AIA Philadelphia Design on the Delaware conference

Looks to be pretty good. Conference website. The conference is Wednesday October 28th and Thursday October 29th.

Sadly, I don't think I will be able to attend, although I'd really like to check out these sessions:

DN1: Please Touch Museum Relocation to Memorial Hall - 1.5 AIA/CES (HSW/SD) LUs

The $88 million Please Touch Museum relocation project included the complete renovation of the 157,000 SF 1876 Memorial Hall and the addition of the 9,000 SF Carousel House. The collaboration of efforts between Please Touch and the entire design and construction team allowed for a grand, much-anticipated successful opening in 2008.

Presenters: John McDevitt, Please Touch Museum; Ronald A. Street, NorthStar Advisors, LLC; Pierce Keating; Daniel J. Keating Company; Philip E. Scott, R.A.; Kise Straw and Kolodner, LLC; Moderator: Christine Hough, Daniel J. Keating Company

RD2: The Cynwyd Trail: Key Linkages for Sustainable Infrastructure - 1 AIA/CES (HSW/SD) LU

The Cynwyd Heritage Trail in Lower Merion Township presents a comprehensive, long-range vision and implementation strategy for transforming approximately 40 acres of damaged and underutilized public land into a dynamic 21st-century recreation trail. This linear park connects to existing natural and recreational resources, and commerical and institutional open space lands of public value.

Presenters: Christopher Lewsing, Lower Merion Township; Marc Morfei, Pennoni Associates

RD1: Food Access and the Built Environment- 1.5 AIA/CES (HSW)LUs - 1.5 AICP CM (pending)

Today’s global food system and the region’s fragmented and auto-dependent built environment have contributed to a myriad of health issues, social injustices and environmental problems. This session will explore what three local organizations are doing to impact the city’s built environment and provide underserved communities with access to food.

Presenters: John Weidman, The Food Trust; George Matysik, Philabundance; Vanessa Briggs, Health Promotions Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania; Alison Hastings, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

RD3: Revitalization of Suburban Delaware River Community: Bristol - 1.5 AIA/CES (HSW) LUs- 1.5 AICP CM (pending)

The focus of the program will be to present the revitalization process and positive results from long-range (about 20 years) strategic planning for the Delaware Riverfront Community of Bristol Borough, Bucks County, PA. Bristol Borough is a typical Pennsylvania riverfront borough founded as an industrialized community of mixed ethnicity, encompassing about 1 square mile with a population of approximately 10,000 residents. The community continually struggles with ongoing economic hardships and must initiate strategies for economic revitalization.

Presenters: Victor J. DePallo, AICP, ASLA, DePallo Design and Planning, LLC; representative of Bristol Borough

GL3: Over-Under-Through: Innovative Design and Engineering for Ped-Bike Facilities- 1.5 AIA/CES (HSW/SD) LU - 1.5 AICP CM (pending)

Cities and towns across America are encouraging bicycling as a transportation mode. However, trails and bikeways face daunting physical obstacles- busy intersections, a missing bridge, active railroad, and highways. This program will present examples of adaptive reuse of historic infrastructure to create trails and show innovations such as ““bike boxes,” “sharrows”, bike boulevards and European-style “cycle tracks” in use by cities and towns to encourage bicycle transportation.

Presenters: John Madera, AICP; William Collins, RLA, ASLA, Simone Collins Landscape Architecture

CD4: Minding the Gap along Philadelphia's Corridors - 1.5 AIA/CES LUs - 1.5 AICP CM (pending)

Once vital community backbones, many of Philadelphia's "main streets" have significantly declined. This session will review the challenges facing commercial corridors across Philadelphia and examine two grass-roots urban design efforts to re-establish their commercial streets as centers for local retail, the arts and innovative design.

Presenters: Lee Huang, Econsult; Scott Page, Interface Studio, LLC; Karen Morris, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission; Sarah Corlett, New Kensington Community Design Corporation

CD5: Transit Investment Planning - New Strategies for Regenerating Urban Centers - 1AIA/CES (HSW) LU - 1 AICP CM (pending)

Pennsylvania’s urban communities are becoming more proactive in planning, designing and implementing strategies aimed at encouraging new investment in and around local transit centers. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), in cooperation with key state agencies, is providing both technical and financial assistance for developing community plans in support of enabling local designation, and implementing agreements based on fiscal rationale to generate and capture future value. This program will examine principal aspects of TRID planning, including financing strategies in which additional tax revenues generated within the TRID may be applied to public transportation capital improvements, related site development and maintenance.

Presenters: Ronald K. Bednar, AICP, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development; Lee Huang, Econsult; James E. Hartling, Urban Partners

DN5: Street Trees: Balancing Tree Health & Pedestrian Safety- 1 AIA/CES (HSW/SD) LU

Along Chestnut Street in Center City Philadelphia, surface pavers within tree trenches have shown evidence of sinking, creating unsafe pedestrian conditions and an inhospitable growing environment. This case study looks at the theoretical and practical means by which this issue is being addressed, and presents a best management solution to maintaining a balance between tree health and pedestrian safety in the urban environment.

Presenters: Karen Clancy, RLA, ASLA, Center City District; Julie Snell, ASLA, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; Bradley Thornton, RLA, LEED AP, Lager Raabe Skafte Landscape Architecture

RD5: PATCO Waterfront Transit Expansion Alternatives Analysis - 1AIA/CES (HSW) LU - 1 AICP CM (pending)

The Delaware River Port Authority/Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) is evaluating three potential light rail alignments to operate along Columbus Boulevard and connect to Center City.This program will review the process necessary to plan for and implement a significant transit facility. Presenters will discuss the linkage between transportation, land use, economic development and sustainable investments and benefits of re-use or expanded use of existing transportation assets.

Presenters: John J. Matheussen, Delaware River Port Authority and PATCO; Robert Box, PATCO; Chris Jondoli, Parsons Brinckerhoff