CNU e-Update
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Dear [Firstname], You can view past e-Updates and have your colleagues sign up for our email list online at http://www.cnu.org/eupdate. If you have questions about CNU activities, please contact our office at cnuinfo@cnu.org or 312-551-7300. To renew your membership or join a chapter, check your membership status, or read an archive of past e-Updates, please log on to www.cnu.org. You have received this email either because you are a member of CNU or you requested to be added to our email list. To remove your email address from future CNU e-Updates, please reply to cnuinfo@cnu.org with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. 1. Your Feedback Needed: Second Public Comment Period on LEED-ND Ends June 14CNU calls on new urbanists to review and comment on the latest draft of the rating system As the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system approaches completion, the partners are opening it up for a second public comment period. This comment period follows on the heals of an intense editing process in response to over 5,000 comments received during the first public comment period earlier this year. The prerequisites and credits available for comment will be limited to those that have been significantly revised based on the advice of the public and the experience from the pilot projects. USGBC is hosting the online comment form on their website. To submit your comments, visit the LEED Rating System Drafts page. After a simple sign-in, members of the public can comment on the specific prerequisites and credits that were revised. "New urbanists voiced their support as well as their concern on specific components of the rating system during the first public comment period. We have revised significant portions of the rating system where possible and we now ask new urbanists to review this work and support the gains made," stated Doug Farr, CNU board member and LEED-ND Core Committee member. The second public comment period opened on May 1, 2009, and closes June 14, 2009. For more details about recent changes to the rating system, check CNU's LEED-ND initiative page. In addition to the latest draft, pilot projects, and information on how to comment, the website highlights specific credits and explains a bit of their evolution. CNU 17 will feature a free, all-day LEED-ND Working Session that will review the recent changes to the rating system. The session will not only help with commenting on this current draft but also with making a voting decision. Later this summer, the final rating system will be balloted by CNU members. 2. New CNU Report Highlights Emergency Response and Street DesignConnectivity leads to safer streets, better response times Connected networks of traditional streets provide better safety for pedestrians and vehicles alike, while readily accommodating emergency responders’ access needs. The Congress for the New Urbanism’s newly published Report on Emergency Response & Street Design demonstrates this by laying out the common ground found between CNU, fire marshals, and the U.S. EPA, and drawing upon research presented at CNU XVI and Transportation Summit 2008 to show how they:
The 16-page paper, intended for new urbanists and fire code officials alike, cites connectivity research from the 1990s through the 2008 Charlotte, N.C., study, and examples from Virginia’s just-issued, cutting-edge connectivity standards. The report, available as a PDF file via the Emergency Response & Street Design Initiative page, provides a wealth of information for new urbanists and fire code officials alike on how to reconcile each other’s needs, and why they should do so. 3. It's Not Too Late to Come to CNU 17Let's get together in Denver to help each other advance It's not too late to join us in Denver next month for an exciting program at CNU 17. Taking place June 10-14 in Denver, Colorado, the 17th Congress for the New Urbanism is built to help you benefit from the advantages of New Urbanism—learn how to make communities more walkable, more energy efficient, more enduring, and more livable just as demographic and cultural changes swing demand in our direction. Check out our Q&A sessions with five CNU 17 speakers and the winner of the CNU 17 video contest, then head to the Registration page to sign up. 4. What's New @ CNU.orgHere's a sample of what's happening at CNU.org:
If you haven't experienced CNU.org yet, it's time for you to see what you're missing. Please take a moment to log into our site and learn about the features it has to offer. Please read our Login Instructions to get started. Visit http://www.cnu.org/features to learn more about the website. 5. Brownfields 2009, November 16-18 -- Registration OpenBrownfields 2009: Sustainable Communities Start Here The National Brownfields Conference is the largest, most comprehensive conference focused on cleaning up and redeveloping abandoned, underutilized, and potentially contaminated properties in the nation. Registration is free and by signing up you gain access to over 150 educational sessions, including lively panel discussions, dynamic roundtables, outstanding plenary sessions, special trainings, film screenings, and more. The conference has plentiful networking and business development opportunities including the Brownfields Transaction Forum and the Brownfields 2009 Exhibit Hall. While you are in New Orleans experience the city with mobile workshops and walking tours. Whether you’re a newcomer to the world of economic and environmental redevelopment, or a seasoned professional looking to make new connections and increase your business, Brownfields 2009 offers something for you. 6. 2010 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference -- Call for Session Proposals Now OpenThe Call for Session Proposals for the 2010 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference is officially open, and will close on June 26, 2009. The Submittal Form and Instructions are now posted on the conference web site and are available to download. This form should be used to submit any proposals for breakouts, workshops, trainings, tours, or networking activities. To access the form and instructions, visit http://www.newpartners.org/session_proposals.html. 7. Your Help Needed: Survey for Urban Infill Research StudyThe link below will direct you to a brief online survey. This survey is part of a National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) study to develop guidance and a methodology for the preparation and review of transportation impact analyses (TIAs) of infill development in urban or urbanizing areas. You can help support this effort by answering a few brief questions. Why this is important Higher density, mixed-use redevelopment and infill development are smart growth concepts that are an increasingly common form of development subject to environmental review and often traffic impact studies. However, there is a lack of standardized guidance and trip and parking generation data for preparing these studies. Why your help is needed The first phase of this study involves collecting information on current infill development definitions, infill traffic and parking generation data and estimation methods, TIA analysis methods and agency review procedures. Kimley-Horn and Associates, on behalf of NCHRP, would like to survey those involved in various aspects of infill development in order to collect this information. Your responses are completely confidential and will be used to identify valuable information and resources regarding the current state-of-the-practice of analyzing the impacts of infill development. Thank you for your time. Please click on the link below to complete the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Lrpd92BY_2fdnhnncV_2bWeYmg_3d_3d 8. Form-Based Codes Institute: Upcoming TrainingsWant to preserve or increase the quality of our communities? Because Form-Based Codes can require rather than recommend the vision elements that make for good urbanism, FBCs are being adopted at an ever increasing rate throughout the U.S. The mission of the Form-Based Codes Institute (FBCI) is "to advance the knowledge and use of, and develop standards for, Form-Based Codes as a method to achieve a community vision based on time-tested forms of urbanism." Perhaps the most important way FBCI advances knowledge and standards for FBCs is through its 3-course series, taught by nationally recognized practitioners. Upcoming Trainings Save the date for the following Form-Based Code trainings. Visit the Form-Based Codes Institute website for more information and a full list of events. The ABC's of Form-Based Codes: Special One-Day Introduction FBC 301: Completing, Adopting and Administering the Code Registration for these courses is available at www.formbasedcodes.org. Driehaus Charitable Lead Trust Scholarships of $500 each are available for representatives from not-for-profit historic preservation organizations or public organizations with oversight authority for historic preservation as well as students and faculty from schools of architecture. 9. National Charrette Institute: Upcoming TrainingsVisit the National Charrette Institute (NCI) website for details on upcoming trainings. Current CNU members receive a 10% discount on NCI registration fees for public trainings held in Portland. All NCI trainings in the United States will qualify for AICP credit hours. NCI
Charrette System™ Certificate NCI Charrette
Management and Facilitation™ Certificate To remove your email address from future CNU e-Updates, please reply to cnuinfo@cnu.org with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Congress for the New Urbanism |