National AIA Sustainable Design Assessment Team Presentation: Thursday, April 1st, 6 PM @ Portland High School Auditorium

Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) Visit

East Bayside, Portland, Maine

March 30 – April 1, 2010

NOTICE OF PUBLIC PRESENTATION – APRIL 1, 6:00-8:00 PM, PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL

Portland is one of seven communities nationwide to win a prestigious, competitive grant from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for technical assistance to turn the city’s East Bayside neighborhood into a model for a vibrant, sustainable, urban community.

On March 30, AIA’s Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program will bring a team of national experts to the city for three days to develop recommendations for improving East Bayside, Maine’s most ethnically diverse neighborhood, with the most varied land use of any 100 acres in the city, and a major gateway to the peninsula. The SDAT will work with public officials, community leaders and residents over the course of three days to help shape a holistic strategy to address transportation, economic, social and environmental issues in East Bayside.

A Unique Opportunity

Community involvement to the SDAT process will be included over the course of three days via round table discussions, key interviews, a charrette, and a neighborhood meeting. The SDAT assembled by the AIA’s Center for Communities by Design will bring an unbiased assessment and diverse expertise to the service of our community. The SDAT topic areas/expertise includes:

Connectivity/streetscapes; open space; urban design: Patricia Smith, ASLA, AICP [Los Angeles]
Transportation/bicycle & pedestrian planning: Seleta Reynolds, AICP [Seattle]
Creative Economy/cultural development: Neil Takemoto, Cool Town Studios [DC]
Public Safety/Youth Development: Richard Goll, Onsite-Insight [Hampton, VA]
Housing/Neighborhood Revitalization: Reemberto Rodriguez, Silver Springs Regional Center [MD]
Green Infrastructure: Dave Rodgers, PE, LEEP AP, principal; SvR Design [Seattle]
SDAT Team Leader: J. Todd Scott, AIA: Design Review Coordinator/Preservation [King County, WA]
Design Assistance: Erin Simmons, AIA: Director of Design Assistance; AIA Communities by Design [DC]
Facilitation: Joel Mills, Director; AIA Center for Communities by Design [DC]

The AIA/SDAT will present their findings, analysis and initial recommendations at the conclusion of their 3-day visit:

A Sustainable Vision for East Bayside

AIA/SDAT Presentation & Panel Discussion

6 PM, Thursday, April 1

Portland High School, John Ford Auditorium

284 Cumberland Avenue

FREE. Open to the Public. All are Welcome.

FMI contact the East Bayside Neighborhood Organization: 408-2431 or visit www.eastbayside.org