Growth and the Urban Land Institute, crediting the ever stronger shift toward downtown living to baby boomers, young professional couples without children, and singles -- especially unmarried women, seen as "a new major force in the housing market."
Source: http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5904&state=13
Niagara Falls advised to pursue "Walkable Urbanity" in plans for redevelopment –
One of the post-industrial cities to begin redevelopment rather late, Niagara Falls can bank on millions of visitors at its famous waterfalls each year as it confronts poor planning, bad aesthetics, economic decline and public "disenchantment" due to the government's inability to make changes, said Partners for a Livable Western New York President George R. Grasser, a local developer and retired real estate attorney, at the inauguration of the smart-growth speaker series, "Revitalizing and Romancing the City," advising it to pursue "walkable urbanity."
Source: http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=6002&state=33
Planning Commissioners Journal takes on Route 50 –
Between Memorial Day and July 10, PLJ goes on the road, traveling from Maryland to California (the length of Route 50) to visit with citizen and professional planners in more than two dozen towns, cities and counties. The spotlight will be on successes and challenges regarding planning and land-use related issues. Keep pace by reading the official web blog at http://www.rte50.com. PLJ editor Wayne Senville will post text, audio and visual images daily. Check in now to read his “Four Weeks and Counting,” posted on April 26.
New Orleans Neighborhood Association criticizes plan for 20-acre retail complex –
Watching closely Victory Real Estate Investments' moves to acquire a local medical center, numerous warehouses and several other lots since last November, New Orleans' Mid-City Neighborhood Association feels relieved that the developer doesn't plan a Wal-Mart Supercenter, but most of the 200 residents at a Grace Episcopal Church meeting still criticized a proposed 20-acre retail complex, with a 190,000-square-foot Target, as out of scale and detrimental to their area.
Source: http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=5985&state=19
<top>
New PLACEMATTERS Website fosters vibrant, sustainable communities –
This new independent affiliate of the Orton Family Foundation was formed in February and is a living laboratory where a national network of creative practitioners come together to learn, share, inspire and seed innovation in place, collectively elevating the art and science of planning for vibrant and sustainable communities. The Website (http://www.placematters.com) will offer access a wide range of resources and connect to a growing community of people, resources and online tools for learning and collaboration. Tools database, case studies, resource library and calendar. The Orton Family Foundation, founded in 1995 by Lyman Orton and Noel Fritzinger, is supported by profits from the Orton family business, the Vermont Country Store. Go to:
Partnerships across America focusing on physical activity and healthier lifestyles–
Recognizing the important role of physical activity in promoting healthier lifestyles, Active Living by Design and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) are presenting 25 partnerships across the United States to increase active living, a way of life that integrates physical activity into daily routines. Each partnership receives a $200,000 grant in addition to technical assistance to address community design, land use, transportation, architecture, trails, parks and other issues that influence healthier lifestyles. None of the 25 communities is in Arizona; Albuquerque represents the Southwest and focuses on the Albuquerque Alliance for Active Living is led by the 1000 Friends of New Mexico. The partnership strives to change public attitudes and behavior, improve public policies, and develop projects that make it easy, safe, and pleasant to walk, bicycle, and enjoy other outdoor activities. The alliance advocates changing city and school district planning and development policies to support walking, bicycling, and transit use. The focus is on increasing funding for pedestrian improvements at the city and regional level, and raising standards for street design to allow for safe and comfortable pedestrian movement. For detailed information on Albuquerque’s participation, as well as what the other 24 communities are doing, go to at http://www.activelivingbydesign.org/index.php?id=6.
2007 annual statewide Historic Preservation Partnership Conference in Prescott –
The Arizona Preservation Foundation, Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, Arizona Main Street Program and the City of Prescott have teamed up on a conference focusing on how to make a greater impact on preserving Arizona heritage and history. Registration includes eight tracks of sessions and mobile workshops, as well as presentations by Arcosanti’s Paolo Solari and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, and the presentation of the Governor’s Heritage Preservation Awards and Public Archaeology Awards. Events will be held at Prescott’s Hassayampa Inn, Hotel St. Michael, Elks Opera House and Council Chambers. The Arizona Preservation Foundation is Arizona’s only non-profit statewide historic preservation organization. Founded in 1979, the foundation is dedicated to preserving Arizona's historical, archaeological, architectural, and cultural resources. To download the conference brochure, go to the Arizona Preservation Foundation’s Website at (http://www.azpreservation.org/index.php) and click on the Conferences page.
American Planning Association launches its annual "Great Places in America" program –
APA needs help in suggesting places that are great and merit such designation. You can suggest your favorite streets and neighborhoods across America, whether they are in your own city or town, in a place you've visited, or in a place you otherwise know about. A total of 10 great streets and 10 great neighborhoods will be recognized by APA during National Community Planning Month (NCPM) in October. For more information, including registering as a non-member of APA, as well as criterion for great streets and neighborhoods, go to http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/. Suggestions will be accepted on an ongoing basis; however we encourage you to send in your form by May 15 in order to be considered for the October 2007 announcement.
Bonus: Schools using unique ways to get kids healthy –
Schools across the country are using innovative ways to improve nutrition and physical activity among kids, according to a report from Action for Healthy Kids. Among the techniques the Illinois-based advocacy group said should be used as a model for other schools are a "lunch and learn" briefing program for Rhode Island school superintendents promoting healthy eating and regular exercise, a principal-led training program in West Virginia focused on finding ways to boost students’ exercise and nutrition and a "Healthy Hoosier Award" in Indiana allowing schools to show how they’ve managed to improve on kids’ healthy habits. Commitment from school leaders such as principals, administrators and superintendents is critical to the success of the model programs, according to Action for Healthy Kids.
For example, the Rhode Island lunch briefing series was set up as a way for district leaders to become educated about the vital and growing importance of healthy eating and physical activity in schools. After failing to capture administrators’ attention during more conventional meetings that led to no-shows and schedule conflicts, organizers found that a catered, sit-down lunch at the office was an incentive for school superintendents and school board members. They brought school food service personnel in on the act and gave a 15- to 20-minute presentation at each briefing on how to improve nutrition and increase physical activity on school grounds. The work was so successful that nearly 70 percent of school districts organizers met with formed wellness committees as standard school board subcommittees. The report, "From the Top Down: Engaging School Leaders in Creating a Healthier, More Physically Active School Environment," is available online at http://www.actionforhealthykids.org.
<top>
Can new architecture create successful places?
Author: Kathy Madden, senior vice president, Project for Public Spaces
Source: Planetizen.com, April 9, 2007
People often ask me if a building has to be old or look historic to create a sense of place. I always answer with a definite "No!" While it may be easier to find older buildings where public activity flourishes, their success is not due to age or a particular architectural style. The main factor is actually how the base of the building is treated. A building with a well-designed (and well-managed!) ground floor can be a great place regardless of the style in which it is constructed. Let's look at two places which I think illustrate this point quite effectively: Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, and Rockefeller Center in New York.
Country Club Plaza, which debuted in the 1920s, is one of the nation's oldest shopping centers. Built in a style that mimics the architecture of Seville, Spain, it succeeds as a pedestrian district even though it was developed to accommodate cars. A few years ago PPS interviewed the managers of the complex, and we found that they attributed their success to four things. One, they offered a mix of attractions that appeal to a broad array of people – for example, by varying the price ranges of retail and restaurants. Second, they located necessities (e.g. bank branches, or doctors' and dentists' offices) in places that would lead people to pass by retail stores en route. Third, everything in the development allowed people to interact with it in some way. Children could touch sculptures; people could sit by pools and fountains; window displays were designed to maximize intrigue; outdoor cafes hosted jazz performers and other entertainment. And last, but certainly not least, blank walls were not allowed anywhere. Where management identified sterile areas around the exterior of the complex, they added plantings or artwork to liven the space up for passersby. What's remarkable is that, even though the Plaza is widely known for its historicist aesthetic, the people who run it cite very different reasons for its enduring popularity.
Rockefeller Center, though it was constructed just a short time after Country Club Plaza, couldn't look more different – but it is an even better public space. Its soaring forms are modernist icons, and the closer you get, the more these buildings come alive. Art deco sculptures grace the entrances. Ground floor windows protrude slightly from facades, enticing people to slow down and take a look at the goods inside. Changing exhibits and events in the center of the complex keep it humming in every season, while artfully placed wooden benches enable people to pause, rest, reflect, and take it all in. Here, a modern aesthetic gracefully accommodates a great public space.
Contrast the original Rockefeller Center with the more recently developed Rockefeller Center West (built in the 1970s on the west side of Sixth Avenue), however, and you'll see a very different way of building which has no sense of place. The buildings here do not have human-scaled bases: Store windows and entrances are set back from the sidewalk by nearly 50 feet, and the space between the building and the curb is basically empty. The retail is hidden so few people go window shopping. There is no reason for people to linger or make a return visit.
Rockefeller Center and Country Club Plaza make it clear that success as a public space is independent from architectural style. But as Rockefeller Center West illustrates, newer buildings often fall short of the mark. This is also true regardless of style. In fact, many of the worst new buildings are those designed to look old or historic, which don't work because they hide their ground floor uses behind a "charming" facade.
So although great new buildings may be few and far between, I stand behind my emphatic "No" -- there is NO reason new architecture can't contribute to an enhanced sense of place in the public realm. I would love to hear from readers of this blog about new buildings that succeed at their base--that engage the sidewalk with transparent ground floors and a mix of retail and other uses. What new architecture is striving to create better places?
ASU researchers, architects build affordable green housing prototype
home serves as active research facility, model for development
Author: Lea Hardesty
Source: ASU Insight, Dec. 8, 2006
Building an affordable yet sustainable home is no small feat, however the ASU Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family proves it can be done with the completion of a demonstration home in Guadalupe, Ariz. The home features a design based on the unique characteristics of the town’s Yaqui and Mexican-American community, while dramatically reducing energy costs – electrical bills are estimated to cost $10 dollars a month.
This new home, built by the ASU Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family, is proving that a home can be both affordable and sustainable.
The entire home is made with green materials and techniques that take advantage of Arizona’s climate for heating and cooling needs and lower the home’s emission of gases harmful to the environment. The home marks the center’s second Affordable + Sustainable Design/Build Project, which builds prototype homes for low-income neighborhoods while teaching green-building principles to high school and college students.
Labor to build the home was largely provided by Guadalupe YouthBuild, ASU students, Phoenix JobCorps and Habitat for Humanity. In addition, ASU Stardust Center hired local Guadalupe residents to contribute to construction. Most of the eco-friendly building materials and technologies were donated or given at a discounted price and all are produced within Arizona.
ASU is one of the few universities in the nation to have a research-based design/build program focusing on affordable green housing. The Center’s long-term goal is to apply these efficient housing models to the housing industry and produce large-scale subdivisions of earth-friendly homes.
“Homes of this quality build healthier families psychologically and physically,” said Ernesto Fonseca, environmental design specialist at ASU Stardust Center. “Happier families, happier environment, happier minds.”
Supporters hope that this prototype will spark public and private initiatives to build more ecologically-aware housing for the general public. ASU researchers believe Americans are becoming more aware of the risks of global warming, and are slowly taking more responsibility for their energy output and what they can do to change it.
“There’s a crisis here, and we need to address it,” said Daniel Glenn, design director at ASU Stardust Center, referring to global warming. “That visible smoke stack is much more obvious than our own house, but we don’t think about the fact that every light bulb in our home is lit by burning a stack of coal in an electrical plant.”
Developers believe a home similar to the one built in Guadalupe, which cost the homeowner an estimated $90,000 due to donated labor and discounted materials, would cost the average family $140,000 and even less if it were built in mass production by housing developers. It is their vision that mainstream developers begin to incorporate green building designs because of the environmental and monetary impact.
The ASU Stardust Center began planning for the home in February of 2006, shortly after the completion and success of its first project, the Nageezi House, on the Navajo reservation in 2005.
Designers created the home with the intention of requiring very little monetary upkeep – the home will have minimal cooling needs and absolutely zero need for heating. Sunlight is largely used in place of artificial lighting and proper shading and orientation will protect the home in the summer months.
Thick walls made of Navajo FlexCrete, an aerated fly-ash concrete block produced and donated by the tribe, provide an insulation that maintains a balanced temperature within the home year round, dramatically reducing heating and cooling requirements. The minimal cooling requirements are provided by an alternative air conditioning system made by Alter-Air, which utilizes one-third the energy of a conventional system.
Solar panels donated by ASU’s Photovoltaic Energy Lab and installed on the rooftop are expected to provide 90 percent of the home’s electrical energy needs. Other energy-saving features include a tankless water heater system and double-paned Energy Star-rated windows.
The roof’s special design includes highly-insulated structural panels and a non-toxic roof coating called MirrorSeal that reflects the sun’s heat. The roof also serves as a rainwater harvesting system to collect water for future use – potentially saving 5,000 gallons of water per year. Water also is conserved with a grey-water collection system to irrigate the home’s courtyard and dual-flush toilets.
The goal for cost-saving techniques is not something that will run short-term. Over the years, the residents will save money on energy, thus decreasing their entire cost of living. Fonseca predicts the family’s electrical bill should only cost approximately $10 dollars a month because of the home’s design and its photovoltaic panels.
Most families over a 40-year period will pay upwards of $80,000 for their electricity. Utilizing the 300 days of guaranteed sunshine in Arizona, Fonseca expects the solar-equipped home will cost the family roughly $6,000 to $8,000 in the same 40-year period.
As an active research facility, the home will be electronically monitored during the next year by ASU Stardust Center to confirm the center’s computer model predictions based on actual energy performance. The center will broadcast the ongoing energy monitoring of the home in real time online at http://www.asu.edu/stardust.
“Our previous home is outperforming its predictions and we expect a similar result with this latest effort,” said Glenn.
Because of the home’s expected efficiency in energy performance, it was selected to participate in the U.S. Green Building Council’s pilot program to develop its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) home rating system, which stems from the LEED Green Building Rating System™ for commercial buildings and is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
Guadalupe is a predominantly Pascua-Yaqui and Mexican-American community between Phoenix and Tempe. The residents of Guadalupe have managed to preserve a degree of cultural and geographic uniqueness while participating in the economic and political structure of Phoenix's society. Designers kept this powerful element in mind as they designed the home.
“I believe we are paying respect to these ancient cultures by creating new buildings that draw from those much older traditions,” said Glenn. “We need to recognize that the indigenous people of these regions successfully inhabited this Valley for years without destroying it, and yet we’re well on our way to destroying it in just about a century of inhabiting it.”
Many components of the home’s design that met standards for minimal energy needs also attribute to meeting cultural needs. For example, the outside courtyard, equipped with a shaded trellis and water fountain to keep the area cool, additionally serves as a place for the tradition of frequent large family gatherings.
Other culturally-responsive elements include a combined kitchen, dining and living area that makes the kitchen the heart of the home and a separate casita that serves as a room for adult children who share the home in this multi-generational household.
The house is designed to expand into a second floor since Mexican-American families often add onto their homes as their families grow. In addition, this home is designed to accommodate the future possibility of a wheelchair-bound resident.
“This project is helping us build a dream home, but in an affordable way,” said Olivia Bejarano, the mother of the family. “We love the design of our new home and look forward to living in it as a family.”
<top>
Editor: M.H. Brennan
e-mail: projectforlivablecommunities@cox.net
Phone: 480-926-6598
Address: PO Box 8141, Chandler, AZ 85246
Website: http://www.projectforlivablecommunities.org/
Subscribe to, unsubscribe from or edit your subscription for this service by email: projectforlivablecommunities@cox.net or by mail: Project for Livable Communities, PO Box 8141, Chandler, AZ 85246, U.S.A.
<top>
PLC will publish your submissions of announcements, news, awards and grant opportunities, and notable quotes. Simply submit by e-mail to projectforlivaablecommunities@cox.net and be sure to include pertinent source information.
<top>
The Project for Livable Communities (PLC) is a nonprofit organization headquartered in metropolitan Phoenix; membership includes professionals in urban design, public health, education and journalism. Founded in 2005, PLC, which includes the Alliance for Healthy Community Design (AHCD), fosters livable communities by addressing three major community components of the environments in which we live and work – Healthy Design, Safe Design and Sustainable Design – and focusing on the best practices of each.
Because of your interest in livability issues, you have been added to the recipient list of PLC’s electronic newsletter, e-livability. If you would like to be removed from this mailing list, please send an email to projectforlivablecommunities@cox.net. |
