Profesional Development Opportunity On Local Sustainability

November 19-20: Growing Green: Developing an Eco-City Action Plan and Local Sustainability Policies

Planning Academy at Virginia Tech, Northern Virginia campus in Old Town Alexandria
Instructors: Dr. Shelley Mastran, Kathryn McCarty and Joe Schilling, LL.D. and J.D

This course will examine the latest model programs and policies from a variety of U.S. cities as they move towards their goal of eco-sustainability. It will also highlight innovative strategies for building coalitions and engaging residents in an honest dialogue about sustainability. Using a series of case studies and program summaries, we will closely examine the legal and policy challenges of adopting and implementing green policies and discuss how policymakers and community groups can transfer these innovative ideas back home. 

The course qualifies for 12 AICP CM credits, including 1.5 law credits.  Early bird registration deadline October 30!

For more information and registration, visit our website: http://www.planningacademy.ncr.vt.edu

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Situation Wanted:

Licensed landscape architect for FT/PT or contractual work.  Over 10 years of commercial site design experience.  Send inquiries to RPZDesigns@aol.com

Future New Jersey Governor Christie responds to New Jersey Future
Smart Growth Questionaire

Smart Growth is a critical vehicle for the meaningful future expression of quality Landscape Architecture in New Jersey.  The State Development and Redevelopment Plan and the Office of Smart Growth are both hindered by present economic concerns and battling state bureaucracies.

What does the latest sea change in state leadership, the election of Christopher Christie as our Governor mean for design and planning in New Jersey?  Some insight is offered by the man, himself in this interview given to New Jersey Future just weeks before the election.  NJASLA TODAY Editor

New Jersey Future
 2009 New Jersey Gubernatorial Candidate
Smart Growth Questionnaire

New Jersey Future asked the three 2009 gubernatorial candidates to respond to six questions related to smart growth. Following are the answers submitted by the winning candidate - Christopher Christie.

New Jersey is the most developed state in the nation. As such, residents care intensely about how we use our remaining land, especially as we work to create jobs and bolster the state’s economy.

1) How will your administration promote economic development while preserving and protecting those things that are important to New Jerseyans: the natural environment, open spaces and healthy communities?

There is no more important issue facing our state today than creating quality-paying, sustainable jobs. For that reason, I have included a job development aspect into each of my major policy statements. For example, programs designed to revitalize our cities must focus on improvements to our failing urban schools, meaningful reductions in crime and violence and in the redevelopment of our housing and business infrastructure. We must bring residents and businesses with good jobs back to our cities if we are going to reverse decades of neglect.

All of these efforts are possible if we refocus our efforts away from suburban sprawl that continues to erode our open space and farmlands, while costing billions for new roads and transportation systems. We will focus all of the existing incentive programs back to our cities; remove the regulatory constraints that have blocked previous efforts to rebuild while we improve on the old infrastructure and economic base. These efforts will enable us to preserve our rural legacy while restoring our economy and putting our residents back to work.

Similarly, it is not enough to say that we wish to obtain more of our energy from renewable sources; we must also commit ourselves to leading the nation in the manufacture and sale of components of this new technology. New Jersey has the opportunity to become the supplier of offshore wind turbines and equipment as well as solar systems for the nation. By tapping into our natural resources, we have an opportunity to create quality-paying, sustainable jobs.

2) What plans, if any, do you have to encourage redevelopment of previously developed sites and communities?

Focusing on the historic preservation and rehabilitation of existing structures is part of my effort to rebuild New Jersey’s cities. It is absolutely critical that we recognize the value of the existing and historic infrastructure that already exists within our urban centers and focus our efforts on restoring these communities. As part of my plan to bring back New Jersey’s cities, we will provide incentives for developers to restore existing buildings while at the same time providing immediate incentives for families to move back to our urban centers. We need to focus on improving the existing infrastructure of our cities with the intent of making them an attractive place for people to live.

Clearly, one of the most critical failures of the past several years is the inability of the Corzine administration to coordinate and focus the efforts of multiple departments. The lack of consistency between agencies has led to programs working at cross-purposes while failing to achieve their missions. For example, COAH has forced sprawl, while at the same time, the DEP is attempting to preserve open space, while the State Plan has been cast aside. The lack of coordination and communication from one agency to the next is counterproductive, inefficient and shows a lack of leadership. We must have leadership from the top that brings organization and structure to this process.

The State Planning Act creates a framework and structure for making land-use decisions. The State Development and Redevelopment Plan, adopted pursuant to the Act and with considerable public input, lays out a shared vision of how and where New Jersey should direct and shape future development. This does not prevent state agencies, however, from issuing different, and sometimes contradictory, mandates for land uses.

3) What steps will your administration take to ensure that state agencies coordinate their efforts and work cooperatively toward achievement of the goals and objectives of the State Plan?

The Corzine administration has been particularly ineffective in managing and coordinating the various components of land use management. For example, the COAH plan, the water quality plan, the traffic management plans, Energy Master Plan and the State Plan itself have all been developed and managed in silos without regard to their role or impact upon each other. This failure has become so severe that significant policies such as the affordable housing regulations and the water and sewer service area plans have been developed without regard to each other or to any semblance of any overall state plan.

My administration will not tolerate this type of approach, with departments acting individually and at cross-purposes. We must take a holistic view of this issue and ensure that we speak with one voice. Commissioners selected to manage departments in my administration will understand that they are part of a team and that we are all working collectively towards a single purpose to improve our state.

The State Plan includes a map that designates areas where New Jerseyans think it makes sense to preserve open space and farmland, and where they think it makes sense to locate new homes, shops and places of employment, but the map isn’t always followed.

4) What should the state government do to assist towns in carrying out the vision reflected in the state planning areas of the map?

The Office of State Planning needs to be restored to a leadership role so it is able to support the county planning agencies and enhance the efforts of municipal leaders. The cross-acceptance process needs to be restored so that all levels of our government are working together rather than working at odds with each other. The loss of meaningful planning support from the state has resulted in ill-conceived plans at all levels of government. Under my leadership, the Office of State Planning will be an advocate for meaningful planning in all offices across the state.

New Jersey has one of the best public transportation systems in the country, and residents are taking advantage of it in record numbers. In addition, the areas around transit stations are among the state’s strongest potential real estate markets.

5) What steps will your administration take to improve transit service and expand other transportation options that will allow New Jersey residents to reduce the time they spend driving in single-occupancy vehicles?

New Jersey will decrease its dependence on automobiles only if we provide a meaningful alternative. I have outlined in my urban policy a series of improvements to our infrastructure that will reduce the number of new lane miles that we are building in favor of expanded mass transit systems. We need to work with municipalities to manage growth planning in coordination with counties and cities. I believe we must work to first identify population growth areas and actually plan how infrastructure improvement will be made in relation to other municipalities, transportation hubs and open space needs. We have to promote efficient development patterns if we are going to minimize the impact of development in environmentally sensitive areas and provide meaningful and cost-effective infrastructure updates. Allowing municipalities to develop their master plans and zoning ordinances to include open space, room for schools and parks as well as the necessary roadways must be considered as part of a modern land use law.

6) How will your administration help towns and developers take advantage of the economic development opportunities offered by these prime locations?

We must also put in place policies that actually encourage urban living, as opposed to urban sprawl. Workforce housing should be focused around our urban centers and adjacent communities, as well as transportation hubs within reasonable distance. Right now, it’s just easier for people to leave our cities and head for the suburbs, putting a great strain on suburban and rural infrastructure and resulting pollution that comes with it. My “Bringing Back Our Cities” plan focuses on revitalizing our urban areas so they are places people want to live and work. These incentives include tax advantages that reduce the cost of developing new housing and new commercial or industrial properties while also encouraging homeowners to purchase the housing and businesses to relocate into these communities. With outstanding infrastructure and a restored base of residents, these businesses will find ample sources of skilled workers and customers. Our state plan will encourage this urban revitalization rather than forcing further dislocation and erosion of these vital communities.

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 The Cool Cities Initiative promotes energy conservation and lower energy costs through the planting of trees in underserved residential communities and low-rise, mixed-use areas.
  

Mitigation of the urban heat island effect is the most important driving factor behind the Initiative.

In the summer, cities are up to 12°F warmer than the surrounding suburban and rural areas. That heat is stored in the city as a result of being trapped by man-made materials such as tar, brick, metal and concrete and thus is not able to escape back into the atmosphere at night. Sunrise adds even more heat.

This year’s Initiative will focus on 13 municipalities in northern New Jersey that will have signed a memo of agreement with the DEP: Bogota Boro, Clifton City, Garfield City, Haledon, Linden City, North Bergen Township, Rahway City, Carteret, Hawthorne, Somerville, West New York, Woodbridge, and Phillipsburg for a total of 2,369 new trees. Additionally nine southern New Jersey communities will be getting 2,848 trees: Palmyra, Merchantville, Cape May City, Vineland City, Hamilton (Mercer), Trenton, Lakewood, Asbury Park, and Neptune.

As one of the contractors of the Cool Cities Initiative, the The NJ Tree Foundation partners with the
NJ State Parole Board to hire a seasonal planting crew, creating transitional jobs for men under parole supervision.  Through the Green Streets program, the men will plant 1,000 trees in Camden, Newark, Bayonne, Essex County, Montclair, and Roselle.

The prior successes of the Cool Cities Initiative recently resulted in an agreement with the Board of Public Utilities to secure funding for the program for at least the next four years. This will allow the DEP to bring thousands of street trees to other qualified communities who have or are working on their Community Forestry Management Plan and meet several other criteria. Neighborhoods receiving these trees will also be seeing 12"x18" green and white signs displaying the logo of each participating State agency. The signs will read, “Cool Cities Initiative — Green Trees Planted to Save Energy.”
Municipalities with state certified Community Forestry Management Plans can not only wisely make budget appropriations for maintenance of the urban forestry but also realize some protections from insurance claims due to fallen and damaged t?rees on municipal lands and right of way.

Landscape Architects with knowledge of these programs can assist municipalities in these efforts.
For more information, see these links provided by the NJDEP Community Forestry Program:
NJ Shade Tree and Community Forestry Assistance Act
Cool Cities
Grant Opportunities
Tree Management Tools

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Rutgers Hosts Public Meeting on the Hackensack Waterworks at Oradell

On November 14, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and Bergen County will host a Waterworks Design Charrette to solicit public input, followed by an open public meeting with residents and elected officials.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., members of the Oradell and New Milford communities are invited to attend the design charette, a workshop to explore design options and concerns for the rehabilitation of the old Oradell waterworks site. The workshop will take place at the New Milford Knights of Columbus Hall. The invited participants will also have a chance to tour the historic waterworks buildings. From 5 to 7 p.m., a public meeting will be held at Oradell Borough Hall, where a panel of experts from Rutgers University, Mark B. Thompson Associates, the Water Works Conservancy and the Hackensack Riverkeeper will respond to questions and comments.

The main goal of the meetings is to discuss options for the rehabilitation of the Van Buskirk Island site and buildings, which are located in the Hackensack River in the Borough of Oradell, adjacent to the Borough of New Milford. Van Buskirk Island houses the original waterworks treatment plant that was built by the Hackensack Water Company (now known as United Water). The island itself was created from an original peninsula formation in the middle of the Hackensack River in order to allow water to flow into the waterworks treatment facility. The pumping station dates back to 1882 and supplied water to Hackensack and the surrounding areas until 1990, when it ceased operations. In 1993, the land was transferred to Bergen County. The buildings are listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places, but have sat vacant since the plant closed.

Through the efforts of Rutgers landscape architecture students, faculty members Wolfram Hoefer and Beth Ravit and local officials, the island may find new life as a unique part of the Bergen County Parks system. Students and faculty have considered options for the site’s historical architecture, while protecting the sensitive ecosystem of the Hackensack River riparian zone. They have also kept in mind the goals of local environmentalists and historical preservationists, as well as Bergen County’s ongoing financial responsibilities related to the island’s upkeep and maintenance.

On November 14, all stakeholders and officials will turn their ear to listen to the opinions of local community members. With the active support of Rutgers students, preservationists and environmentalists, invited members of the public will develop concepts over the day. At the 5 pm. Oradell Borough Hall, meeting those outcomes will be presented to the general public. These ideas and discussions are expected to have a strong impact on the ongoing design process.

For more information, please contact Beth Ravit at 732-932-9800, ext. 6210 or ravit@sebs.rutgers.edu.

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SUSTAINABLE SITES INITIATIVE RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC THIS MONTH
Call for pilot program projects deadline is February 15, 2010

The Sustainable Sites Initiative released the first national rating system for sustainable landscapes. Not only will this program drive the marketplace towards more sustainable practices, but increase the recognition and appreciation for the work landscape architects already do in their daily work. You can download and read the latest reports at www.sustainablesites.org. Click here to read the news release, and click here for FAQs about the Initiative and pilot projects.  The full list of guidelines and performance benchmarks is available here (PDF). 

A major outreach effort continues about the Initiative, reaching out to ASLA members, client groups, allied organizations and the general public to build awareness. Anyone interested in becoming part of the Sustainable Sites Initiative pilot program has until February 15, 2010 to submit an application. The minimum project size is 2,000 square feet.

A sample of the recent news coverage appears below:

USA Today – Landscapes now get green rating
Fast Company – Sustainable Sites Initiative: A LEED Rating System for Landscapes
Washington Business Journal – Green Business Award: Education/Outreach Category
Washington Times – Landscape groups announce eco-ratings
Hospitality Design – New Sustainable Landscape Rating System Unveiled
New West – LEED for Weeds: New Program Will Rate Green Landscapes
Contract Magazine – New Sustainable Landscape Rating System Unveiled
GreenBiz.com – ‘LEED for Landscapes’ Aims to Green the Nation’s Greens
Professional Builder – Green Rating System Established for Landscaping
Building Design + Construction – New landscape rating system launches, completes green building puzzle
Green Industry Pros – New Landscape Rating System Could Transform the Green Industry

This marks one of many critical steps as we advance the importance and role of landscape architecture at large as well as within the sustainability world.

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Interview with Majora Carter, Founder, Sustainable South Bronx,
and Majora Carter Group
The focus of your organization, the Majora Carter Group is "an asset-based development model," which has been defined as "a green-collar look at the assets comprised in a given municipality or region to identify where needs are not being met." Please describe your asset-based development approach, and what this means for urban environments.  

Planners, infrastructure engineers, politicians, and even social service agencies often look at areas or groups of people -- I think they like to call them "populations" -- as problems that can be solved with this or that action.  It usually involves taking money from somewhere and putting it where an expert says it's needed.  It is undoubtedly never enough, and it engenders a sense of competition from whomever feels it's being taken away from the "problem" that they want to solve.
If you let folks put the pieces together properly, some of the problems become assets. For example, storm water run-off is a big "problem" that engineers like to pour loads of concrete and build ever expanding treatment plants for.  It has also been identified that people who live in areas where unemployment is prevalent often suffer from a lack of greenery in their lives. Studies show that it affects their sense of community pride, air quality, and self-esteem, school performance, and property values.
It turns out that trees, open green spaces, and green roofing do wonders for storm water management and take the burden off of a typical combined sewage system.  These things also address the lack of greenery problems listed above, and it takes people to do the work.  There are many examples like this, and they usually boil down to choosing the more labor intensive options out there because they help solve our poverty problem.  When you start putting people first, many of the "problems" that others are trying to solve start to evaporate.

The organization you founded – Sustainable South Bronx, was critical to bringing green roofs to the South Bronx. Most recently, Sustainable South Bronx played a key role in efforts to create green roof tax abatement of $4.50 / per square foot. What impact do you think this legislation will have on the development of urban green roofs in NYC? Are these types of incentives enough? What else needs to be done from a policy and regulatory point of view so that there are green roofs across NYC?

That was a great victory for the S.W.I.M. coalition that SSBx's Policy Director Rob Craudereuff convened.  The same group also passed NYC Local Law 5, which simply requires that all future storm water management plans include a cost-benefit analysis of green vs. traditional solutions.  The tax abatement is good for the money it provides, but it also serves as a communications tool for green roofing.  Having it sanctioned by the government in that way is a real seal of approval that helps get people over the fear factor that comes with the unfamiliar.
I think the City will save money if they pay in full for green roofs in certain water shed areas, and if you take a look at the Urban Heat Island Mitigation study that I co-wrote with Rob and Joyce Rosenthal at Columbia University Earth Institute, air quality goes up and energy consumption goes down when green roofing is deployed on a massive scale.  It's up to advocates of all stripes to use things like Local Law 5 to make the cost-benefit argument effective now.  I have great confidence that more and more voices will enter the debate.  I think if we mandate anything, it's likely to get mis-directed or shot down.  The newer urbanists coming up through the ranks are always so impressive to me with their easy perspective on how it all fits together.  The ball is in motion and it's just a matter of time before migratory birds light on the roofs of NYC as they make their journeys.
What do you see as the main value of green roof demonstration projects?  
At this point, green roof demonstration projects have about as much value as another study to see if intensive diesel and powerplant exhaust give kids asthma -- none.  We know fossil fuel emissions are bad and we know green roofs work.  By continually calling for repetitive studies and "demonstrations", we imply that there is uncertainty.  Kind of like what the oil companies did with global warming.  The very word "demonstration" implies untested; the "study" implies a surprise around the corner. We need change on a massive scale. We might not get it perfectly right immediately, but we certainly know that we have not been doing a good job with regard to our social or environmental future so far. If you know something works, do it -- and do it big, bold, and beautifully and make an impact!
What is the status of the South Bronx Green way project? 
There is $20 million appropriated and the Hunts Point Riverside Park is built (and very well too!); and more and more bike lanes keep getting painted along the routes, but it is taking sooooo long.  It's amazing how fast an ugly building can go up, and how long it takes to make parks.
What do you think of the High Line being developed in Chelsea, Manhattan? Are there any similarities with the Sheridan Expressway project you are working on, in that both projects seek to turn abandoned transportation infrastructure into parks, or green infrastructure?  

Similarities? The City wanted to tear down the High Line, but we have to work really hard to get the Sheridan Expressway decommissioned.

The High Line is just a couple blocks from the Hudson River Greenway - one of the coolest parks in the City in one of its wealthiest areas; but in the South Bronx, we have 1/5 the amount of green space per person as the citywide average.
My husband lived next to the High Line in the 90's and would climb on it with friends for picnics; he said it was already like a park up there and doesn't understand why they have to spend USD $20 million on less than a mile when all it needs is a few stairways for access. I am sure it's going to be quite a feat of landscape architecture, but it seems odd to me that there are still parts of our city that are starved for parks and that that level of city funding is going to one that is two blocks away from a magnificent park already.
I think the contrast of my work on the South Bronx Greenway/Sheridan Expressway Decomission and the High Line are a classic illustration of environmental justice -- who gets the good stuff and who doesn't...
What role can landscape architects play in your vision for green urban renewal? 
They are in a great position to advocate for the social assets that their work embodies, and can reach out to the social justice advocates and storm water management and public health professionals for support. Our landscapes shape how we live and their beauty (or lack of) reflects back upon us deeply. They have so many allies out there just waiting to be summoned, and I am looking forward to encouraging them everywhere we work going forward.

In your mind, which landscape architects are doing the most exciting urban work? What kind of innovative landscape architecture would you like to see come to the city? 
Signe Nielsen, FASLA, of Mathews + Nielsen worked closely with us to create the South Bronx Greenway Master Plan, and she has become a really good friend in the process. She did a great job of designing what I would like to see more of in all cities: putting recreational and industrial uses in close proximity to one another.  Kathleen Bakewell, now with Howe & Howerton, designed the greenroof on SSBx's headquarters, and understood why it was so important to us to see that kind of sustainable development happening in the 'hood. 
We wanted to show that if you do it well, mixed-use landscapes work. Everyone wins because when people are present, industrial design and practices clean up, and that improves everyone's environment.  Making these areas accessible is a great way landscape architects can improve working conditions for people, make our cities cooler and cleaner, and eventually change the world.

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Brick City Adventure Park: Simplifying Play
By James R. Couillard, ASLA

ASLA publishes Professional Practice Network (PPN) newsletters each year that highlight projects, programs, and issues of interest to the particular PPN. Below is the reprint of an article from the recently published Children's Outdoor Environments PPN newsletter by James Couillard, ASLA. The article, titled “Brick City Adventure Park: Simplifying Play,” provides information that should be useful and interesting to many landscape architects.

As public sector employees and design professionals, we are constantly challenged to meet the needs of our citizens and visitors, all while being transparent and fiscally responsible with the taxpayer’s dollars. The joy of working on “budgetless” projects are fond memories of design competitions and the “what ifs” of private sector projects. The current economy has forced a lot of private sector jobs to be scaled back, and in some cases this is how parks departments may be operating on a day-to-day basis—recession or not.

For park renovation projects, our budgets have to address several critical points. Are we proposing enough for the community? Is this project too expensive? Will the board approve this use of its constituents’ money? Designers have to abide by these considerations while we listen to the community. Their needs can sometimes bust any budget, and choosing what gets built first and what comes in later phases can be another challenge.

Brick City Adventure Park (BCAP) in Ocala, Florida, is a 35- acre park owned by the Marion County Board of County Commissioners and operated by the Marion County Parks and Recreation Department. The county originally purchased the park in 1991. It reassumed operational responsibilities in 2008 and brought new enthusiasm and visions for the park’s true potential. From a financial standpoint, the timing to assume the operations of this park was difficult, but from a site design/planning perspective, the timing could not have been better. The ideas about free play and the need for children to re-engage with nature and the outdoors have a significant role in the newly created master plan for BCAP.

With the need to promote outdoor play on a very limited budget, doing more with less translated into: How can we get people excited about this existing wooded park and not break the budget? We took the simple approach of solving safety issues, opening views into wooded areas by clearing underbrush, and updating play equipment, and are excited about dusting off this jewel of a park.
At BCAP, a two-acre portion of the park is becoming an energized play area for children. Even before the new play area was designed, we found that the wooded area was being used for general play. Previously, the area was heavily overgrown and presented visual barriers, which deterred children from entering the woods.

Now, with minimal maintenance and removal of unsafe items, children are encouraged to explore and discover the flora and fauna of this protected open space.

New play units that focus on the adventure theme with climbing apparatuses and agility stations are in the plans, and future elements include high ropes courses, wall climbing, and other activities that fit the existing site.

However, it is the wooded envelope that is capturing the imaginations of the children in a pleasantly unexpected way.

Brick City Adventure Park is a unique park for both residents and visitors in this region. With the absence of city noise it is hard to believe that you are visiting a park right in the middle of a city.

Preserving as much of this green space as possible for future generations is one goal of protecting places like BCAP. By implementing recreation improvements that have a low impact on the surrounding setting, simple play spaces are being created and open space is being protected for current and future outdoor enthusiasts.

James R. Couillard, ASLA, is a parks designer for the Marion County Parks & Recreation Department in Marion County, Florida, and can be reached at James.couillard@marioncountyfl.org

Visit the Children's Outdoor Environments PPN web page for more information about this PPN. Learn about ASLA's professional practice networks from the PPN home page at www.asla.org/PPNLanding.aspx, or contact Rachel Shaw, ASLA's Manager of Professional Practice, at rshaw@asla.org.

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Legislation To Create More Parks Introduced in House

Congressman Albio Sires (NJ) introduced legislation to create more parks and recreation space in our nation’s urban centers.

Last month, Congressman Albio Sires (NJ) introduced legislation to create more parks and recreation space in our nation’s urban centers. H.R. 3734, the Urban Revitalization and Livable Communities Act would provide federal grants to states, local governments and community-based non-profit organizations to construct new parks and recreational facilities or rehabilitate existing ones in urban communities.  Grant recipients must provide a thirty percent local match and submit a five-year action plan.

The intent of the legislation is to provide more open space and other recreational opportunities to urban areas which will assist with improving the health and well-being of their residents and promote economic development of the areas.  Notably, the legislation encourages the selection of projects that utilize sustainable landscape features, increase the urban forestry canopy, improve stormwater management, and provide overall environmental benefits to urban areas.

Congressman Sires is the former mayor of West New York, New Jersey and states that he has seen firsthand how parks and recreational facilities benefit our communities.  “These kinds of investments help our cities flourish, provide positive activities for our youth, and give our kids and families healthy and safe places to be outside.”

Currently, the Urban Revitalization and Livable Communities Act has 24 co-sponsors and has been referred to the House Committee on Financial Services for further action.

NJASLA applauds this initiative by our and encourages members to support adoption of the Urban Revitalization and Livable Communities Act.

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