Cohousing-L Mailing List: Urban Ecology Infill Development Tour

[Jeffrey O. Hobson (johobson]

I thought the following would be of interest to cohousing-l subscribers
(mostly copied from a brochure I received in the mail): 

I'm going, and would be happy to see other cohousers there.  Those of you
who went to the Northern California conference this fall may remember that
David Early, the Keynote Speaker, is the Urban Ecology president.

see you there,
Jeff Hobson
N Street


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URBAN ECOLOGY presents "Re-Weaving the Urban Fabric, a Tour & Symposium of
Infill Development", on April 23, 1995, starting at 8:30 am.

INFILL: WHY NOW?

Once the realm solely of ecological activists and academics, _Infill
Development_ is gaining the attention of developers and financial
institutions, and even more importantly, of the general public.  Building
new suburbs farther and farther from cetnral cities is incurring financial,
environmental and social costs that can no longer be ignored.  

Join a discussion with architects, for- and non-profit developers, lenders,
and city planners, exploring how we may promote a healthier future.  A
morning keynote adress by a developer dedicated to _Infill_, kicks off a
guided bus tour of four exemplary housing and mixed-use sites.  Break
mid-day for a lunch at "The Ranch", a new residence and studio in West
Oakland.  In the afternoon, finish touring four additional sites, completing
the guided tour at a new mixed-use site in East Oakland, where we'll
commence our symposium, with each panelist describing a spectrum of
approaches to _Infill Development_.  

>From the second unit behind the Rockridge house, to dense, affordable, mixed
use sites revitalizing the heart of Oakland; from clustered single family
houses in North Berkeley; to Emeryville warehouse conversions; from
cohousing to urban farms, the definition of _Infill Development_ is as
diverse as the community it responds to.  Join us for a full day of
exploration and discovery as we map out the urban future.

URBAN ECOLOGY is a membership organization dedicated to building
ecologically and socially healthy cities.  Our mission is to develop and
communicate innovative alternatives to the ways we build, making it possible
for humanity to live in an ecologically sustainable manner that permits all
people-and all species-the opportunity and fullness of life.

SCHEDULE:

8:30-9: Registration - Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut Street, Berkeley
9-10: Opening Address (Tom Sargent)
10-12:15: Guided Bus Tour of selected sites in Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland
12:15-1:15: Box Lunch at "The Ranch", West Oakland
1:15-3:30 More Guided Bus Tour, of West, Downtown, and East Oakland
3:30-5 Symposium, moderated by Ann B. Thorpe
Panelists: Michael Pyatok, Katherine Porter, Nancy Nadel, Lynette Lee,
Vivian Kahn, Cynthia A. Christian
5:00pm Return to Jewish Community Center

HOW TO REGISTER:
Send $25 (members) or $35 (non-members) to
Urban Ecology
405 14th St Suite 701
Oakland CA 94612
Lunch & transportation is included in the tour price.
For more information call Ken at 510-848-4918

THE SITES:

COMPANION UNITS:Adding units behind an existing house creates nearly
"invisible" housing, blending with the fabric of a community with no
perceptibel increase in density.  We'll see second units which have provided
affordable housing and contributed ot the  tax base.

MIXED USE SITES: Ground floor commercial built with upper floor housing is
an idea whose time has come *back*.  Walk-abnle towns, with lively streets
day and night, are the wave of the future.  We'll see new projects, with
residential, office and retail space, before the paint is dry.

COURTYARD HOUSING:  Vacant sites in established residential areas await the
visionary skills of architets and builders, who, working with a clean slate,
accommodate a variety of building types.  Featured is an exmaple which
combines the privacy with the advantages of city living.

URBAN PIONEERS: The East Bay abounds in under-utilized urban lands, central,
affordable, but ignored by most developers.  Meet the artist and developer
who satisfied her artistic sensibilities, business instincts *and* her
desire for a sense of community when she built her home.

COHOUSING:  Interest in ways of building housing *and* community is growing
steadily.  Cohousing projects often renovate abandoned buildings, creating a
new home, *and* strengthening established neighborhoods.  We'll see one
example of this promising housing type, demonstrating creativity and
sensitive site planning.

ARTIST'S LOFTS: This exuberant, raw-edged district is emerging from decades
of abandonment to become one of the Bay Area's premier "new" locales.
Homes/junkyards/shopping/liquor/restaurants: *This place has it all.*  We'll
see a loft development, an important model.

RENAISSANCE STUDIES: Abandoned civic buildings can provide affordable
possibilities for the creative investor.  We'll see a transformed grade
school.  Starting with classrooms, residents customized to suit their needs.
Complete with its own playing field/park, a truly special place.

WAREHOUSE LOFTS:  Turning historic warehouses into housing is smart in an
expanding service economy.  Fireproof, with wide open floors and huge window
walls, they are easily converted to lofts.  We'll see two notable projects.
Close to BART, Ferry and Amtrak, these homes offer a dream commute.  

AFFORDABLE HOUSING:  A non-profit housing developer recently completed a
mixed-use project, creating affordable housing and commercial storefronts
for local businesses.  One of Oakland's first "suburban" areas, the San
Antonio neighborhood underwent steady postwar decline, and now re-emerges as
an energetic mix of cultures and histories.

THE SPEAKERS/PANELISTS:

CYNTHIA A. CHRISTIAN  As Vice President of the Bank of America Community
development Bank, Ms. Christian manages business development and portfolios
for affordable housing projects.  Fromerly with Security Pacific, Hibernia
and Crocker Banks, she was responsible for commercial and residnetial
lending.  She is a Board Member of the Christmas in April Program, San
Francisco.  

VIVIAN KAHN: Manager, Berkeley Current Planning.  Since 1978, Ms. Kahn has
been Berkeley's Zoning Officer.  Fromerly the principal of an
Architecture/Planning firm, she directed land use studies for a number of
cities.  She also worked with the State Office of Planning and Research,
served as Director of Non-Profit Housing, Inc.  She is, and has been, on the
boards of many non-profit organizations.

LYNETTE LEE:  Executive Director, East Bay Asian Local Development
Corporation, Oakland.  Since 1982, Ms. Lee has developed 549 housing units
and 83,291 sqft of commercial space.  Previously with Oakland Community
Action, and an ESL instructor, Ms. Lee is currently President of the
Development Leadership Network, and a board member of many community
organizations.  

NANCY J. NADEL:  EBMUD Director, Ward 5.  Ms. Nadel is an environmental
engineer, and serving her second term with EBMUD.  She co-chairs the
Environmental Committee of the East Bay Conversion and Reinvestment
Commission, Public Officials for Water Envrironmental Reform, and chairs the
Oakland Quality of Life Coalition.

KATHERINE PORTER: Owner, Premises Company, Infill Resident, Oakland.  Since
1978, through her design/development firm, Ms. Porter has remodeled single-
and multi-fmaily homes, a 100+ unit hotel, and two ofice buildings.  Her
most recent projects include live/work condos in West Oakland, and a
mixed-use, urban housing/gardening development, also in West Oakland, where
she lives and works.

MICHAEL PYATOK:  Principal Pyatok Associates, Oakland; Profesoor, School of
Architecture, University of Washington, Seattle.  Since 1985, Mr. Pyatok's
work has focused on non-profit housing development.  The winner of numerous
design awards, he specializes in the design of housing, including high
density, inner city housing.  He is presently writing a book about how to
design affordable housing.

TOM SARGENT:  Parnter, Equity Community Builders, San Francisco.  Mr.
Sargent is a city planner and infill developer.  Formerly with ROMA Design
Group, he is President of the SF Public Market Collaborative, on the San
Anselmo Planning Commission, and board member of many community
organiztions.  He is managing the conversion of Letterman Hospital into the
Thoreau Center for Sustainability.

ANN B. THORPE:  Editor/Publisher, _On the Ground_, Berkeley.  _On the
Ground_ is a quarterly journal of community, design and environment that
explores the social, economic and environmental aspects of urban form.  The
first issue, Fall 1994, focused on Infill Development.