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Regional design REVOLUTION: ecology matters
Design provides the foundation upon which every object and system is built. The design of a community or a building is an expression of aspirations, be they economic, cultural, social, or environmental. Sustainable design expresses these aspirations in the context of environmental factors beyond the project’s property line, with the intention to engage, restore, or enhance a region’s ecosystem.
The world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history. By 2030, 60 percent of the world’s population, or almost five billion people, will be living in towns and cities. In principle, cities offer a more favorable setting for the resolution of social and environmental problems than rural areas. Cities generate jobs and income. Because of the advantages of scale and proximity, with good governance, cities can deliver education, health care, and other services more efficiently than less densely settled areas. These centers of human habitat, as complex as they may be, must become integral components of larger environmental systems, if they are to thrive.
Cities present opportunities for social and economic mobility. Also, the density of urban life can relieve pressure on natural habitats and areas of biodiversity. The challenge for this century is to learn how to exploit the possibilities urbanization offers while attending to the health of the regional ecologies of which they are a part. The future of humanity depends on it.
The AIA 2011 Convention in New Orleans presents an opportunity to explore how innovative approaches to planning, design, and construction, along with evolutionary or revolutionary approaches to practice, collaboration, and partnerships can create more resilient urban ecosystems where cities of all scales contribute to a region’s sustainability and regeneration.
To download the full 2011 Convention Call for Presentations please click here.
Submission Instructions
Proposals must be submitted online at http://aia.scsubmissions.com. Upon review of the full Call for Presentations, follow the link to the submittal site. The submission process allows session organizers to submit the appropriate information in a timely manner and, if necessary, to return to their proposals before the deadline to make revisions. Step-by-step instructions are provided on the submissions website.
Proposals sent by e?mail, fax, or mail will not be considered. Proposals will be accepted online until 11:59 p.m. PST, July 1, 2010.
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