Patrick Condon, University of British Columbia Professor of Landscape Architecture and author of many books on community design and sustainability, will speak at a brown bag event at Metro on Tuesday, March 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Condon will share new ideas from his latest book, Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities. Condon contends that cities are responsible for 80% of all greenhouse gas emissions largely due to factors and patterns associated with late 20th-century growth. He goes further to say that we can make significant strides in achieving U.S. greenhouse gas reduction targets by changing the way we build and retrofit our cities.
Condon has more than 25 years experience in sustainable urban design; first as a professional city planner and then as a teacher and researcher. He is now senior researcher with the Design Centre for Sustainability at UBC, a sustainable urban design think tank.
Condon’s combination of in-depth research and case studies challenge and entertain anyone with an interest in creating livable, sustainable communities.
Condon will also give a presentation to the Metro Council during its work session after his talk. His visit comes during a week in which elected officials and community leaders will be addressing transportation methods and how they impact the livability of our region in a number of forums.
On April 1, Metro is hosting the Climate Leadership Summit, a half-day event at which Metro will engage elected officials and community leaders in a dialogue on regional transportation strategies and local actions to achieve the greenhouse gas reduction targets that the Oregon Division of Land Conservation and Development is expected to release the same day. Additionally, the Oregon Active Transportation Summit is scheduled for March 29 and 30. This event, which culminates in a day of lobbying on Wednesday, March 30, is sponsored in part by Metro.
Condon’s “Seven Rules” are:
- Restore the streetcar city
- Design an interconnected street system
- Locate commercial services, frequent transit and schools within a five-minute walk
- Locate good jobs close to affordable homes
- Provide a diversity of housing types
- Create a linked system of natural areas and parks
- Invest in lighter, greener and cheaper infrastructure
His book is an attempt at understanding the basic architecture of today’s North American cities and a set of simple rules to help us transition to a green, sustainable, low-carbon future.
Condon's talk, which is open to the public, will take place in the Council Chamber at the Metro Regional Center, 600 NE Grand Ave. in Portland.