PRESS RELEASE


April 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Parma, OH: Examine outdated zoning codes, urban revitalization / conservation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


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