04-16-13

LECTURE: The Professional Guide to Green Roofs with Co-Author Lisa Lee Benjamin

Lisa Lee Benjamin is a catalyst for the planet profoundly dedicated to altering the way we live. With a botanical background, her work focuses on international collaboration to open possibilities and challenge our ideas of sustainability and community. She has led and consulted on projects from California to Kenya.

Her new book, The Professional Guide to Green Roofs, is a collaborative venture with designers to aid practitioners in green roof design. Come hear her speak about vegetative roofs in our changing world.

12 - 1pm
Friday, April 19th, 2013
CUDC 1309 Euclid Ave., Suite 200
Free and open to the public
Directions

Lisa will also speak on the Kent State main campus the same day at 3:40pm in Rm 202 Taylor Hall.

03-25-13

Bellwether

Discussion with Terry Schwarz and Corine Vermeulen
Thursday, April 11th, 7 p.m. at the Transformer Station.

Terry Schwarz, director of Kent State University’s Urban Design Collaborative, and photographer Corine Vermeulen will lead a discussion about their work and shared interest in art’s role as a catalyst for improving and enriching the urban landscape.

Corine Vermeulen photographed the citizens and landscape of Detroit in her 2005 project, Your Town Tomorrow. Recently, she contributed to thanks for the view, mr. mies: layfayette park, detroit, a volume of interviews and photographs about life in the largest collection of Mies van der Rohe buildings in the world. She says, “Detroit represents a unique and great vehicle for change where old structures are no longer in place and the possibilities of something different to happen are endless.”

Terry Schwarz launched the CUDC’s Shrinking Cities Institute in 2005 to address the implications of population decline and large-scale urban vacancy in Northeast Ohio. She established Pop Up City, a temporary use initiative for vacant and underutilized sites in Cleveland.

Bellwether is an open-ended series of discussions and events that aims to discover the possibilities and limitations of art as a transformative tool in the city of Cleveland. Bellwether is a project of the Contemporary Art Society of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
http://bellwether.clevelandart.org/

03-11-12

Full Video + Slides from Susannah Drake’s dlandstudio Lecture

Thanks to everyone that attended Susannah Drake’s presentation at the CUDC. If you were in the audience, then we’re sure you found her dlandstudio projects to be as creative and inspiring as we did. Fortunately, for those unable to attend the presentation, we have the full video available online. The 1 hour 18 minute presentation is divided into 3 parts, including introductory remarks from CUDC Director Terry Schwarz and updates on the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s green infrastructure plans from Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, followed by Susannah Drake’s detailed presentation of several public projects ranging from city-wide infrastructure plans to temporary pop-up parks. Enjoy!

02-26-12

Susannah Drake Lecture 3/2/12

Susannah Drake Lecture
Friday, March 2, 2012
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
CUDC Conference Room
1309 Euclid Ave., Suite 200
Cleveland - PlayhouseSquare

Susannah Drake is founder and Principal of dlandstudio llc, an award winning multidisciplinary design firm. She will discuss dlandstudio’s recent public projects including the Gowanus Canal Sponge Park, a public open space system designed to absorb and remediate urban storm water, and the Brooklyn Bridge Pop-up Park, a temporary waterfront open space that attracted almost 200,000 visitors over six weeks of operation in 2008.

This event is free, but reservations are required. RSVP for the event on our Facebook page here, by email at cudc@kent.edu or give us a call at (216) 357-3434.

Continuing Education credits are available for landscape architects.

Sponsored by The George Gund Foundation, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, and the Kent State College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

11-17-11

Lecture: ‘Big Box Reuse’ Author Julia Christensen

Bring your lunch and join us at the CUDC Friday, November 18th from noon - 1 pm for a conversation with Julia Christensen, author of Big Box Reuse, published by MIT Press in 2008.

Julia Christensen is an artist who works in video, photography, networked media, writing, sound arts, sculpture, installation, and performance. Her work has exhibited at galleries and museums internationally, including the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Carnegie Museum of Fine Arts in Pittsburgh, Spaces Gallery in Cleveland, and The Lincoln Center in NYC. Recent solo exhibitions include: Your Town Inc., (which originated at the Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University and was curated by Astria Suparak), and Surplus Rising (which originated at the Banvard Gallery, Knowlton School of Architecture at Ohio State University).

Julia is the author of Big Box Reuse, published by the MIT Press in 2008. This book is a product of her ongoing investigation into how communities are renovating and reusing abandoned big box buildings in the United States. Her project “Surplus Rising” will be published as a part of the 3rd Coast Atlas, forthcoming. Christensen’s writing has been published in magazines such as Orion, Print, and Slate. Her work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bookforum, The New York Review of Books, Bomb, Afterall, and Dwell Magazine.

Ms. Christensen is currently the Henry Luce Visiting Professor of Emerging Arts at Oberlin College and Conservatory, where she produces the Margin Release New Media Lecture Series. Christensen has a joint appointment between the departments of Studio Art, TIMARA (Technology in Music and Related Arts), and Environmental Studies. Before coming to Oberlin, she taught at Stanford University, Pratt Institute, California College of the Arts, and other colleges. She has been an invited speaker and critic at dozens of colleges and universities, including the San Francisco Art Institute, Cornell University, Yale University, and New York University.

In the fall of 2011, Christensen will take on the position of Assistant Professor of Integrated Media in the Studio Arts Department at Oberlin.

11-01-11

Public Intro Session for 2012 ULI Competition

Do you want to design safer, healthier, sustainable and beautiful communities?
Do you have the planning, design or the economic acumen to create a comprehensively sustainable development?
Do you like working in multi-disciplinary settings and learning from your colleagues?

If so, then please consider joining us this Friday for an information session on the Urban Land Institute’s recently announced 2012 Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition. Compete to design an innovative built environment as a multi-disciplinary team and try your luck at winning the $50,000 prize!

All students currently enrolled in their last year of undergraduate studies or a graduate program in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, real estate, business or urban planning at any university are invited to attend the introduction session at the CUDC on Friday Nov 4^th and meet other interested students to form your winning team!

ULI Competition Intro Session
Friday, November 4
12 - 1 PM
CUDC Conference Room
1309 Euclid Ave., Suite 200
Cleveland (Playhouse Square)

More information on the ULI competition can be found at http://www.udcompetition.org/

Please contact the CUDC for more information on the Intro Session at (216) 357-3434 or cudc@kent.edu

10-28-11

EcoVillage Charrette Recap

Thanks to all those that participated in this year’s community design charrette, which took place in Cleveland’s EcoVillage neighborhood this past week (Oct 22-26, 2011). The CUDC staff and students worked closely with neighborhood residents and stakeholders, including Councilman Matt Zone and staff from Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, to assess community priorities, then develop design proposals that range from long-term visions to immediately implementable actions (see the presentation from the second Public Meeting below).

We were also fortunate to have eight students from Ball State University’s Master of Urban Design program work along side us for the busy weekend, led by their instructor Bruce Race. The Ball State students brought diverse backgrounds in landscape architecture, planning, as well as architecture, to the charrette, which served the collaborative process very well. Our Kent State students enjoyed the interaction with fellow urban design majors, so we hope to return the favor with a visit to Indianapolis sometime in the near future. The interdisciplinary approach to a community charrette is an area of interest we’re keen on exploring further.

Incorporating feedback from the second public meeting, the CUDC will create a charrette report, documenting the design process and clearly communicating the proposals developed over the intense three day work session. We’ll make the final report available to the public and neighborhood residents once it’s complete. Based on what we heard from community members and local leaders, there’s a strong sense of optimism around the feasibility of the recommendations and an excitement to get started. Check out a recap of the charrette from the perspective of an EcoVillage resident on The Thrifty Bon Vivant blog.

EcoVillage Charrette - Fall 2011

10-27-11

Hipp Deck featured on Next American City

We’re very excited that Next American City, a non-profit dedicated to promoting socially and environmentally sustainable economic growth in America’s cities, recently featured the CUDC’s Hipp Deck project on their Americancity.org website. In addition to the popular website, Next American City also publishes a quarterly magazine focused on emerging practices dealing with urban change and innovation.

The Hipp Deck was a temporary use intervention that transformed the upper level of the 740 Euclid Ave. parking garage in downtown Cleveland into an outdoor live performance venue and active rooftop public space. The event was a celebration for the release of Cleveland Stories: True Until Proven Otherwise, the fourth volume in the CUDC’s Urban Infill journal series. The parking garage is located on the site formerly home to the Hippdrome Theater, a nationally renowned 4,000 seat performance venue. The “Hipp”, as it was commonly known, was demolished in 1981, so the Hipp Deck told the story of the site’s illustrious past by bringing back live music performance for one spectacular night.

We’re encouraged to think the Hipp Deck’s intent of spurring dialogue and action around the temporary activation of parking infrastructure in Cleveland will spread to other cities and enable others to reactivate their favorite underused spaces.

You can see photographs of the Hipp Deck event, taken by local Clevelander Matthew Fehrmann, on our Flickr site. Check ‘em out and stay tuned for more info on upcoming Pop Up City projects!

For more information on the Hipp Deck or Cleveland Stories project, please visit the CUDC’s website. The event was supported by the George Gund Foundation and Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, in partnership with Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation, SPIRE Institute, Filtrexx, Opera Cleveland, Ohio City Bike Co-op, Cleveland Bikes and Ampco System Parking.

10-18-11

Cleveland EcoVillage Design Charrette

Members of the public are invited to attend a design charrette, a.k.a. community workshop, to envision the Cleveland EcoVillage’s future development and urban design plans. Several projects have been recently completed or are currently underway in this vibrant community, so the charrette comes at a good time to envision linkages between these investments and plan for new opportunities.

The charrette will take place over the course of several days, beginning with a public meeting on Saturday, October 22nd at 10am and culminating in a public presentation on Wednesday night, October 26th at 7pm. The design charrette will be conducted by the CUDC staff and KSU graduate students, in partnership with Detroit-Shoreway Community Development Organization and Ward 15 Councilman Matt Zone.

Public Meeting 1
Saturday, October 22
10am - noon
Metro Catholic School
1910 W. 54th St.

Public Meeting 2
Wednesday, October 26
7pm - 8:30pm
Metro Catholic School
1910 W. 54th St.

The Cleveland EcoVillage is located in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood and is defined by W. 52nd St. on the east, W. 65th St. on the west, I-90 on the south and Franklin Blvd. on the north. The boundaries of the EcoVillage are based on a 15 minute walking radius around the W. 65th St. RTA rapid station.

Please consider attending both public meetings to provide your input and review the proposals that will be developed quickly between Saturday and Wednesday by the design team. The community charrette is an important opportunity for design professional, students and local residents to create a shared neighborhood vision for the future.

Click here for the Facebook event page.

Download the charrette flyer here.

For more information, please contact the CUDC at 216.357.3434 or cudc@kent.edu

10-03-11

Rumi Shammin Presents The Oberlin Project

Rumi Shammin, PhD, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Oberlin College, will discuss The Oberlin Project, a planned green redesign of the Oberlin community at the CUDC on Friday, October 7th from 12pm - 1pm. The Oberlin Project is a collaborative effort between the college and the City of Oberlin to create “full-spectrum sustainability” in which the parts are integrated to reinforce the resilience and durability of the whole community.

Rumi Shammin Lecture
Friday, October 7, 2011
12pm - 1pm
1309 Euclid Ave., Suite 200 (map)
Cleveland (Playhouse Square)
Free and open to the public

The vision of the project joins the many strands of sustainability - urban revitalization, green development, advanced energy technology, sustainable agriculture, green jobs, and education - into an integrated response to the burgeoning crisis of climate destabilization, environmental deterioration, and economic turmoil.

At the heart of the Oberlin Project is the revitalization of a 13-acre block near the city center that will include the development or renovation of a dozen buildings during the next five to seven years. The investment in construction, renovation, and energy technology is intended to stimulate the expansion of existing businesses and create new enterprises.

The Oberlin Project will also join the Climate Positive Development Program, a joint initiative of the Clinton Climate Initiative, a program of the William J. Clinton Foundation, and the U.S. Green Building Council. Launched in May 2009 by President Clinton, the Climate Positive Development Program supports the development of large-scale urban projects that demonstrate that cities can grow in ways that are climate positive—able to reduce the amount of on-site CO2 emissions to below zero.

05-06-11

BioCellar Event Videos

If you missed the BioCellar event at the CUDC on April 26th, now you can watch the presentations online:

BioCellar Presentations - 1 of 3 - Intro

BioCellar Presentations - 2 of 3 - Darrell Frey | Bioshelter Market Garden @ Three Sisters Farm

BioCellar Presentations - 3 of 3 - Gauri Torgalkar | BioCellar: Concept to Prototype

05-03-11

RFP for Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone

Re-imagining a [Greater] Cleveland is seeking proposals to develop a plan for the Kingsbury Run Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone.

The Urban Agriculture Innovation Zone is a defined district (in the area of East 79th Street and Kinsman Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio) that will foster entrepreneurial farming activities and related businesses. The plan will provide a comprehensive design approach for a Live | Play | Grow neighborhood that integrates agriculture into the surrounding neighborhood.

Download the RFP

04-07-11

BioCellar Event 4/26 @ CUDC

Click here to download BioCellar invite pdf

06-02-10

‘Beyond the Motor City’ Film Screening

Beyond the Motor City, a new documentary directed by acclaimed filmmaker Aaron Woolf (King Corn), will be showing for free at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History on June 9th at 5:30pm. The film will be screened in select cities across America’s industrial heartland as a part of The Blueprint America Screening Tour. According to the press release,

Beyond the Motor City…examines how Detroit, a grim symbol of America’s diminishing status in the world, may come to represent the future of transportation and progress in America.

Narrated by Miles O’Brien, the film explores Detroit’s historic investments in infrastructure - from early 19th-century canals to the urban freeways that gave The Motor City its name and made America’s transportation system the envy of the world.

But over the last 30 years, much of the world has left Detroit - and America - behind, choosing faster, cleaner, more modern transportation. In a journey that takes us into the neighborhoods of Detroit and then beyond to Spain, California, and our nation’s capital, Beyond the Motor City urges us to ask how we might finally push America’s transportation system into the 21st century.

What: Beyond the Motor City film screening
Where: CMNH /1 Wade Oval Drive, University Circle, Cleveland, OH 44106
When: Wednesday, June 9th, 5:30pm
Cost: Free!

Space is limited for the screening. To attend, please RSVP to: bchase(AT)cmnh.org

Full press release (download pdf)

03-26-10

Design with Consequence Studio

Open reviews for the Performative Architecture Graduate Design Studio will be held at our new CUDC offices Friday, March 26th from 6-8pm. Interested architects or designers are welcome to attend the jury.

The Design with Consequence studio, led by Kent State Associate Professor Adil Sharag-Eldin, addresses several issues relevant in a context of global urban growth:

• Design a skyscraper in a city of choice.
• The designed structure is NOT a self-referential representation of the owners’ or the city’s vision of its own grandeur or affluence.
• The designed structure represents a  monolithic part of the city that manifests a cohesive vision of the designer.
• The outcome is an urban artifact that must express a designer’s point of view on a current state of the globe.
• The design however is entrenched in an urban setting that acts as  confluence of natural and synthetic forces that affects the city and the region of the world.

After the jury, please remember to stop by the Cleveland Institute of Art photo exhibit on the first floor. The show opening reception runs from 6-11pm.

CUDC
1309 Euclid Ave. Suite 200, Cleveland

by david jurca