Working to join people, ideas and resources to help meet the complex challenges of the future

We seek to catalyze the work of those who might develop successful new approaches to intractable problems, such as climate change, resource depletion, economic and social unsustainability, and the degradation of the quality of the human environment.  We see common challenges in each of these -- notably, the ability to collaborate effectively across areas of specialization and interest.

We see enormous potential in new web-based collaborative processes and communication vehicles, like Wiki and email, but we also see great dangers in the erosion of organized attention and coherent action.  It occurs to us that we must preserve and amplify the powers of open-source and peer-review, in the way that they have been so successful in scientific institutions, and apply and extend them in wider problem-solving contexts. 

Our particular focus is the "operating system" of the built environment - the structure of our neighborhoods and cities, which shapes our daily activities and use of resources -- but we deliberately take on other topics too, in the belief that our larger challenges cannot be "siloed" within disciplines. At the same time, effective work on them must also have disciplinary focus and rigor.  

Thus, with the specific topic of the built environment and urbanism, but with a broader purview too, we seek to facilitate inter-disciplinary collaborative research, education, policy and best practice.

SUMMARY OF ALL PROJECTS TO DATE

Archive:  Overview of 2008 in detail

              Overview of 2009 in detail

              Overview of 2010 in detail (as of Sep. 1)

2010 (as of Sep 1)

2009

Presentations and Symposia

• February, University of Notre Dame - participated in symposium on sustainable building; presented recent research into sustainability in buildings and neighborhoods, and their implications
• March, IARU Scientific Congress, Copenhagen – presented paper, Urban Morphology and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• May, INTBAU College of Chapters meeting; served as secretary
• May, Symposium of College of Traditional Practitioners – Presentation of recent research
• May, Environmental Design Research Association – presented paper, participated in symposium on sustainability and complexity in the work of Christopher Alexander
• June, CNU – presented paper on latest research on greenhouse gas emissions and urban form
• June, CNU – moderated session on “The Neighborhood Unit” with Doug Farr, Paul Murrain and others (on proposed replacement for "neighborhood unit" diagram within NU theory
• June, CNU – participated in session on “Ornament and Function” with John Massengale, Douglas Duany, Laura Hall and others.
• August, short course and lecture series, "Sustainability and Crafts," Timisoara, Romania (part of the EU-funded European Dissemination in Urbanism, Architecture and Crafts project - mm serves as Coordinator)
• September, Bologna Triennale, organized and moderated opening session on sustainability and compact cities, Bologna, Italy
• October, chaired and moderated INTBAU Annual Symposium at Traditional Building and Exposition Show.
• October, served as co-organizer and presented keynote at University of Oregon for symposium on "Patterns, Pattern Languages and Sustainability," with four authors of the book A Pattern Language, Wiki inventor Ward Cunningham, and others
• November, assisted with organizing and gave introductory lecture on Christopher Alexander at the Vincent Scully Award ceremony, National Building Museum
• November, presented final policy report to Metro council (Portland regional government) on sustainable development of centers and corridors (as part of Expert Advisory Group convened by Metro and Portland State University)

Papers and book chapters

• Paper with Nikos Salingaros, Sergio Porta, and Yodan Rofe' - “Urban nuclei and the geometry of streets: The emergent neighborhood model” (written, in press at Urban Design International)
• Paper with Diana Urge-Vorsatz and Stuart Cowan – “The contribution of urban morphology to greenhouse gas emissions: a research overview” (written, in press at Journal of Urbanism)
• Book chapter for Michael Lykoudis, “In the quest for sustainability, is modernism modern enough?” (written, in press)
• Journal of Urbanism, “Opportunities and dangers in the current research agenda.” Published February 2009.
• Book chapter for Ali Sagharchi book, The New Palladians, on contemporary architecture and its relation to Palladio.  In press.
• Book chapter printed in book, The Venice Charter Revisited: Modernism and Conservation in the Post-War World.  Includes INTBAU Venice Declaration, for which MM was principal drafter. 
• Contributions to book on sustainable urbanism by Steve Coyle, to be published by Wiley & Sons.  In press.

2008

Symposia

• April, conducted a meeting on codes and generative strategies at the Congress for the New Urbanism conference in Austin, Texas.

• July, conducted a two-day seminar on sustainable settlement research at University College London, with leaders in the field including Bill Hillier, Mike Batty, Robert Adam, Stephen Marshall, and Phil Steadman.  

• October, ran annual conference in Chicago, where Executive Director Michael Mehaffy spoke, moderated two sessions, and helped to conduct a tour of two sustainable development projects in the Chicago area. 

Other research and publication activities

• Wrote a peer-reviewed paper on the economics of sustainable settlements which was accepted for oral presentation at the Congress for the New Urbanism conference in Austin, Texas, April 2008.
• Wrote a paper on “Architectural Education for an Age of Sustainability” which was accepted for oral presentation at the Oxford University 50th Anniversary Conference on Architectural Education.  The paper argued that a more integrated approach is needed to architecture and urban education. 
• Wrote a “white paper” for the State of California which is being used by its Office of Planning Research (OPR), a department of the Governor’s office, in planning a charrette on new tools for local governments to meet the new climate change laws in California.  Also partnering are the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) and the Local Government Commission.  Michael Mehaffy has been closely involved in this planning and research, and will continue to do so in his capacity as Executive Director of Sustasis.
• Conducted a workshop on sustainable urbanism in San Francisco with Doug Farr, a recognized leader in the field, and a key developer of the new LEED-ND standard for sustainable neighborhood development.
• Served on the LEED-ND Correspondence Committee, and made several recommendations which were reflected in the revised certification system;
• Participated in the Council for European Urbanism board meeting in Stockholm in December, assisting in a strategic review of its mission, and in planning for an upcoming joint conference with the Congress for the New Urbanism.
• Consulted on research conducted for the British Council, a liaison office of the UK government, on climate change and strategies for cities to adopt.   I will try to meet with the researchers again in March.

2007

• September, Incorporation of Sustasis Foundation
• October, INTBAU-USA launch conference, New Orleans, Louisiana
• December, INTBAU conference on the Venice Charter