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Design Competition: Infill Philadelphia

November 4, 2012 / / Comments Off on Design Competition: Infill Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Water Department, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Community Design Collaborative invites design professionals to enter Infill Philadelphia: Soak it Up!—an interdisciplinary design competition promoting the creative, innovative use of green stormwater infrastructure in Philadelphia and other cities.

The design competition challenges interdisciplinary teams to develop new models for green stormwater infrastructure, focusing on one of three sites in Philadelphia:

 

  • ·         Warehouse Watershed: A warehouse and a city-owned vacant lot that offer possibilities for public-private partnerships and the revitalization of a high-vacancy, mixed-use residential/industrial district.
  • ·         Retail Retrofit: A retail strip center that has the potential to play a more central role in the surrounding neighborhood through improved walkability, pop-up space for community events, and access to river recreation.
  • ·         Greening the Grid: An historic neighborhood with an engaged community and a dense network of streets, alleys, roofs, and open space that offers possibilities for an array of small-scale interventions.

The design competition is part of a larger design initiative exploring how green stormwater infrastructure can revitalize urban neighborhoods.

 

Green stormwater infrastructure is crucial to the implementation of Green City, Clean Waters, the City’s innovative, sustainable 25-year plan to protect and enhance local waterways primarily through the use of green stormwater infrastructure.

The competition is open to professional designers. Competition teams must include at least one licensed architect, one licensed landscape architect, and one licensed civil engineer. One of the required team members must practice in the Philadelphia region.

While the competition sites have a Philly focus, the insights gained through the design competition will apply to other cities seeking to retrofit green stormwater infrastructure into an existing urban fabric. Design professionals from around the country are encouraged to participate!

Nine finalists will be selected to present at an awards event at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University on March 7, 2013. A jury will select one winning design for each of the three sites. The three winning competition teams will receive a cash prize of $10,000.

A  Competition Packet with the full details is available online.

Registration Deadline: Friday, November 30, 2012.

Submission Deadline: January 22, 2013.

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APAPA Announces $2K Professional Development Scholarship

October 26, 2012 / / Comments Off on APAPA Announces $2K Professional Development Scholarship

APAPA is proud to announce that through the generosity of Jerry S. Walls, FAICP, a new professional development award is available. Applications are being accepted through November 30. The Jerry S. Walls, FAICP Planning Professional Development Award encourages the pursuit of professional development, and one scholarship in the amount of $2,000.00 will be awarded this year to a Pennsylvania applicant who:

 

  • – demonstrates commitment in the field of community planning,
  • – involvement in public sector planning, and
  • – a desire to enhance their expertise and/or develop new skills.

A variety of training or coursework is eligible under the guidelines, so if you’ve been putting off classes to brush-up on your GIS skills or wondering how to pay for an APA Planners Training Service workshop – this is your opportunity!  Details on the application process are available for download after the jump.  Requirements include a resume and a narrative explaining what the funding would be used for and how you fit the guidelines.  Recommendations and supporting documents are optional.

Download: 526_JerryWallsPlanningAward092812

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Chestnut Hill Named One of APA’s Great Places in America

October 11, 2012 / / Comments Off on Chestnut Hill Named One of APA’s Great Places in America

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Once again, a local area has been named one of the “Great Places in America” by APA –  Chestnut Hill was named a Great Neighborhood.  APA’s flagship program celebrates places of exemplary character, quality, and planning. Places are selected annually and represent the gold standard in terms of having a true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement, and a vision for tomorrow.  APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live. They are enjoyable, safe, and desirable. They are places where people want to be — not only to visit, but to live and work every day. America’s truly great streets, neighborhoods and public spaces are defined by many criteria, including architectural features, accessibility, functionality, and community involvement.

In his 1975 report to the Chestnut Hill Historical Society, well-respected preservationist Arthur P. Ziegler, Jr., of Pittsburgh wrote, “Without question, Chestnut Hill remains one of the most beautiful residential areas in the United States.” It was not only important to save the neighborhood’s architecture, he said, “but the landscaping. Rarely does one see such a fine collection of great trees and shrubs.”The neighborhood’s landscaping, known as “The Wissahickon Style,” has been emulated throughout the country. Following the topography of the land to shape the neighborhood, this style of landscaping relies on the use of native plants, Wissahickon schist and fieldstone, and other materials of the Wissahickon Gorge, which formed the neighborhood’s southwestern boundary and encompasses today’s 1,400-acre Wissahickon Valley Park.

Link:  http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/neighborhoods/2012/

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Irving Hand Award: Win $2,500 for Professional Development!

September 7, 2012 / / Comments Off on Irving Hand Award: Win $2,500 for Professional Development!

Once again the PA Chapter is looking for applications for the Irving Hand Excellence in Planning Professional Development Award, which provides up to $2,500 for education/professional development for planners.  In these tight budget times, who couldn’t use an outside funding source for training?  Planners can self-nominate, and the basics of the application are a resume, eligibility narrative, explanation of the course of study, and two letters of recommendation.  Qualifying activities include graduate courses or specialized training.  I was fortunate enough to receive the funding for 2013 for the purposes of mediation training, which I have found quite useful for community planning.

‘The revised deadline for applying is September 14th.  Please see the attachments or the Chapter’s updated website for additional information.  The application form is after the jump.

Download: Irv_Hand_Award_Application_2013

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2012 Irving Hand Award Supports Mediation and Its Planning Value

May 14, 2012 / / Comments Off on 2012 Irving Hand Award Supports Mediation and Its Planning Value

I was fortunate to be awarded the 2012 Irving Hand Award, which APA-PA awards annually.  Named after Irving Hand, FAICP and funded by Delta Development, the award funds a professional development activity for a planner.  My proposal was to use the funding for mediation training, and I recently completed the first portion of my training.  Mediation is defined as a process where a neutral third party without decision making authority assists parties in negotiating a mutually agreeable settlement.  The process attracted me because as a community planner I frequently feel like that third party, trying to get a community and its many interests to come to an agreement on an issue – should we inventory our historic resources?  should we regulate our historic resources? should we change the zoning in this area? should we be providing more active recreation area?  I found the training encouraging, enlightening, and also a reinforcement of good planning practice, and would recommend it to any planner.  To read my full write-up on the training, check out the APA-PA Spring 2012 Newsletter.

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