LOCAL | SUSTAINABLE DC, FIRST YEAR PROGRESS REPORT

graphic from report

In 2011 Mayor Gray and the District Government set out to create a plan, called Sustainable DC, to make DC the most sustainable city in the United States by 2032. This plan was developed through a series of community meetings that formed into 9 public working groups on the topics of built environment, climate, energy, food, nature, transportation, waste, water, and the green economy. With over 143 actions, DC is well underway in achieving this plan. The report lists each action and its status. Some examples:

Equity & Diversity – 1.1 Modernize all public school buildings.
Built Environment – 4.5 Require all new buildings to be net-zero or net-positive.
Energy – 2.5 Develop a wind farm in the region to power District government and private facilities.
Food – 1.1 Adopt the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Act.
Transportation – 2.1 Develop a citywide, 100 mile bicycle lane network.
Waste – 1.3 Ban Styrofoam and non-recyclable plastic containers from food and retail outlets.
Water – 2.1 Install 2 million new square feet of green roofs.

See the full report at Sustainable DC and how you can get involved.

READ | WISDOM FROM THE FIELD

click image for link to publication

What every public interest architect should read…An investigation of the needs that can be addressed by public interest practices and the variety of ways that public interest practices are operating in architecture. Funded by the AIA through their Latrobe Prize.

“The recipients of the biennial $100,000 grant awarded by the Fellows of the AIA set out to develop a needs-driven practice guide to address how “the dramatic social, economic, environmental, and technological changes that have occurred in the wake of the Great Recession” could help shift design to respond to community needs rather than client demand.”

Read the article from Architect Magazine. Read the guide Wisdom From the Field.

LOCAL | WASHINGTON DC TO BUILD LARGEST URBAN GREENHOUSE

artist rendering | BrightFarms

BrightFarms is partnering with the DC Department of General Services and the Anacostia Economic Development Corporation to build a 100,000 square-foot green house on city-owned land currently used for storage. The urban farm will provide fresh lettuce and other produce to local Giant grocery stores, creating over 100 construction jobs as well as 25 permanent jobs. A “classroom greenhouse” will also be built within the facility to teach kids about health and nutrition.

Read more from The Atlantic City Lab and FastCoexist

EVENT | HIGHLIGHTS FROM SFI 14 CONFERENCE

The Potty Project | New Delhi, India

This year the annual Structures for Inclusion Conference was held at the Parsons New School for Design in New York City, March 22-23. Broadcast: Sharing progress and critical ideas that are moving Public Interest Design forward. Forecast: Projecting your actions forward and asking: “What is the future of Public Interest Design?”

SEED awardees presented: The Potty Project, Manica Football for Hope Centre, Community How-to-Guides, Can City, Comunidad Ecologica Saludable, and TAEQ Green Building Headquarters.