sleepless in LA
Just back from Australia, with my internal time clock still off kilter, I’ve turned around and headed back to Los Angeles for an intense, but fun, three day project. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has invited me to participate as a panelist in an SDAT in Downtown Los Angeles. What an honor.
The SDAT program is a national community assistance program sponsored by the AIA that focuses on the principles of sustainability. SDATs bring teams of volunteer professionals together to work with community decision-makers and stakeholders to help them develop a vision and framework for a sustainable future.
For me, this is more fun than a vacation. I get to spend 3 days in a city I don’t know well and discover every corner of it. And then I get to think about how to make it better.
Our panel is peppered with smart and interesting people. An architect and preservation specialist from New York, a neighborhood and governance expert from Seattle, a downtown manager from Oklahoma City, Washington State’s bike/pedestrian/transportation planner, a streetscape and open space designer from Seattle and me, urban guru from Pittsburgh.
For three intense days we will immerse ourselves in the good and bad of downtown LA. One day will be spent outside, touring, seeing and absorbing. Another day will be spent meeting with downtown stakeholders - advocacy organizations, government departments, politicians, neighborhood groups, the transportation sector and plenty more. A veritable sea of faces.
And on Friday, from early morning until our evening presentation to the public, we’ll prepare our report here and hope that our efforts will have been worthwhile.
Sleepless in LA, but loving it.
Tags: city, other cities, reinvention, travel