 VOLUME XXI, ISSUE 8 AUGUST 2008
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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Concerns about Climate Change and Sustainability are getting a lot of airplay these days. It is discussed not just in local planning circles, but at the state level (GMA Land Use/Climate Change Committee) and federal levels (no doubt a part of the coming Presidential debate). Maybe it’s the prospect of $7 a gallon gasoline by 2010 that has enabled many Americans to connect the dots between local actions and global consequences and vice-versa. For whatever reasons, the public is paying greater attention to many themes that planners have been talking about for decades. For instance, the need to protect air and water quality or to protect agricultural lands from conversion. The need to improve jobs/housing balance, to invest in established urban areas and avoid wasteful and destructive patterns of sprawl. Is the rest of the world finally catching on to what planners have been saying all these years? Is “Sustainability” simply comprehensive planning (or strategic planning, or smart growth) dressed up in a new suit? APA Executive Director Paul Farmer explored some of these questions in his excellent essay in the July issue of Planning magazine. He asks if “Sustainability” is our profession’s Holy Grail. I agree with his bottom line conclusion. Whether we call our profession’s desired outcome “sustainable” communities or something else – (Great Cities? Livable Communities? Smart Growth?) – the focus is the same. It is to build environmentally sound, economically vital, socially equitable communities. Which is a good segue to my update about the work of the Land Use/Climate Change committee (LUCC) on which I serve as the APA Washington representative. At the July 11 meeting, the many stakeholder groups put forward ideas about what changes to the Growth Management Act, or related statutes, could address the questions of how to combat climate change and adapt to it. Two of the ideas that I put forward were contained in legislation the Chapter advocated last session. They were an amendment to Planning Goal 10 (Environment) to explicitly name climate change as an issue to be considered when plans and codes are amended; and the inclusion of an Optional Climate Change/Sustainable Plan element in comprehensive plans. These, and many other ideas, were debated. While no final conclusions were reached, it was very useful to hear the various stakeholder groups express their concerns and ideas. Our homework assignment for the next meeting in August is to separate the wheat from the chaff. It is to find the critical few ideas that can garner broad enough agreement to warrant further refinement. I will keep you posted on the Committee’s progress. On a different topic, I want to report briefly on the Chapter’s Board meeting last June in Vancouver. Thanks are in order to Southwest Section President Laura Hudson and planner Chad Eiken who hosted us at the City of Vancouver’s Water Resources Education Center overlooking the Columbia River. We began the day with several interesting presentations from Southwest Section Planners about current issues in their corner of the state. We heard presentations by Kei Zushi from the City of Woodland, Duane Decker from Cowlitz County, and Matt Ransom from the City of Vancouver. Very informative. Thanks, gentlemen! During the afternoon session, with the able facilitation of Ann Macfarlane, the Board moved forward the new Strategic Plan to its next phase of development. The Strategic Plan is vital in providing meaning and direction to the Chapter’s activities and the budget decisions needed to support those activities. We will be posting the finished product to the website. Finally, as a reward for a hard day’s work, the Board members adjourned to a brief tour of Fort Vancouver led by SW section planners, followed by refreshments on a restaurant veranda on Officers Row (see photo). Thanks to Southwest Section for hosting a good meeting and showing us a great time.
I would like to share good news about Andrew Estep, the Chapter’s Administrator. Andrew recently earned his credential as a Certified Association Executive (CAE), a credential earned by less than 5% of the 22,000 members of the American Society of Association Executives. Andrew, and his business partner Ann Macfarlane, do a superlative job of keeping the Chapter office in Seattle humming along and supporting the activities of our many committees. All of this, in addition to their indispensable skill in helping the Board update the Strategic Plan, makes our success as a Chapter possible. Congratulations to Andrew and thanks to both Andrew and Ann for a terrific job! Finally, I hope you all are enjoying your summers – and resting up for the invigorating challenges ahead. Keep an eye out for the Registration brochure for the Chapter’s Fall Conference. It goes to press this week and should start appearing in mailboxes early in August. Be sure to register early to get the best conference rates and hotel rooms. Spokane is lovely in the fall. I know that this conference is going to be memorable. More in next month’s newsletter. 
PROPOSING LEGISLATION In March 2008, the APA Washington Board of Directors adopted a Process for Proposing Legislation. They made our chapter what we believe is the first chapter in the nation to have adopted this type of process. Starting in May, the chapter began implementing the adopted process. As noted when drafting the process, its purpose is not necessarily to propose legislation; rather, it provides a structure to work within when the chapter considers proposing legislation. All of the documents in regard to the “Process for Proposing Legislation” were placed on the chapter’s website. Using both the listserve and the website, chapter members were provided with information about how to propose items as potential legislation. Three items were submitted and reviewed by Executive Committee, which includes all of the chapter officers and section presidents. The Executive Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that only one of the items move forward as potential legislation. The Board approved at its June 27, 2008, meeting the Executive Committee’s recommendation. All of the details regarding the three proposals were included in the June 27, 2008, board packet as Agenda Item 6D. The packet is available on the chapter’s website at http://www.washington-apa.org/aWAapa/waAPAboardpost.shtml. The following is a summary of the three items proposed. Creating a Statewide Smart Growth Strategy – is a proposal to implement several recommendations from Livable Washington relating to smart growth planning at the state level. This proposal included a work program consisting of a draft bill that would be sorted-out through the process. During this process, coalitions could be built within the chapter and other stakeholders. It is recognized that successfully fulfilling all the aspects of the proposal may be a multi-year effort. A subcommittee consisting of members from the Legislative Committee, along with other interested members, will work on this proposal during the interim in conjunction with the chapter lobbyist, Michael Shaw. Shoreline Pre-Construction Ordinary High Water Mark – is a proposal to “freeze” the location of the ordinary high water mark (OHWM) at the preconstruction location when the construction of a shoreline restoration project moves the OHWM farther landward. During the 2008 session the Department of Ecology proposed a bill (EHB 2734) relating to this issue. They will likely propose another bill in the 2009 session. The decision on this proposal was to defer to Ecology in regard to proposing a bill and then to monitor it to determine what assistance the Chapter might be able to provide prior to and during the 2009 session. Electronic Access to Adopted Plans – is a proposal to require that Comprehensive Plans and amendments be posted online following adoption by jurisdictions. Discussion regarding this proposal included support for providing the public with access to adopted plans in a manner that would be cost effective for all jurisdictions. However, rather than to propose legislation, the decision was to suggest that this process be handled by the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) in its upcoming revisions to the Washington Administrative Code. Plans may be posted online after jurisdictions adopt them using a combination of jurisdictions’ web pages, CTED’s webpage and the web pages of other associations and interested stakeholders, including the Municipal Research Services Center. If you would like to assist with any of the work programs regarding “Creating a Statewide Smart Growth Strategy” bill, and/or the Legislative Committee, or if you have questions or comments; then please contact the co-chairs of the Legislative Committee: Esther Larsen at 509-477-5709 or elarsen@spokanecounty.org, or Josh Peters at 360-385-9167 or jpeters@co.jefferson.wa.us.
NORTH ADDS DEVELOPMENT & SUSTAINABILITY TO GREEN REAL ESTATE OPTIONS A leader in the sustainability movement with it’s growing Green Real Estate program, North Seattle Community College now offers RES 217, Real Estate Development and Sustainability. The quarter-long course is scheduled to begin in summer and will also be offered this fall. RES 217 will explore policies and ways to involve sustainability in the development of residential, commercial and industrial real estate. From project start to completion, the course offers a complete overview of the integration of “green” and “sustainability” in development The course covers Green Building Ratings Systems including the U. S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines and fulfills 30 Department of Labor clock hours for industry professionals. Among topics covered in the course are: the benefits of sustainable development, how to use LEED tools to assess acquisitions, Smart Growth principles and green financing options. Two well-known instructors teach the course: Megan Ritchie Saffitz and J. Patrick Mahoney. As a LEED-AP, who works as a sustainable development consultant for one of the country’s top green building firms, Ritchie Saffitz has reviewed numerous LEED applications and contributed to the LEED Rating System (Version 3.0). She is on the steering committee for the Seattle branch of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council and is a Built Green Certified Professional. She has two graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania: a Masters in City and Regional Planning and one in Landscape Architecture. Mahoney brings years of experience in mortgage banking, commercial real estate and development to his position at North. He proposed and helped develop the site that resulted in the famous Pyramid office building in San Francisco. His development and consulting firm has advised on and developed a number of urban office buildings in California and Washington. Mahoney attended Stanford University, where he majored in economics. RES 217 is a requirement for the new Green Real Estate Certificate and for an AAS degree in Real Estate offered at North. A two-year public college, North Seattle Community College is the starting point for many students who transfer to top universities across the country. Known nationally for the quality of its instruction, including a strong distance learning program, North also provides outstanding professional and technical career training in emerging fields such as green real estate, nanotechnology, information technology for healthcare and biomedical equipment technology. Established in 1970, NSCC is a member of the Seattle Community College District. Since its opening, the college has helped more than 180,000 students pursue their educational goals. Located in a largely residential neighborhood, the campus is located in the Northgate area just north of downtown and includes a rare, protected wetlands habitat. SPEAKERS’ SERIES ON PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES Hear what Northwest cities are doing to address climate change and sustainability issues. All webcast session have been approved for AICP CM credit. The series provide 12 credits or 1.5 credits per session. Sessions will be available for viewing through August 2008. Cost: $10 per session Understanding the Science of Climate Change & Local Impacts
Alison Gorp, Cacade Conservancy, and Lara Whitely-Binder, UW Climate Impacts Group
How Cities Can Make a Difference
Land Use and Urban Form as Tools for Sustainable Communities
Transportation Solutions for Sustainable Communities
Urban Ecology Solutions for Sustainable Communities
Green Buildings and Green Communities
Local Solutions to Climate Change - What Acting Locally Really Means
Leadership in Planning for Sustainable Communities
FOCUS ON PENINSULA SECTION The Peninsula Section held its Spring 2008 Planner’s Forum in Port Orchard. Attendance continued to be strong, even given that Port Orchard is located at the southern end of the Section’s geography. The location did lend itself to attracting planners from outside of the Peninsula Section, and we were happy to see some of our friends from the City of Tumwater and Pierce County in attendance. The meeting included status reports on local issues related to planning in general and GMA in particular. One issue that raised some interest was how were our respective local jurisdictions dealing with the slow down in the economy – some jurisdictions were starting to lay off staff and there was concern that planners would some of the first to go. Leonard Bauer provided an update on the going’s on at CTED and the fate of planning-related bills in the 2008 legislative session. Ed McGuire, member of the Central Puget Sound GMHB discussed the history of GMA and the Hearings Board, and summarized recent cases and the reasons for the Board’s decisions. Tim Sexton from WSDOT discussed noise compatibility Planning issues which result as more development is occurring close to busy and loud roads and highways. New techniques are needed as the cost of noise barriers is skyrocketing (his term). WSDOT is continuing to look at policy to assist in finding collaborative strategies for noise reduction efforts in our communities. Cullen Stephenson, with the Puget Sound Partnership updated the Section members on the agencies activities and, James Weaver, Port Orchard’s recently hired Planning Director led the group on a tour of downtown Port Orchard emphasizing the City’s effort to revitalize its struggling downtown core.
NEXOPOLIS 2008: STUDENT PLANNING IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT
For most Americans, imbedded in their college experience is the iconic ‘study abroad’ program. It evokes images of backpacking and train travel across Europe to visit multi-ethnic tourist attractions. This typified experience is a rite of passage for twenty somethings who are forging their identities and career paths. For students of the NEXOPOLIS 2008 International Symposium, recently held in Quebec City’s Université Laval, travel abroad did not involved trans-Atlantic flights or ancient, compact city streetscapes. Instead, sixteen graduate and undergraduate planning students arrived from cities in Canada, the United States, and Mexico for a more nonconventional study abroad program while remaining – now brace yourself – on the continent of North America. NEXOPOLIS was funded by the United States, Mexican, and Canadian governments. It sets out to increase the exposure between these North American neighbors. This year’s NEXOPOLIS study abroad program involved a week-long stay in Quebec City, Quebec Province, Canada. Its topic was – The Social, Cultural, and Environmental Impacts of Revitalization in City Center and Historic Districts. NEXOPOLIS offers a platform for exploring major revitalization projects and their multiplying effects that affect cities worldwide. Students arrived with prepared presentations that applied this topic to their home cities. They represented six North American Universities: Université Laval (Quebec City, Canada), Ryerson University (Toronto, Canada), Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo (Morelia, Mexico), Universidad de Guanajuato (Guanajuato, Mexico), San Diego State University (San Diego, CA), and the University of Washington (Seattle, WA). The instruction provided by assistants and professors was outstanding. Student presentations were advanced in scope, content, methods, and analysis. Presentation topics ranged from large scale development projects to historic preservation to the redevelopment of orphaned land. They analyzed the impacts of city revitalization and the social and economic factors of street vendors. Although the historical and current context of planning issues varied between the six cities, a commonality united the students of the NEXOPOLIS program. Their issues had similar threads of concern throughout the planning field. For instance, they were all concerned about how to balance the social concerns of local populations with changing economic demands and opportunities. During the week students were split into teams. They were tasked with applying the week’s topic to a particular neighborhood in Quebec City – the Le Quartier St. Roch (the St. Roch Neighborhood) located in the heart of Quebec City. Work in St. Roch offered a panorama of cross-cultural experiences. It included online and academic research, neighborhood site visits, and interviews with local professionals (planners, environmental business leaders, developers, and city officials). This experience turned into a condensed version of a planning studio. Students worked tirelessly for three days to carry out what most planning studios take months to accomplish. Overall, the experience to study abroad in Canada was very enriching. When planning students from three different languages are brought together for a single purpose, they interact. They get to work with planners from different cultures. The outcome is often a divergent and unexpected academic situation. Additionally, when they apply their work to another locale, it provides a lens through which to see a subject matter in a new light. It highlights the differences between planning in various places. It also highlights the commonalities, an all too important prospect in this increasingly global world. The opportunities and challenges faced here in Seattle are not so different than those confronted in Morelia, Toronto, San Diego, Guanajuato, or Quebec City. In fact, these places have much in common. Future opportunities will arise to work together as professional planners. Thanks to NEXOPOLIS, they will address problems across the borders more collaboratively than ever before. Next year’s program will be held in Morelia, Mexico. It will be the final year for NEXOPOLIS. This very important work will continue for at least a little while longer. To find out more about the NEXOPOLIS, including information on its origin and funding, visit the following webpage: http://www.caup.washington.edu/larch/Programs/international/nexopolis.php
A featured article for the next few months will be the recent member survey. Some great ideas and comments were in it. Hopefully these articles will keep the discussion going. What does the survey say about the “pace of modern life”? Many comments indicated the pace of modern life is rather hectic. Some were resigned to it. Others had some ideas and suggestions; such as:
Many comments stressed the importance of networking; such as:
Networking is one of the most enjoyable aspects of APA Washington. Our thanks go to the many volunteers who help organize. A number of comments talked about volunteering for Chapter events and activities. Some ideas and suggestions to recruit volunteers were offered; such as:
Some of these things are happening right now. For instance, the Communication Committee has two chairs. This newsletter includes Millennial Planners – a featured article about what planners who are twenty-something are doing or thinking. More can be done.
PRO WALK/PRO BIKE 08: September 2-5, 2008 Westin Seattle
Over the past three decades, Pro Walk/Pro Bike has become the preeminent event focusing on bicycling and walking programs in America. From September 2-5, 2008, this national event further expands its agenda to include public health and climate change and will return to Seattle to learn about the many changes around the region since the conference was held there in 1986. This represents the first time in its 30-year history that the conference put on by the National Center for Biking and Walking (NCBW) has repeated a city venue, and it’s being done for good reason. In the 22 years since Pro Bike was held in Seattle the communities of Puget Sound have introduced and actively implemented a variety of policies, plans, projects and programs featuring new and improved cycling and pedestrian facilities. They have defined new priorities and are creating sustainable community systems that feature bicycling and walking as essential elements of active living components in city and county comprehensive plans. King County, Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Shoreline, to name but a few examples around the Puget Sound region, distinguish themselves as communities that "get it." These are communities that have embraced sustainability, that are incorporating public health into growth management plans for active communities, that are leaders in climate change issues, that have made major investments in bicycling and walking. The Pro Walk/Pro Bike 2008 conference will showcase many of these accomplishments and programs, and explore how they were brought about and how they can be replicated elsewhere. But even more important, this unique conference will provide a "technology transfer," and inspire hundreds of other communities around the United States and Canada to undertake similar programs. More specifically, the program will focus on the following:
For more information and details about the conference program go to the National Center for Biking and Walking (NCBW) website.
REMINDER The chapter-only group membership opportunity is available to planning commissions, city councils and commissions, tribal councils, and board members of non-profit organizations and other professional associations. Up to 10 members may be included in a group membership. The group rate is $150 and is administered by the chapter office. To obtain a group membership form or learn more about the benefits of this membership, contact Anna Nelson, AICP, Membership Committee chair, at (206) 382-9540 or anelson@GordonDerr.com.
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Have a project you want to highlight for planners across the state? An issue you think more planners need information on? Planning Northwest is always looking to highlight projects and research of our members. If you are interested in having an article published feel free to contact the editor. The deadline for the newsletter is the fifteenth of every month, preceding the publication month. Please submit all newsletter articles to newsletter@washington-apa.org. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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