This conference will help promote learning about New Urbanism principles, which can potentially add value to our community. Through the use of high-performance, value-creating, mixed-use neighborhoods we can reduce sprawl and bring energy to public spaces and our local businesses.
New Urbanism supports design that promotes compact neighborhoods that bring people, goods, and services together with welcoming sidewalks and public spaces. This makes places more pleasant and adds value to these homes and businesses.
By promoting complete streets and thoughtful street design, we can create a well-connect transportation network that encourages biking, walking, and other outdoor activities. This leads to healthier, high-performing communities.
Supporting local food production has been proven to add value to communities. A new report from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture shows that institutional purchases of local food added nearly $9 million to the Iowa economy in 2012 . We will have Aaron from La Semilla, a food co-op based in New Mexico, speaking about sustainable food systems on Thursday.
Another study in Indiana showed that homes within a half-mile of Indiana’s Monon Trail sell for an average of 11% more than similar homes farther away . New Urbanism design supports walking and biking trails near homes and businesses because they add value to local areas. In Minneapolis-St. Paul, another study showed that for every quarter mile nearer to an off-street bicycle trail, the median home value increases by $510 . Lastly, in New York City, after the construction of a protected bike lane and other improvements on 9th Avenue, local businesses saw up to a 49% increase in retail sales, compared to 3% increases in the rest of Manhattan .
New Urbanism changes the way we think about our community—promoting design that connects people to their neighborhoods and environment.
New Urbanism design uses less energy, saves money, and reduces infrastructure costs and promotes a greener lifestyle, increases public safety.
Learn more about New Urbanism HERE.
Eco El Paso (EEP) was created in 2008 by a group of volunteers from different professional organizations including the AIA, USGBC, ASID, ASHRAE, UTEP, TTU, EPBA, and APA. It became a 501c3 in 2009. Founding members include architects, engineers, interior designers, planners, educators, landscape designers, material and systems consultants, manufacturers and general contractors. Mission Statement: Eco El Paso’s mission is to promote eco-‐sensitive and energy efficient community planning, building design, construction and facility maintenance in the Hot-Arid Climate. We provide educational training seminars and presentations for professionals in the design, construction and building maintenance industry, from experts in the various trades for sustainable residential, commercial and institutional projects. EEP has organized and co-organized various conferences with over 30 speakers and over 40 Continuing Education Units on subjects matters for attendees from beginner to advance level of knowledge about planning, building and sustainability issues. Eco El Paso is a community work group dedicated to fostering a learning environment for sustainable systems and life styles while integrating workforce and economic development concepts.
I attended the first day of this of this high class, info packed (but pricy for the general public) conference with about 200 other participants. Impressive turnout, but preaching to the choir. Although I recognized many from City Staff, EPWU and such public servants, I did not see more than one from the Developer / Builder / Landlord communities. Mayor Oscar Leeser gave opening remarks and City Rep Cortney Niland gave a very brief pitch for Walkable, Sustainable Downtown development, but did not stay for the presentations. I saw no other elected officials except Susie Byrd.
ReplyDeleteHere’s just a few take-a-ways. Michele Reeves said that, nationwide, home prices in the cities are going up while in the suburbs they are going down, and we are overbuilt in retail. [No more malls, PLEASE!] Elizabeth & Brad Malsin related their 3 generations worth of experience in Historic Adaptive Reuse market. They take old, abandoned, dilapidated buildings and turn them into exciting, innovative, successful living and commerce centers. BTW, if you tear down an old building and build a new platinum LEADS building, it will take 100 years to achieve the energy savings you’d achieve by rehabbing an old building, and that does not include the cost of the demolition of the old building.
Richard Jackson, from UCLA was, by far, the most effective speaker. Check out his books Making Healthy Places: Designing and Building for Health, Well-being, and Sustainability and Designing Healthy Communities.
judy