Sustainable Cities Design Academy 15: Recap
AAF’s Center for Design & the City held its 15th Sustainable Cities Design Academy August 5 – 7 in Washington DC. During the 2.5-day long charrette, teams from Las Vegas, NV; Milwaukee, WI; Pittsburgh, PA; and Wasco, CA collaborated with a group of multi-disciplinary designers to provide design assistance on local sustainability building projects.
The Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Wasco teams benefited from a singular focus on their projects, which allowed them to evaluate them through new lenses, learn current best practices, and expand their capacity-building networks. SCDA 15 alum Gina Venglass, PE, Engineering Project Manager, City Engineer Division, City of Las Vegas Public Works Department, spoke of her experiences, saying she gained from the “concentrated, off-site, group design work. Creativity and progress flourish in this setting. I would love to do this for all of my projects.”
Las Vegas Cultural Corridor Connector
The Las Vegas teams plans to transform this swath of the U-95 corridor into a vibrant, arts-rich public space.
At SCDA, the Las Vegas team, composed of Michael Howe, Courtney Mooney, Gina Venglass, and Dianne Cripe of the City of Las Vegas and Rae Laethrop of Outside Las Vegas Foundation, explored best practices for re-conceptualizing a quarter-mile corridor of US-95 as a shaded public art trail way. This Las Vegas Cultural Corridor Connector project aims to connect nearby cultural facilities to the downtown core and Mob Museum area. The proposed site, which sits on 6.45 acres, is currently being utilized as surface parking.
The Las Vegas team works with their resource team members to develop concrete strategies for their arts corridor.
At SCDA, the team worked with their resource team to focus more specifically on pedestrian connectivity and public place-making. They identified specific arts, including installations, concerts, and other cultural events, for the site, an drafted a pilot funding strategy to engage the nearby community to build excitement and a sense of ownership and pride in the site. Engaging the community was a critical take-away for the group. Courtney Mooney shared, “As a city, we take it for granted that we know what is needed in any particular area. Once a project is constructed, we’re surprised that it’s not being used to its full potential. It was very helpful to learn some of the more interactive and non-traditional ways to engage various community groups.”
Milwaukee’s Harbor District Sustainable Development Plan
The Milwaukee waterfront holds the potential to brings together residential, commercial, and recreational uses, while preserving the existing natural habitats and industrial uses.
Milwaukee’s team is made up of Dan Adams from Harbor District, Inc.; Sam Leichtling from the City of Milwaukee’s Department of City Development; Jim Wasley from the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee’s Institute for Ecological Design; David Misky from the City of Milwaukee’s Redevelopment Authority; and Nathan Guequierre from AECOM. The Harbor District Sustainable Development project aims to create a comprehensive development plan for the 1,000 acre Harbor District, located just south of downtown Milwaukee, where the Milwaukee, Kinnickinnic, and Menomonee rivers meet. Currently, the Harbor District is facing development pressure as surrounding neighborhoods like Walker’s Point—the fastest-growing neighborhood in the city—begin to reach capacity. The site spans 100 acres of large brownfield parcels, the new University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences building, and the last 6 acres of wetland on the Milwaukee river.
Eric Tamoulis outlines green infastructure solutions to the Milwaukee team’s project.
At SCDA, the project team created a plan to build upon the “Refresh Milwaukee” campaign, and embrace the city’s moniker as “America’s Freshwater Capital” to rebrand the district. Through strategic marketing strategies, they plan to emphasize the district’s many offerings, including water- related residential zones,, cultural activities, restaurants andretail, industry, boating access and transit options; freshwater research; and green infrastructure opportunities such as a net zero waste water treatment facility.
Pittsburgh’s Smallman Street Produce Terminal
Pittsburgh’s Produce Terminal is at the epicenter of the city’s Strip District.
Susheela Nemani-Stanger and Marty Kaminski from the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Ray Gastill from the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of City Planning, and Pamela Austin from McCafferty Interests comprise the Pittsburgh team. The Pittsburgh Smallman Street Produce Terminal project team is developing a plan for the approximately 125,478 square foot Smallman Street Produce Terminal and its surrounding area, which is located in Pittsburgh’s Strip District along Smallman Street, between 16th and 21st Streets. To date, none of the proposed plans for the building have addressed all of the sites issues and challenges.
Clark Wilson explores sustainable solutions for the Pittsburgh Produce Terminal.
At SCDA, the Pittsburgh team gained clarity from the fresh perspectives of other attendees and from the resource team’s technical expertise during the charrette. Specifically, they identified opportunities and best uses for the structure and surrounding area, including expanding connectivity and access by strategically placed parking areas on the west side of Smallman street. They also revised their “complete streets” strategy for the street, choosing instead to rely upon the newly improved improvements of nearby streets. and determined implementation strategies, and developed a street typology that builds on and prioritizes the unique attributes of the connectors in the Strip District.
Wasco Farmworker Housing
A recent comparable affordable housing project by Wasco Affordable Housing.
Suzanne Hague of the California Strategic Growth Council, Pat Newman of Wasco Affordable Housing, and Roger Mobley and J. Paul Paris of the City of Wasco comprise the Wasco project team. The Wasco Farmworker Housing project plans to relocate almost 200 families currently residing in disconnected, industrially-zoned areas to a new, sustainably-designed public housing development. Their project aims to serve as a beacon of best practices in farmworker housing in the 21st century.
Resource team members Sean O’Malley and Jesse Olson-Ledesma outline design solutions for Wasco’s affordable housing project as Suzanne Hague and J. Paul Paris look on.
At SCDA, the Wasco team outlined their site plan and design of the new units, including connectivity to amenities and bike and pedestrian connectivity improvements based on community travel flow. They also prioritized utilizing nearby natural resources and community and individual household needs for indoor and outdoor activities, and developed a plan to engage the community to better inform their plans going forward.
To learn more about the upcoming session or to learn more information on the Sustainable Cities Design Academy, contact Center for Design and the City Director Elizabeth Okeke-Von Batten at [email protected].
