West Michigan Community Leaders to Gather To Share Ideas for Rebuilding Green Infrastructure in Communities Across Region

October 17 Program, In Conjunction With 150th Anniversary Of The AIA, Will Introduce Process for Collaborative Design of Sustainable Communities

WEST MICHIGAN—More than 300 community and municipal leaders, city and urban planners, architects, nonprofit officials, neighborhood organization representatives and local business executives will gather in downtown Grand Rapids October 17 for a summit on ways to incorporate green infrastructure into the landscape while building both economically and ecologically friendly communities.

The ”Natural Connections Summit,“ co-sponsored by the Grand Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Grand Valley) and the West Michigan Strategic Alliance, will be at the Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The summit will feature local, national and internationally renowned experts on sustainable communities, including Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute, Alexis Karolides of the Rocky Mountain Institute, and Gina Baker, Director of Sustainable Design with Burt Hill.

Participants will also learn from local examples. Local officials involved in recent collaborative design planning processes—called ”charrettes“—in Holland/Holland Township, Muskegon Heights/Norton Shores and the ”GrandWalk“ project in Grand Rapids/Walker will share their results. Summit attendees will learn how to submit proposals in order to have their community’s sustainability issues addressed in the West Michigan Regional Urban Design (WMRUD) Charrettes being held in April 2007. The 2007 design sessions will be presented pro-bono by local designers, architects and planners as a community service, in conjunction with the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Blueprint for America initiative, a nationwide celebration marking the 150th anniversary of the AIA.  Additionally, West Michigan Strategic Alliance will donate $1,500 toward each multi-jurisdictional planning project to help offset the cost of participants’ materials and staff time.

”It’s exciting to bring community stakeholders together for this important discussion,“ said AIA Grand Valley Director, Bob Daverman, one of the event’s organizers from Progressive AE. ”It is imperative that we encourage effective communication on this topic, in order to foster effective solutions to these significant and timely issues.  This also gives us the opportunity to make communities responding to the RFP aware of what the charrette process can do in terms of presenting workable solutions to community design issues.“

The summit is the first of what West Michigan Strategic Alliance officials hope will be an annual event. Future summits will focus on different aspects of green infrastructure.

”We want participants to come away with a working knowledge of what making good land use decisions now means for them ecologically, economically and with regard to their quality of life in the future,“ said Katie Kahl, Green Infrastructure Program Manager for West Michigan Strategic Alliance. ”The Green Infrastructure Program, in addition to promoting practical solutions to integrate natural features into developed areas, also focuses on protecting critical areas of biodiversity, promoting farmland preservation, protecting shoreline and dune ecosystems, promoting regional trails and greenways systems and regional watershed management.“

The event is open to interested parties, and the registration fee is $60 per person.  Those interested may register for the event by calling (616) 726-2466, emailing at par@wm-alliance.org or online at www.gvaia.org or www.wm-alliance.org.

Background information on the AIA150 and the Green Infrastructure Program is attached.

The mission of AIA Grand Valley and AIA Michigan is to serve its membership, advance the values of the profession and improve the quality of the built environment. For more information on The American Institute of Architects Michigan and AIA Grand Valley, please visit www.aiami.com.

The West Michigan Strategic Alliance was launched in 2000 to be a catalyst for regional collaboration among the businesses, institutions and governmental units of the greater Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Holland areas. The Alliance works to encourage a regional mindset, which will foster collaboration on critical issues that impact how we live, work and play. Additional information on the Alliance is available at www.wm-alliance.org.

Sources:

Katie Kahl, Green Infrastructure Project Manager for Green Infrastructure Leadership Council, an affiliate of the West Michigan Strategic Alliance, 616-717-1688

Bob Daverman, AIA, LEED-AP, Senior Architect with Progressive AE, 616-447-3436