Norquist, CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism, will speak at Albany Roundtable's Annual
Meeting
John Norquist, President and CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism, will be the featured speaker at the Albany
Roundtable’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 23, 2012.
The event is open to the public, and will be held at the National
Register-listed University Club of
Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street. The reception will take place from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., and will feature a
social hour with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, a short update on the Albany
Roundtable Civic Luncheon Series and a presentation by the visiting speaker. Tickets are $35.
The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU),
based in Chicago and with chapters around the country, is the leading
organization promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development,
sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.
John Norquist’s work promoting New Urbanism
as an alternative and antidote to sprawl’s social and environmental problems
draws on his experience as big-city mayor and prominent participant in national
discussions on urban design and transportation policy.
Norquist served as Mayor of Milwaukee from
1988-2004. Under his leadership, Milwaukee experienced a decline in poverty,
saw a boom in new downtown housing, and became a leading center of education
and welfare reform. He oversaw a revision of the city’s zoning code and
reoriented development around walkable streets and public amenities such as the
city’s 3.1-mile Riverwalk. Named a Governing
Magazine Public Official of the Year during his tenure, Norquist also
received the Bacon Prize, named for visionary Philadelphia planner Ed Bacon.
At CNU, he has joined local activists in
numerous cities as a key champion of plans to replace freeways with boulevards.
A leader in national discussions of urban design and educational issues,
Norquist is the author of The Wealth of Cities, and has taught courses
in urban policy and planning at the University of Chicago, University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning, and at Marquette
University.
For nearly twenty years, CNU members have
used the principles in CNU’s Charter to promote the hallmarks of New Urbanism,
including:
- Livable streets arranged in compact, walkable blocks.
- A range of housing choices to serve people of diverse ages and
income levels.
- Schools, stores and other nearby destinations reachable by walking,
bicycling or transit service.
- An affirming, human-scaled public realm where appropriately designed
buildings define and enliven streets and other public spaces.
“The Albany Roundtable
has embraced the concepts of smart growth and New Urbanism since it was founded
in 1979,” said Colleen Ryan, president of the all-volunteer 501c3 corporation. “Time
and time again, consultants have found Albany to be a ‘beautiful and distinguished city, in
a wonderful natural setting, with strong urban fabric, promising economy and
institutions, and an active and concerned citizenry’ – as it was described by
the American Institute of Architects Sustainable Design Assessment Team in
2007. We’re hoping that Mayor Norquist will inspire us to leverage those assets
and act on existing plans to shape a more vibrant and
sustainable City of Albany.”
At the same meeting, the Albany Roundtable will
present its Good Patroon Award to Capital District Community Gardens for their
efforts to improve neighborhoods through community gardening, healthy food
access and urban greening programs for nearly 40 years. The Good Patroon Award
was established by the Albany Roundtable in 1988 to recognize outstanding
contributions to the community by institutions and individuals.
The Albany
Roundtable’s previous Visiting Speakers have included Janet Flammang (The
Taste for Civilization); Colin Beavan (No Impact Man), Jaime Correa
(planner, architect and professor at the University of Miami); Stan Eckstut
(NYC architect, Battery City Project); Tony Hiss (Project for Public Spaces);
Robert McNulty (Partners for Livable Places); Paul Pritchard (National
Parks and Conservation Association); Richard Bradley (proponent of Downtown
business districts); Ray Oldenburg (The Great Good Place); James Howard
Kunstler (author and new urbanist); Jane Holtz Kay (architecture critic,
author of Asphalt Nation); Joseph P. Riley (Mayor, Charleston,
South Carolina); Richard Reinhart (Buffalo Place); and others.
Tickets for the reception must be purchased by Friday, May 18. Download the RSVP card here. For more information, visit www.albanyroundtable.com, email
albanyroundtable@yahoo.com or
call The University Club at 518-463-1151.
No comments:
Post a Comment