This press release comes to us from AAO member Linda Dottor of the Community Design Collaborative in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Community Design Collaborative Receives $150,000 Matching Grant from
William Penn Foundation to Launch Year-Long Urban Energy Initiative
Philadelphia, PA—February 8, 2011—The Community Design Collaborative has received a $150,000 matching grant from The William Penn Foundation to support Urban Energy, a year-long series of programs and events recognizing the Collaborative’s twenty years of strengthening Philadelphia neighborhoods through design.
Urban Energy will focus on the past, present and future of community design and its role in improving the overall quality of life in cities. The year-long initiative will celebrate contributions the Collaborative has made to neighborhood revitalization and citywide economic development through its growing volunteer network of architects, landscape architects, urban planners, engineers, and cost estimators. Urban Energy will include a national conference, two design charrettes, an exhibition, and a publication. Every dollar raised by the Collaborative through individual and corporate donations in 2011 will generate a matching contribution by the William Penn Foundation.
“Urban Energy will showcase the vision and innovation that has made Philadelphia one of the most forward-thinking cities in the country,” said Beth Miller, executive director of the Community Design Collaborative.
The Urban Energy initiative will kick off on Thursday, February 17 from 5 - 7 p.m. at the Center for Architecture, 1218 Arch Street with a screening of We Have to Be Able to Do It Ourselves, a thought-provoking 1970 documentary about the first wave of community design centers in Cleveland, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Philadelphia; a panel discussion; and a reception. The event is free and open to the public. Corian Design Studio Philadelphia is the event sponsor.
Alan Greenberger, FAIA, Deputy Mayor of City of Philadelphia will introduce the Urban Energy kick off event. Mami Hara, ASLA, AICP, Principal, Wallace Roberts & Todd LLC will moderate a discussion by panelists Don Matzkin, AIA, former Principal of Friday Architects/Planners, Inc.; Emanuel Kelly, FAIA, Principal, Kelly/Maiello, Inc. Architects & Planners; Susan Frankel, Director of Development, Children’s Village; and John Kromer, Distinguished Senior Scholar, University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government.
“Urban Energy is not just about celebrating the Collaborative’s success. It’s about creating more access and collaboration around design,” said Michael J. Paul, PE, Senior Consultant with Duffield Associates, Inc. and Chair of the Collaborative’s 20th Anniversary Steering Committee.
About the Community Design Collaborative
The Community Design Collaborative is a community design center that provides pro bono preliminary design services to nonprofit organizations; offers unique volunteer opportunities for architects and other design professionals; and raises public awareness about the importance of design in community revitalization.
In 2010, the Community Design Collaborative provided over $900,000 and nearly 9,500 volunteer hours in pro bono design assistance throughout the Philadelphia region, helping 46 nonprofit and public agencies to strengthen neighborhoods through design.