Gresham Smith’s Louis Johnson, Jared Kaelin, Katie Rowe and Mike Sewell to Speak at Congress for the New Urbanism
Congress for the New Urbanism
Louisville, KY
Suburban Retrofit: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs
Wednesday, June 12 | 9 a.m. – Noon | Henry Clay, South Room
Presentation by Gresham Smith Senior Landscape Architect Louis Johnson, Georgia Tech Urban Design Program Director Ellen Dunham-Jones, Toole Design Group Urban Planner Dan Reed, and CUNY Associate Professor of Architecture June Williamson
New Urbanists have led the promotion and implementation of the agenda of suburban retrofit for many years now. The “big project” of the 21st century of reversing sprawling urbanization patterns, however, is far from finished. This workshop will identify six 21st century challenges that the 20th century suburbs were never designed for: reducing auto-dependency, improving public health, supporting an older population, increasing social capital and equity, competing for jobs, and creating resilience in water and energy systems. We will examine a new generation of built suburban retrofits that raise the bar to meet these challenges.
Compassion at the Core: Toward a More Human City
Wednesday, June 12 | 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. | Louisville Palace Theatre
Presentation by Barry Alberts, Lonnie Ali, Greg Fischer, Susan Henderson, Louis Johnson, Mike Lydon, Megan O’Hara, Lynn Richards and Mary Ellen Wiederwohl
What does it mean to be a compassionate city? Is it something that can be built into the ethos and the design of a community? Since taking office in 2010, Mayor Greg Fischer has made compassion one of the pillars of his administration, and Louisville has become a leader in the Compassionate City movement. Much of the inspiration for this work has derived from the spirit, principles and humanity of Muhammed Ali, Louisville’s most renowned native son. His torch continues to burn even after his death through the efforts of his wife Lonnie and the millions of people across the globe who continue to see him as a beacon of light and compassion. Kick off the 27th annual Congress for the New Urbanism as the historic Louisville Palace Theatre and hear from both Mayor Fischer and Lonnie Ali as they discuss the inspiration and evolution of Louisville. Join in recognizing the 2019 Legacy Projects that CNU sponsored with local hosts and volunteer design teams in four Louisville neighborhoods this past March.
Cause I’m Never Gonna Stop the Rain by Complaining
Friday, June 14 | 9 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. | Seelbach, Grand Ballroom West
Presentation by Gresham Smith Senior Landscape Architect Louis Johnson, Crabtree and Associates President Paul Crabtree, Horsley Witten Group Senior Project Manager Jonathan Ford, and CIL President and CEO Kent Schwendy
The future of building sustainable, resilient, safe and lovable spaces is partially about redefining our relationship with ecological systems and, instead of working in spite of them, working with them. This requires understanding the relationships in the complex layers of the future landscape, including societal, ecological and economic. We need to move past the human-versus-nature construct that has done so much damage to so many places, and accept that our future is not going to be guaranteed by technological narcissism. This session will investigate ideas that are more responsive to context and that can achieve a proper balance in a more natural way, an approach that has been brilliantly described as a “Light Touch.”
BIM City: Virtual and Augmented Reality in Design
Friday, June 14 | 4 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. | Seelbach, Mezzanine A/B
Presentation by Gresham Smith Landscape Designer Jared Kaelin, RAMSA Associate Georgina Harvey and Robert A.M. Stern Architects Design Technology Manager Adam Lowenthal
Selling urban concepts to governing boards is one of the hardest parts of the design process. Hours are spent working on the perfect rendering of the scheme, but the focus can only be made on the most developed areas. How can technology help designers be more prepared for these meetings and provide insight into projects that has not been seen before? What technology is out there that can truly wow these audiences? This presentation will take audience members through several case studies where emerging technology, such as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, is being used to market new urbanism to stakeholders and decision makers.
Tour: Southern Indiana Greenway Tour Sponsored by Denton Floyd
Saturday, June 15 | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Bike tour led by Gresham Smith Active Transportation Service Line Leader Mike Sewell, Gresham Smith Transportation Engineer Katie Rowe, Louisville Metro Transportation Division Manager Dirk Gowin, and Bellarmine University Teacher Carolyn Waters
How people move through our communities is constantly changing. As better options for transportation come online, we have seen a transformative response in land use. This 17-mile bike tour will highlight how the cities of Jeffersonville, Clarksville and New Albany have embraced multi-modal connections and in turn seen dramatic changes in how people are engaging in their communities.
Legacy in Louisville – Small-Scale and Tactical Interventions Drive Big Change
Saturday, June 15 | 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 a.m. | Seelbach, Medallion B
Presentation by Gresham Smith Senior Landscape Architect Louis Johnson, Louisville Downtown Partnership Internal Communications Coordinator Omicah House, and Street Plans Collaborative Project Manager Dana Wall
Before every Congress, teams of CNU members come together to lead neighborhood design workshops across our host city. In Louisville, four Legacy Projects were completed by national firms in conjunction with resident, community advocates, city staff and local design teams. Attendees will learn how teams leveraged local knowledge and small, incremental tactics to develop plans for bringing awareness and connectivity to two Louisville assets: the Waterfront Park and Beargrass Creek.