The Civic By Design Forum is a monthly discussion on growth issues in the Charlotte region.
Latest News: Charlotte Sprawl Repair is a hot topic. Follow the link for a full report! Listen on WFAE for the Charlotte Talks episode airing on February 18, 2010.
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SAVE OUR SIGNS Please join Civic By Design and Historic Charlotte Inc. for the special premier of Save Our Signs - a short documentary video showcasing Charlotte's landmark signs along with a lecture presentation by Historic Charlotte’s Preservation Planner, Leah Burch about the history of the forty plus vintage signs in the region along with a great exhibit. We’ll be serving JFG Coffee and doughnuts for sure! Tuesday, May 4, 2010 | 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Sunshine and Fresh Air There is a growing trend in building science research indicating that people are more comfortable, productive, and perhaps most important, feel healthier in buildings that are specifically designed to allow daylight to be the primary source of illuminations. And buildings that “breath” may have advantages over airtight envelopes. The combination of Spring and pollen-laden air make it a great time to present topical issues and research on energy efficient buildings, daylight, and air circulation for daily living! Please join us in welcoming Dale Brentrup for his presentation followed with a civic by design discussion on sustainable design. CIVIC BY DESIGN FORUM
MEET A DESIGN PROFESSIONAL, Meet designers and friends from the Civic By Design Forum and CORA at the Design Help 5¢ booth #3651 in Independence Hall at The Park Expo and Conference Center (previously the Charlotte Merchandise Mart) As a follow-up to the February Forum, designers will be offering design help for 5¢ per question at the Southern Spring Home & Garden Show. Designers, architects, landscape architects, interior designers, graphic designers, and others have volunteered their time to meet and offer their expertise to the general public in an exciting, inviting forum. For March, this is in lieu of the Forum usually held at the Levine Museum of the New South. This is also a good networking event for designers with different skills and talents to meet each other and find ways to collaborate on projects, too. All proceeds will be donated to Friendship Trays, a local charity that provides balanced meals to hungry individuals in our community. The Southern Spring Home & Garden Show is expecting 60,000 visitors. In addition to exhibitors with products for home and outdoor living and a green market, there will be special guest lecturers and action stations. We want to thank Corrugated Container Corporation for their sponsorship of DESIGN HELP 5¢. Corrugated Container Corporation is a family owned company with four locations in the southeast, with headquarters in Roanoke, VA. The prototype booth stand for the show was designed in the Roanoke facility. CCC designs, manufactures and prints anything made of corrugated (recycled) paper such as POP Displays, retail and shipping packaging boxes etc. Please check out their website at www.CCCBox.com
Wednesday March 3 - Sunday March 7 2010
ARCHITECTURE 5¢ From a recent New York Times article an excerpt “A troubled economy and the implosion of the real estate market have thrown thousands of architects and designers out of work, forcing them to find or create jobs.” sums up our current economic woes. It goes on to show how one designer has succeeded with a creative approach to the Great Recession. When we suggested a Civic By Design forum “Architecture 5¢” where designers come in and set up a design booth with their portfolio and we advertise it to the public and see what happens – it created such a response from folks with very strong opinions on both sides we decided we should discuss this at the next Forum to further explore this idea and/or see if participants have other ideas locally or regionally Civic By Design can help initiate to benefit both designers and potential clients. Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | 5:30pm – 6:30pm
My Kind of Transit If public transport is to compete effectively with the automobile, it must provide a uniquely enjoyable experience for all riders, says Darrin Nordahl in his new book, My Kind of Transit. Nordahl argues transit--like the street, park, or plaza--is public space, and can thus provide something the automobile cannot: a setting for public life. And if designed appropriately, this mobile form of public space can enrich many aspects of our lives. Nordahl challenges public space designers to step across a few boundary lines to help create better public transit systems, systems that passengers enjoy boarding and hate to leave. Please join us in welcoming Darrin Nordahl (http://www.darrinnordahl.com) for a presentation followed by a Civic By Design discussion on the journey of transit. CIVIC BY DESIGN FORUM Darrin Nordahl’s book My Kind of Transit focuses on the journey of transit, and the need to create a pleasant experience for the passenger. He contends that “While much attention has been given to the environmental benefits, economics, and the quality of the destinations served by public transportation, a major problem with transit design today is that little, if any attention is given to the journey, the experience offered within the transit car. If public transportation is to be successfully marketed to the American masses, advocates of transit need to come to a collective realization. That realization is that some rides are simply better than others—better meaning more pleasurable, more exciting, more memorable, or more enticing. Quite frankly, the experience of riding in a car is often more rewarding than that of most public transportation systems, and when given the choice, people—stubborn as we are—choose better experiences over lesser ones."
The Light Imprint Initiative was introduced at an Open Space Workshop in conjunction with the Congress of the New Urbanism held in Philadelphia in 2007. Light Imprint is a New Urbanist planning approach that adds a tool box of techniques to manage stormwater and natural drainage. Interest generated at that workshop grew exponentially. DPZ Charlotte began creating Light Imprint overlays for its projects in the planning and construction stages. DPZ Charlotte assembled a team of experts, led by Low, to publish a limited edition of the first Light Imprint Handbook in 2007. Following an intensive four-month period of international peer review of the Handbook and the associated web site, the Light Imprint team gathered again at DPZ Charlotte in August 2008 to edit and compile version 1.3 of the newest Light Imprint Handbook: Integrating Sustainability and Community Design.
The Learning Cottage Initiative grew from an informal dinner discussion following a meeting of the Civic By Design Forum, which is chaired by Low. Those attending the dinner were discussing the Katrina cottages proposed as housing replacements for FEMA trailers. The question arose, "Could a similar design replace mobile classrooms at local schools?" Everyone agreed that mobile classrooms used to supplement classroom space are visually unappealing, generally poorly sited, and signify overcrowding. Ideas for a Katrina-inspired Learning Cottage were sketched on paper napkins. The interest generated became the basis for the School Design Workshop held on September 12, 2006. The Learning Cottage was the subject of a Salon held at the Congress for the New Urbanism in Philadelphia in 2007. Since then, DPZ Charlotte greatly expanded the scope of the initiative by designing campus plans, alternate classroom plans and elevations, and plans and elevations for gymnasiums and administrative buildings.
The Early Twentieth Century Neighborhood Planning Initiative seeks to return successful early town and neighborhood planning techniques to the development of modern towns and new neighborhoods. By focusing on the work of American planners like John Nolen and the Olmsteds, this initiative emphasizes the importance of providing public open space in compact, walkable communities. One product of this ongoing initiative is the publication of the book, Civic By Design: John Nolen's Lessons and the New Urbanism, written by Low with Thomas Hanchett. One example of the inspiration found in Nolen's work is the pinwheel square incorporated into Vermillion, a DPZ Charlotte project in Huntersville, North Carolina.
The Civic By Design Forum has been featured in several articles throughout its 5 year history. Recently the Civic By Design Forum received a grant from the Foundation of the Carolinas through its Front Porch Program. This grant facilitates Civic By Design Forums and builds on the Crossroads Charlotte Initiative. As part of the 2010 Front Porch Grant, the Civic By Design Forum is building a Civic Garden Square for the Charlotte Community School for Girls. The Civic Garden Square will create an interactive space for the students. The partnership will also help to foster a future relationship with the school. Civic By Design was also recently featured in the Charlotte Observer for the Design Help 5¢ booth. The article highlighted the service of the booth, as well as encouraged people to attend and get helpful information from professionals. To read the full article, follow the link: Design Help 5¢. The Learning Cottage Initiative was also featured in a News Special on WBTV. The clip describes the Initiative in a short segment.
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