A Guide to Urban Design Activities at the Annual Meeting

Join Urban Design PPN Members in Chicago!
The ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO is approaching quickly. Below you will find a preview of the Urban Design PPN Meeting and highlights from urban design related events in Chicago. If you are interested in urban design, please make an effort to join the Urban Design PPN Meeting on Saturday, November 7 for short presentations, discussions, and networking with your fellow members. Don’t forget to ask for your Urban Design PPN pin! The following list includes must attends for Urban Design PPN members:

PPN Networking Reception
Friday, November 6 at 5:30-7:30pm
Sheraton Chicago Hotel

Urban Design PPN Meeting
Saturday, November 7 at 12:45-2:15pm
PPN Room 1 – EXPO floor near ASLA Central

ASLA/Land8 Event
Sunday, November 8 at 9:00pm-1:00am

ASLA Student and Professional Awards Ceremony
Monday, November 9 at 12 Noon
McCormick Place – Lakeside Center, Arie Crown Theater

What to Expect at This Year’s Urban Design PPN Meeting:
– Welcome!
– Brief review of 2015 and plans for 2016
– Short presentations including:

– Landscape Performance within the Context of Urban Design
Presenter: Taner R. Ozdil, Ph.D., ASLA, Urban Design PPN Co-Chair

Abstract: This presentation highlights the performance research conducted on two iconic urban landscape projects: AT&T Performing Arts Center Park, Dallas, and Sundance Square Plaza, Fort Worth, Texas. The presentation focuses on projects’ meaning and their relation to their respective urban context. Projects are considered landscape architectural centerpieces representing decades of district-level efforts in the two largest cities in North Texas. This research is a team effort conducted as part of the 2014 Case Study Investigation (CSI) program by LAF in collaboration with the projects’ landscape architecture firms.

– Beyond Urban, Design
Presenters: Kris Lucius, ASLA, PLA, and Stacey Libra, ASLA, PLA

Abstract: As urban designers and landscape architects in a multi-office, multi-disciplinary A/E firm, we have developed an ability to apply urban design principles broadly across project typologies and contexts. This presentation looks at how urban design best practices (density planning, green infrastructure, market analysis, and revenue generation, etc.) are increasingly critical components of project design in non-traditional contexts and scales such as suburban office parks, campus planning, and large public parks.

– The Las Vegas Sustainability Atlas
Presenter: Ken McCown, ASLA

Abstract: The Las Vegas Sustainability Atlas is a set of maps and infographics weaving together a narrative about the infrastructure supporting the Las Vegas metropolitan area. In this presentation, Ken will briefly describe the story of water, energy, transportation, food, and waste/pollution systems supporting those who live in the Las Vegas Valley. These stories will reveal how Las Vegas is sustainable and where it might have challenges for resiliency. This presentation will demonstrate how landscape architects can use big data and anchor it to help facilitate place-based decisions.

– Urban Design, Climate Change and Protective Infrastructure
Presenter: Keith Billick, ASLA, Urban Design PPN Officer

Abstract: Many cities large and small are being challenged with protecting themselves from rising ocean levels as well as unprecedented flooding events. This is occurring along our coasts but also through our heartlands. In 2008 Cedar Rapids, IA and other communities along the Cedar, Iowa and Mississippi Rivers saw flood levels that surpassed any in recorded history. The challenge for these communities is how to protect developed areas from future floods without disconnecting the community from one of its most precious resources. The solution is to design and implement a flood control system that is permeable allowing access to the river, while at the same time providing protection from flooding – and all the while blending into the varied surrounding community contexts.