the good city » Events

‘Longing for the City’

Jon Swerens — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:24:57 +0000

Hello! If you’re here because of being invited at the “Longing for the City” talk Wednesday night, welcome!

I’ll post lists of recommended books and resources on this Web site as time permits. Plus, if you have recommendations, please leave a comment here.

Thanks for coming!Similar Posts:

Urban design professor to speak in Fort Wayne

Jon Swerens — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:02:04 +0000

(Jon) If you are interested in city, culture and church, then this lecture later this month is essential listening.

Here’s a shortened version of the press release:

Notre Dame professor Philip Bess will present a lecture and panel discussion about urban design and sustainable development in Fort Wayne.

The event will be 6 p.m. April 16 in the auditorium of the downtown branch of the Allen County Public Library. It is sponsored by Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana.

Bess is an expert in neighborhood ballpark design and his expertise will help the citizens of Fort Wayne determine for themselves what is needed to accomplish a walkable, livable and dynamic downtown.

Bess is the director of graduate studies at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. He teaches graduate urban design and theory, and continues his professional work as a design consultant for municipalities, architects and community development corporations working through the office of Thursday Associates. His most recent book is “Till We Have Build Jerusalem: Architecture, Urbanism, and the Sacred.”

Following the lecture, a Q&A panel will field questions from the attendees. Joining him on the panel will be the founding members of multi-discipline design firm Studio Three:

Joseph Blalock: ASLA, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning, Founder of Blalock Design Studio
Lohren Deeg: ASAI, Instructor of Architecture at Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning, Founder of Lohren Deeg Design and Illustration, and Assistant Director of Community Based Projects
Brian Hollars: AIA, Instructor of Architecture at Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning, Founder of handHEWN Design and Construction

Questions for the panel can be submitted that evening or beforehand by emailing downtown@ylni.org.

The event is hosted by Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana’s Downtown Development Committee and is sponsored by the Downtown Improvement District, Invent Tomorrow, Notre Dame Club of Fort Wayne, AIA Fort Wayne, Ottenweller Co. Inc., Hylant Group, and CB Richard Ellis/Sturges.

Related: Book review of “Till We Have Built Jerusalem”Similar Posts:

Former Honolulu mayor to speak on cities of the future

Jon Swerens — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:12:09 +0000

Andy Mitchell of Martin Riley Architects and AB417 brings news of what sounds like a fascinating lecture coming to town in a couple of weeks:

“(It) will occur in Fort Wayne on March 17th from 4:30-6:00 pm. Jeremy Harris, recent Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii will be at the auditorium at the main branch of the Allen County Public Library discussing sustainable development and the cities of the future. He is visiting with Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning and then, through some generous donations from local organizations, will be available to come up to Fort Wayne to give a presentation. He is an excellent speaker and has a vast knowledge to share with us all. I hope you can attend.”

According to his bio:

“During his three terms as Mayor, Honolulu was recognized as one of the best managed cities in the United States.”

After he left office, among other things:

“(H)e served as a national director on the board of the American Institute of Architects, and helped create a new AIA program focused on helping American cities become more sustainable. He was also appointed as a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council. Mayor Harris is currently a member of the Sustainability Roundtable of the National Academy of Science and also serves on the National Academy’s Committee to advise Congress on the future policy and research direction of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.”

It is unknown whether the lecture will be recorded. You can read more biographic tidbits about Harris after the jump below.

photo of Honolulu by shchukin on Flickr

Bio Brief: Mayor Jeremy Harris

Mayor Jeremy Harris served for more than ten years as the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, the 12th largest city in the United States. He retired from politics in January of 2005. Prior to becoming Mayor, Harris was Honolulu’s longest serving Managing Director, a position he held for nine years.

Under Mayor Harris’ leadership Honolulu achieved worldwide recognition.

1st Place Gold Award/Large Cities, International Award for Livable Cities 2004
Best City Government Website in the United States, 2003
Special Achievement Award in Geographic Information System Technology, 2003
#1 City in U.S. – Use of Technology in Delivering Government Services, 2002
America’s Best Transit System, American Public Transportation Assoc., 2000 & 1994

During his three terms as Mayor, Honolulu was recognized as one of the best managed cities in the United States. In addition to the hundreds of awards the City received during his tenure, Mayor Harris also earned national and international acclaim. Awards include:

Keystone Award, American Architectural Foundation, 2005
Outstanding Achievement Award for Sustainability, U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2004
Lifetime Achievement Award in GIS Systems, ESRI, 2004
Lifetime Achievement Award for Support of Information Technology, CDG, 2004
City Livability Award for Exemplary Leadership, U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2003
Distinguished Leadership Award in Planning, American Planning Association, 2002

Mayor Harris is the only individual to receive the award of Public Administrator of the Year for two consecutive years from the Hawaii branch of the American Association of Public Administrators. He has served as the Public Director on the National Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects. Mayor Harris is currently a senior visiting faculty member in energy and environment at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, and an advisor on sustainability to the National Academy of Science in Washington D.C.. Mayor Harris holds a Masters of Science degree in Population and Environmental Biology, specializing in urban ecosystems, from the University of California, Irvine, and is the author of a new book, The Renaissance of Honolulu, The Sustainable Rebirth of an American City.

Mayor Jeremy Harris Focus Since Elected Office – 2005-2007

Since retiring from elected office in January of 2005, after serving for three terms as Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Mayor Harris has been a strong international voice for the development of sustainable cities. Over the last three years, the Mayor has served in a number of roles in this regard.

In 2005, he was a national director on the board of the American Institute of Architects, and helped create a new AIA program focused on helping American cities become more sustainable. He was also appointed as a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council. Mayor Harris is currently a member of the Sustainability Roundtable of the National Academy of Science and also serves on the National Academy’s Committee to advise Congress on the future policy and research direction of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In addition to these and other national endeavors, Mayor Harris is also working extensively in the international arena. The Mayor has served as a senior visiting faculty in energy and the environment at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. In this position he has developed a Certificate in Sustainable Urban Development program to train mayors and local government leaders in sustainability issues. Mayor Harris has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and the World Bank Foundation, training mayors in Malaysia and advising on a variety of environmental urban issues.

In 2007, the Mayor served as an expert for the UN Habitat and the Korean government in the development of an International Urban Training Center in Korea. At the request of the Asian Development Bank and the State Department, Mayor Harris delivered a keynote speech on urban energy policy in Manila.

Mayor Harris is the co-founder of the Mayor’s Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit (MAPES), a biennial summit conference sponsored by The Sustainable Cities Institute, the Asian Development Bank, the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives as well as other international organizations. This program for urban sustainability has established a network of Asian and Pacific Island mayors and local government leaders. In 2007 he co-chaired a MAPES summit in Melbourne, Australia, in partnership with the Mayor of Melbourne. Through The Sustainable Cities Institute, a non-governmental organization, the Mayor has also provided advice and guidance on issues related to urban sustainable development to organizations around the world.

Since retiring from elected office, Mayor Harris has served as an international keynote speaker and advisor on such topics as urban design, geographic information systems (GIS), urban architecture, energy policy and technology, urban infrastructure, sustainable tourism, capacity building, global warming, and urban sustainability. Over the last three years he has provided these services in a number of countries including China, India, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Belize, Panama, Greece, Sweden, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, as well as dozens of American cities.Similar Posts:

Packed houses

Jon Swerens — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 16:28:20 +0000

Congratulations to Castle Gallery and The History Center for hosting wildly successful downtown/West Central events over the weekend.

Castle Gallery was packed Friday night for its Holiday Show and Artist Reception. The house was packed with well-wishers from door to roof. The building must be seen to be believed. If you go, be sure to tour the third floor, with a rooftop porch with a spectacular view.

Plus, the hors d’oerves by Joseph Decuis were outstanding.

Photography was discouraged at the event for the sake of the artists, but I understand someone may have taken some photos on behave of the gallery. If they’re online, I’d loved to link to them.

And it was wall-to-wall at The History Center on Saturday for the last weekend of the Festival of Gingerbread.

As usual, what interested me most was the building itself. Are they restoring the ceiling in the old council chambers? I’ll have to try to find out.

– Jon SwerensSimilar Posts:

This weekend: Castle Gallery, Festival of Gingerbread

Jon Swerens — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 19:43:46 +0000

Here are a couple of city happenings of note this weekend:

Artist reception in West Central

Castle Gallery is presenting its free holiday show artist reception today from 5-10 p.m. Art by 21 artists will be represented, and I’m told maybe 16 of the artists will be in attendance. Hors d’oerves by Joseph Decuis will be provided, and you’ll also find a cash bar.

If you can’t attend tonight, the gallery will also be open Saturday and Sunday from 1-6 p.m.

Castle Gallery is in the West Central neighborhood at the corner of West Wayne and College streets. (Google map)

(Painting is “Sunset Sunflowers” by Jody Hemphill Smith.)

Downtown gingerbread

The History Center‘s Festival of Gingerbread wraps up this weekend. You can check out the decorated gingerbread houses today until 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Regular admission prices apply. Adults are $5 and seniors and students are $3.

The History Center is downtown at the corner of Berry and Barr streets. (Google map)

– Jon Swerens
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