News Archive
Design Commission seeks ideas for stalled project sites
Posted: April 26, 2010
The Seattle Design Commission is seeking ideas of all sorts for the places around the city where plans for new buildings have stalled. Whether a concert space or a bumper car track, basketball hoops or a fleeting performance stage, from temporary to semi-permanent, wacky, practical or both, we welcome any and all ideas. The deadline is May 24th.
For more information click HERE.
Brown Bag Series: Developing a Climate Action Plan
Posted: April 26, 2010
Presented by Jim Caton - ESA
May 19, 12:00-1:30 PM
Mercer Island City Council Chambers, 9611 SE 36th St.
This session will include discussion on Qualitative and quantitative objectives; Developing a GHG inventory, management systems, data needs, projecting future emissions, etting goals and targets; Identify reduction opportunities; Quantify emissions reduction potential of individual measures; Implementation: building support; identifying priorities, responsibilities, and funding mechanisms; and Monitoring success;
Visit washington-apa.org/sections/pugetsound/ for more information.
Space.City presents Mels Crouwel of Benthem Crouwel Architeken
Posted: April 09, 2010
What’s the answer to Seattle’s viaduct-tunnel debate? How will light rail change our city? Come hear how Dutch designers have tackled similar urban infrastructure projects.
Seattle Central Library
April 27, 6:30 pm
Tickets $10 Advance | $15 Door ($10 Door with Student ID)
Online at Brown Paper Tickets
“We always try to come up with a good answer or to distill a theme from the assignment and then work out the project in a clear and well-detailed manner. Materials and detailing are very important to us. We want to be able to explain everything and not simply make something nice and pretty.”
More information about this event can be found on our website
Living Future2010: The Unconference for Deep Green Professionals
Posted: April 08, 2010
Cascadia Region Green Building Council’s Living Future2010: The Unconference for Deep Green Professionals is a two-day event that will be held on May 5-7 at the Seattle Westin. Creating a living future is an act of faith, an act of hope. It is about operationalizing the kind of world we want for ourselves and our children. Living Future 2010 will touch the roots of our hope and celebrate more early fruits of the living building movement. Living Future 2010 also will revisit the deep values that bind us together and provide rich soil for nurturing our neighborhoods into living communities.
For more detailed information about this event go to: http://cascadiagbc.org/living-future/10 .
GreenToolos Government Confluence: The “Unconference” for Implementing Change in Your Jurisdiction.
Posted: April 08, 2010
The King County GreenTools Program has organized the 3rd Annual King County GreenTools Government Confluence: the “Unconference” for Implementing Change in Your Jurisdiction, co-hosted by Cascadia Region Green Building Council. The event will take place on May 5th, from 8:45 AM – 5:00 PM at Bellevue City Hall. This is a unique opportunity for county and city employees to share information about creating sustainable communities.
For more detailed information about the Confluence and directions on how to register, go to: http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/greenbuilding/index.asp
Upcoming Webinar Training Session: New Approaches to Flood Management
Posted: April 06, 2010
Join us for an interactive and educational session on April 20th from 12 to 1:00 on: Climate Change Adaptation and the Green River: Rethinking Flood Protection and Storm-water Management.
This session will be available through webinar software, allowing you to watch the session from your office computer and participate in the discussion. Planners located near campus are also welcome to join us in person for this session, located on the UW campus in Architecture Hall, room 140.
Topic: The implementation of flood damage risk reduction adaption approaches to climate change will reduce today’s threat. But, we must think of rivers differently.
LID/Rainwater in Context CNU Cascadia Tour
Posted: April 03, 2010
CNU Cascadia invites you to attend a walking tour of development projects in Seattle's South Lake Union and Belltown neighborhoods that employ Low Impact Development strategies, a popular alternative to traditional stormwater management practices.
LID/Rainwater in Context CNU Cascadia Tour
Tour starts at the South Lake Union Discovery Center
101 Westlake Avenue North
Seattle, WA
Event Dates: Apr 16, 2010 2:00 PM
Event Page: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/105258
Low Impact Development, or LID, is an increasingly popular alternative to traditional stormwater management practices that emphasizes the use of landscaping and site design to reduce runoff and protect water quality.
Rail~Volution 2010: Portland, Oregon, October 18-21, 2010
Posted: March 29, 2010
Rail~Volution is a conference for passionate practitioners – people from all perspectives who believe in the role of land use and transit as equal partners in the quest for greater livability and greater communities. The success of the conference depends on the quality and diversity of presentations. Rail~Volution solicits your story-sharing expertise, experience, success and challenges.
Never before has Rail~Volution’s mission of creating building communities with transit aligned so perfectly with the federal agenda. Thanks to President Obama’s commitment to creating sustainable communities, we truly have the opportunity to work in partnership with policy makers at all levels to grow more livable places — regardless of their size, shape, demographics, locations, or economies.
Puget Sound Section - 2010 Election!
Posted: March 23, 2010
The Puget Sound Section will be holding an election at the end of April for the following positions on the Board:
- President-Elect (1 year term, with subsequent terms as President and Past President)
- King County Representative (2 year term)
- Pierce County Representative (2 year term)
- Treasurer (2 year term)
- Secretary (2 year term)
We are actively seeking nominations for these board positions. Serving on the Puget Sound Section Board is a great way to get more involved in the activities and functions the Board organizes in service to our Section membership, over 900 planners in the region.
Renewable City: Ideas to Repurpose Vacant Urban Spaces
Posted: March 18, 2010
We are living a new economic paradigm, with profound impacts on our built environment. To what creative uses can we put vacant or underutilized buildings? Can partially constructed projects contribute to, rather than diminish, our neighborhoods? Are there more constructive uses for vacant lots than just another parking lot? How might we rethink outmoded infrastructure? How does the new economy create opportunities for lean, fresh solutions to our urban problems?
Comments on PSRC’s 2040 Transportation Plan due March 9
Posted: March 05, 2010
PSRC’s draft Transportation 2040 plan is ready for review and comment. It is an action plan for transportation in the central Puget Sound region for the next 30 years. The comment period will run from January 22 to March 9, 2010. PSRC's Transportation Policy Board will go over comments that they received on March 11, 2010.
Portland State University Climate Change Adaptation Planner Survey
Posted: March 04, 2010
The Portland State University Intelligent Transportation Laboratory, in cooperation the Northwest Transportation Consortium and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC), is currently conducting research on climate change impacts on surface transportation in the Pacific Northwest. As part of this research, the research team are contacting planners with a brief (5-10 minutes) survey to determine what, if any, activities are being done in regards to climate change adaptation and to identify the tools and resources planners need to effectively plan for climate change adaptation.
Survey Link: https://survey.oit.pdx.edu/ss/wsb.dll/s/2bfg11d2
Additional information about this research project and the research team, visit: http://its.pdx.edu/climatechange/index.php
Brown Bag Series: Planning and Food Policy
Posted: February 24, 2010
Presented by Andrea Petzel and Laura Raymond - City of Seattle, Branden Born - University of Washington and Kara Martin - Martin and Sanders Consulting
February 17, 12:00-1:30 PM
Mercer Island City Council Chambers, 9611 SE 36th St.
This session will focus on how to incorporate food systems policy into local planning processes. The panel presentation will include background on food security and access issues in King County and the city of Seattle, as well as research and case studies for neighborhood development programs that have increased the supply of healthy food in traditionally underserved neighborhoods.
Visit washington-apa.org/sections/pugetsound/ for more information.
Brown Bag Series: Greening of Non-profits
Posted: February 17, 2010
Presented by Kate Stineback - Capitol Hill Housing, Tom Gaylord, Jonathon Wright and Kelly Morgan - Habitat for Humanity
February 24, 12:00-1:30 PM
Mercer Island City Council Chambers, 9611 SE 36th St.
A view through the lens of the State of Washington Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard. Discussion will include ways that City and County jurisdictions can encourage sustainable development in affordable housing through the use of various incentives, waivers in the development and permitting process and the philosophy for choosing green products and house features.
Visit washington-apa.org/sections/pugetsound/ for more information.
Brown Bag Series: Planning in the Vicinity of Transmission Pipelines
Posted: February 11, 2010
Presented by Jim Doherty, MRSC and Carl Weimer, Pipeline Safety Trust
February 17, 12:00-1:30 PM
Renton City Hall, 1055 S. Grady, 7th floor
This session will present information concerning a broad range of “recommended practices” for land development near major energy pipelines, including zoning, permitting procedures and the need to adopt a risk informed approach that reflects the unique risks of transmission pipelines.
Visit washington-apa.org/sections/pugetsound/ for more information.
Join the Communication Committee!
Posted: February 09, 2010
The Chapter’s Communication Committee is meeting at Burien City Hall on Friday March 19th from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. We will be discussing communication ideas and strategies as well as the development of a communication plan. New volunteers are welcome to join!
AICP CM Credits Approved for Winter 2010 Brown Bag Series
Posted: February 05, 2010
AICP CM credits have been approved for four of the five sessions in the Winter 2010 Brown Bag Series. Here are the four sessions that have been approved:
- Jan 27, 2010 – Manufactured housing community preservation: the tight-wire act
- Feb 17, 2010 – Planning in the Vicinity of Transmission Pipelines
- Feb 24, 2010 – Greening of Non-profits
- Mar 3, 2010 – Planning and Food Policy
Smarter development and green building are key for climate change results
Posted: February 04, 2010
Congressman Inslee and other leaders discuss climate change solutions at national conference in Seattle, February 6. More than 70 percent of U.S. carbon emissions comes from buildings and transportation combined, so it's clear that both how and where we build must be part of the solution to reducing the greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
This challenge for new development practices and transportation alternatives is particularly critical in the Puget Sound region, which will grow by 1.5 million people in 20 years. Federal, state and local governments here and around the country are proposing and implementing plans to address climate change mitigation, but how often do these plans include smart-growth development and green-building solutions?
PSS News: January – March 2010
Posted: February 02, 2010
As Puget Sound municipalities confront deep budget cuts heading into 2010, this issue features some adaptations planners have taken to move forward. The APA Legislative Committee will advocate for the passage of a few smart growth bills, for example. The City of Tukwila is “recalibrating” its efforts to redevelop one of the region’s major commercial centers. Pierce County is in the midst of major permitting system overhauls. Though far from an ideal setting to start the new year, these examples highlight steps Puget Sound Planners are taking to maintain resiliency in 2010.
NCI Charrette Training discounts for APA Washington members
Posted: January 28, 2010
Register for the NCI Charrette System™ Certificate and/or the NCI Charrette Management and Facilitation™ Certificate training before 2/12/10 and save. Additional discounts are available for non-profits, CNU members, APA Washington members and others. Earn up to 27 AICP, AIA and ASLA continuing education credits.
Adding a NCI certificate to your credentials can improve your competitive advantage. Become a member of the select group of only 300 people who will earn a NCI certificate this year. As a participant in a NCI course you will join 31 other experienced professionals working intensively on hands-on case study exercises.
This March in Portland is one of only three opportunities this year to attend both of these valuable trainings. Sign up for these intensive, hands-on workshops and learn how to plan and manage projects using the proven NCI Charrette System™. With an uncertain economy and abounding political conflicts, the NCI Charrette System™ is more relevant and needed than ever. Learn more and register now to save.