Ecocities - An Environmentally Conscious Approach to Architecture

The US Environmental Protection Agency has declared the building industry to be one of the biggest environmental culprits. Architecture 2030 and USGBC are working hard to reverse this ill-repute. Kirstin Miller will discuss ecocities, and how they encourage the return to the heart of our cities, helping to reverse sprawl development and create sustainable cities that promote walking, cycling and public transit. With third parties being used as verification systems for green building, Kirstin asks if ecocity principles could be the answer?

Kirstin Miller serves as Executive Director for Ecocity Builders and has been with the organization since 1997. She has presented for the organization locally, nationally and internationally, including Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Prague, Czech Republic; Curitiba, Brazil; and Shenzhen, China. She works closely with Ecocity Builders' President Richard Register in the development of the organization's "toolbox" of strategies, such as car free by contract housing, environmental restoration transfer of development rights, centers oriented development, ecological demonstration projects and ecological zoning overlay mapping. She also helps coordinate an alliance of local environmental organizations working to promote and advance ecologically healthy urban policies and projects including the development of an ecological demonstration project in the heart of Berkeley, CA.

Kirstin was a key organizer of a coalition of over 100 mostly local community groups and businesses working to push for stronger ecological policies in the City of Berkeley's General Plan revision. In 2005, Kirstin organized a major "Green City Visions" conference in Oakland as part of the 2005 United Nations World Environment Day events, and in 2008 she was Conference Director for the 7th International Ecocity Conference in San Francisco, with over 1,000 delegates meeting for six days. Kirstin currently heads up the development of Ecocity Builders' programs and projects and teaches a course on the ecological city structure at the University of California Extension in San Francisco.

5/15/09

Committee On the Environment Forum: Ecocities - An Environmentally Conscious Approach to Architecture
Come hear Kirstin Miller describe ecocities and how they can reverse sprawl development and create sustainable cities that promote walking, cycling and public transit.

Time: Noon - 1:00pm

Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland.

Contact: 510/464-3600 or Hafsa Burt, AIA

Cost: None; this program open to all. Please RSVP.

1 CES/LU

For more information: 510/464-3600