45th International
Making Cities Livable Conference on
TRUE URBANISM: DESIGNING FOR SOCIAL & PHYSICAL HEALTH
& Exhibit on
MIXED-USE URBAN FABRIC
Co-Sponsors: City of Portland, Portland Metro Council,
University of Oregon.
Organized with
the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture
The Governor Hotel
Portland, OR
June 10-14, 2007
The City of Portland is proud to extend a warm welcome to the 45th International
Making Cities Livable Conference on True Urbanism: Designing for Social and
Physical Health, to be held in Portland, June 10 – 14, 2007.
I believe you will find that Portland is an extraordinary city that combines vibrant urban spaces with the beauty of natural places. Portlanders are justifiably proud of their reputation for innovative urban design, green buildings and extraordinary parks and open spaces. I hope you will take the opportunity to tour our dynamic downtown and livable neighborhoods. An abundance of fine restaurants, art galleries and shops, a beautiful network of parks, squares and public art await you and will help explain why Portland is called “America’s Best Big City”. The entire city is easily accessible via light rail, streetcar, pedestrian routes, bikeways, and the soon-to-be-completed aerial tram.
I look forward to sharing Portland with you and your conference, and hope you will honor us with a return visit in the near future. We look forward to sharing ideas with you, and learning from your expertise and commitment to building excellent communities.
Tom Potter
Mayor
On
behalf of my colleagues at the Metro Council, I am pleased to welcome you
to the Portland metropolitan region.
Comprising 25 cities, our region is known for its livability and smart planning. The Metro Council, responsible for land-use and transportation planning, regional facilities and parks, is committed to a thriving region that invests in community and quality of life. From curbing sprawl to protecting natural areas, we believe that the best way to plan for our future is to create it.
I hope you will enjoy the range of amenities offered by Portland, our region's vital core, and the surrounding cities and town centers. While there's a lot to be proud of in our region, we have challenges ahead. Just as you are here to study our example, I look forward to gaining my own fresh perspectives from your visit here.
David Bragdon
Metro President
Invited Speakers & Presenters (partial list)
- Congressman Earl Blumenauer, 3rd District Oregon.
- David Bragdon, Metro President, Portland, OR
- Phil Enquist, Planning Partner, SOM, Chicago, IL
- Phil Goff, Senior Urban Designer, Goody Clancy, Boston, MA.
- Mayor Dietmar Hahlweg, (a.D.) Erlangen, GERMANY
- Prof. Richard Jackson, MD, MPH, Paediatrician, Professor of Environmental Health & City & Regional Planning, UC Berkeley, CA. Former Environmental Health Director at CDC, Atlanta.
- Dean Douglas S. Kelbaugh, Taubman College of Architecture & Planning, University of Michigan
- Gil Kelley, Planning Director, Portland, OR
- Kisho Kurokawa, President, Kisho Kurokawa Architect & Assoc., Tokyo, JAPAN
- Robert Liberty, Metro Councilor, Portland, OR
- Dean Michael Lykoudis, School of Architecture, University of Notre Dame
- Prof. Lamine Mahdjoubi, Head of ICT, Faculty of the Built Environment, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
- Mayor Tom Potter, Portland, OR
- Prof. Wolfgang F. E. Preiser, Architecture Dept., University of Cincinnati, OH
- Prof. Francesco Rotondo, Architecture & Urban Planning, Polytechnic of Bari, ITALY
- Commissioner Dan Saltzman, Portland, OR
- Dean Edoardo Salzano, Urban Planning, Venice University, ITALY
- Prof. Francesco Selicato, Architecture & Urban Planning, Polytechnic of Bari, ITALY
- Commissioner Erik Sten, Portland, OR
- Governor Dr. Sven von Ungern-Sternberg, Freiburg, GERMANY
Special Portland Program:
Making
Portland livable for families
Mayor Potter's program for attracting families to live downtown. Integrating
diversity and income. Making streets children-friendly. Safe routes to school.
Design competition: housing families downtown.
Sustainable Portland
Sustainability issues in Portland. Increasing walking, biking & transit
use. New transit systems for Portland. Principles of compact mixed use development.
Green building & housing. The new Pearl District. Proposals for an urban
river ferry system.
Portland's regional planning strategy
Regional planning politics. Democracy, planning & livability at the regional
scale. Integrating land use and transportation planning. Developing compact,
human scale mixed-use at transit nodes. Social demography of urban revitalization.
Walking tours
Portland, city of parks & public art. The new mixed-use Pearl District.
Historic Waterfront District. Green buildings. Etc.
Special Exhibit: MIXED- USE URBAN FABRIC
- Mixed-use in new Greenfield/Brownfield neighborhoods
- Transit-based new mixed-use development
- Redesign of suburban malls & strip malls as mixed-use
- Restored historic mixed-use & new infill designs
Presentation topics include: (partial list)
Principles of true urbanism
Public realm. Multifunctional urban places. Human scale architecture. Regional character. Mixed use shop/houses. Compact urban fabric. Cellular city structure. Balanced, integrated transportation. Controlled regional plan. Ecological & social sustainability.- Mixed-use urban fabric
Human scale mixed-use in Boston neighborhoods. Mixed-use community of Dos Lagos, CA. The mixed-use block - a view from Los Angeles. Mixed-use fabric for urban regeneration in Italy. - Designing for physical & social health
Connecting the Dots: How our physical landscape is impacting health. Universal design at the urban scale. Child health and the walkable neighborhood. Social and mental health consequences of sprawl. Health related significance of urban spaces that encourage outdoor recreation and lingering. Fighting teenagers' sedentarity: the challenges of mobility in exurbia. Planning for commuting by foot and bike. Safe routes to school. Cycling in cities: urban design for active transportation.
Building community & social well-being in the public realm. Temporary open spaces as incubator for social integration. Sprawl, lack of community & social pathology. Dangers of social isolation for the young & the elderly. Urban planning for physical & social health. Making streets work as active parts of the social & physical health of urban families. - From commuter suburb to mixed-use neighborhood
Transforming a suburban shopping center into mixed-use with a public square: Waterloo, ON, Canada. Overcoming resistance to compact development. Creating neighborhood centers around public transit hubs. Transforming suburban malls into neighborhood centers. - Regional planning for healthy cities
Sustainable regional transportation & land-use planning. Promoting regional identity. Integrating land use & public transit. Curbing sprawl. Focusing development in town centers. Achievements in limiting big box retail. Importance of regional identity. - Integrating transit and land-use planning
Make towns - instead of traffic planning & housing development. Transit-oriented development for BART & shopping mall in San Leandro, CA. Addressing transit as part of the development review process. Three approaches for applying environmental justice in transportation planning. Transit-oriented development comes of age. The Harris Ranch development project charrette, Boise, ID. - Principles for livable cities
Urbanism &/or architecture towards a theory of scale and norm. Philosophy of the city - a transition to loop cities. Principles for sustainable and people-centric cities in the 21st century. - The urban square and spirit of democracy
The built environment & civic engagement. Social life, dialogue & political awareness. From agora to marketplace. Reviving town squares. - Traditional town planning & civic values
Hierarchy of building types. Street, square and block. Location & significance of civic buildings. Central places & civic awareness. Respecting local identity. Case studies & exhibits. 
Community participation in planning
The impact of Hurricane Rita on Cameron, LA, the public process, and the outcome. Designing a neighborhood vision with Albuquerque's North Valley Improvement Coalition: practice & principles for community based citizen participation. Innovative projects in park design. People & place.- Green buildings, green neighborhoods
Living architecture. Behnisch Architekten. Sustainable land-use planning & urban design - urban/rural interface. Revisiting the community of Civano: the socio-economics of sustainable community development. Green systems for reconstruction in high hazard zones. - Nature in the city
In livable cities is preservation of the wild. Bringing back biodiversity to cities. Managing diversity in a sustainable urban setting: Kronsberg, Hanover, Germany. Long range park & open-space system for Miami-Dade County. The agrarian urbanization. Agriculture for the 21st century & beyond. The ecological city: a historic chapter. - Innovative teaching models
Health & the built environment: teaching the connections. Urban planning for healthy communities. Teaching mixed use urban fabric. Principles of urban sustainability. Teaching community participation.
Call for Papers & Invitation to Exhibit
To review the program please click:
Program
for Portland
The Governor Hotel
The Conference took place at the Governor Hotel, at 614 SW 11th Avenue.
The hotel consists of two fine historic buildings, one of which, with its
magnificent renaissance style ballrooms and meeting rooms, was originally
built for the Elks Club.
The hotel is downtown, at the crossing point of the MAX light rail line and the streetcar lines.
Comparable hotels in close proximity to the Governor
HOTEL MONACO (formerly 5th Ave. Suites). This hotel recently changed hands and has been beautifully redecorated. Located 5 short blocks from the Governor at 506 SW Washington at 5th Ave. Toll free: 866-861-9514. Local: 503-222-0001. Please visit: www.monaco-portland.com/index.html.
WESTIN HOTEL. This classically elegant hotel is the closest to the Governor, just 2 short blocks, at 750 SW Alder Street. Local: 503-294-9000. See: www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1189.
HOTEL DELUXE. A renovated art deco hotel in a quiet neighborhood, transformed into a unique hotel with Golden-Era Hollywood theme. One stop on the MAX line from the Governor (or 4 block walk) at 729 SW 15th Ave. Toll free: 866-895-2094. Visit: www.hoteldeluxeportland.com.
Arriving in Portland
If you fly to Portland you can catch the MAX light rail directly from the baggage claim area at the airport (fare $2). MAX will take you to within two blocks of all the hotels listed above.