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AIA Selects 10 Communities for Community Assistance Program to Promote Long-term Sustainability
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For Immediate Release |
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Washington, D.C., April 1,
2008 — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Center for
Communities by Design has selected Detroit, Tampa, New Orleans,
Fort Worth, Windsor, Calif., Morristown, N.J., Parma, Ohio,
Fellsmere, Fla., Kauai, Hawaii and Leon Valley, Texas as ten
communities to receive technical assistance under the Sustainable
Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program in 2008. The collaborative
SDAT brings together architects and other professionals assembled
from across the country to provide a roadmap for communities
seeking to improve their sustainability – as defined by a
community’s ability to meet the environmental, economic, and
social equity needs of today without reducing the ability of future
generations to meet their needs.
“The SDAT program is in its third year and continues help
communities address neighborhood revitalization, transportation
infrastructure challenges, as well as offer sound strategies to
improve air and water quality, and local economic
development,” said David T. Downey, Assoc. AIA, managing
director of the AIA Center for Communities by Design. “The
architects and other team members who have participated in this
program have been able to provide objective advice on how to better
utilize local assets, ideas for how to transform blighted areas and
ways to make these communities more pedestrian friendly, among
other numerous concerns specific to the various
localities.”
An architect-led team of professionals including planners,
hydrologists, economic development specialists, and others will be
selected based on their credentials and the specific needs of each
community. The SDAT will work in conjunction with local
stakeholders to help shape the community’s strategy to
increase sustainability. To provide the most objective assessment,
team members volunteer their time and expertise and are selected
from areas outside the project communities.
Scope of issues examined in each community:
Detroit: Water conservation, land use, affordable housing,
managing urban decline
Tampa: Revitalization of urban core, multi-modal transit
system, affordable housing
New Orleans: Historic preservation, recovery effort
coordination / integration
Fort Worth, TX: Air & water quality, growth management,
economic revitalization
Windsor, CA: Agricultural land uses, pedestrian-friendly
corridors, building integration
Morristown, NJ: Analysis of all sustainable assets,
long-term development plan
Parma, OH: Examine outdated zoning codes, urban
revitalization / conservation
Fellsmere, FL: Housing availability, business development,
expanding community parks
Kauai, HI: Agricultural land preservation, transportation /
infrastructure, housing
Leon Valley, TX: Business development, housing type variety,
transportation facilities
SDAT program elements
The communities were selected after submitting an application to
the 2008 SDAT review panel outlining the economic, environmental,
and social equity challenges facing their region. The SDAT
community assistance program provides the selected communities with
these components:
• Preliminary/scoping visit
• Three-day visit from a multidisciplinary team
• A report highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the
community with regards to sustainability, along with the
opportunities and obstacles to change
• Consultations after the three-day visit (typically by phone
or email)
• One-day follow-up evaluation visit a year after the SDAT
report is delivered
To learn more about the AIA Center for Communities by Design or the
SDAT program visit:
http://www.aia.org/liv_sdat
About the AIA Center for Communities by
Design
The Center for Communities by Design is the clearinghouse for the
American Institute of Architects' many activities—from
promoting sustainable design to leading design based technical
assistance projects in communities—that influence the quality
of life in our nation's communities. The center is a nonpartisan
forum that provides information, develops policy, creates
partnerships, and assists in advocacy efforts to facilitate
discussions of community design and inform choices for
neighborhoods, cities, regions, and the nation.
About The American Institute of
Architects
For over 150 years, members of The American Institute of Architects
have worked with each other and their communities to create more
valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and
cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people, knowledge,
and tools to create better design, and through such resources and
access, they help clients and communities make their visions real.
www.aia.org
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