Sometimes, being "green" is about more than cutting energy consumption or increasing the amount of leftovers that hit the recycling bin. In fact, some of the most powerful aspects of the sustainable/environmentally-friendly movement are focused on another aspect entirely: the revitalization and renewal of existing resources, rather than the environmentally costly demolition and new construction that was once the norm.
This is a fact not lost on Hamilton County, as evidenced by the recently launched seminar series, "Sustainable Hamilton County: Reinventing our Communities." According to the Hamilton County Planning Partnership,
the four-event series is designed to "provide factual data and leading research findings, encourage critical thinking, and promote discussion and collaborative action to achieve sustainable development in Hamilton County."
The first session of the series, "The Built Environment: Retrofitting Cities, Communities and Neighborhoods," took place Friday at the Anderson Township Center. Keynote and panel speakers provided a deep bench of expertise on sustainable development: from architects to designers, community planners to experts on aging in the community, the presenters covered many of the topics that arise as Hamilton County works to redefine itself as a sustainable, vibrant community.
Keynote speaker June Williamson discussed strategies for - and successful examples of - suburban communities that broke from the stagnant, high-consumption model of feeders to an urban area to become sustainable communities in their own rights. As a counterpoint, Model Group Vice President of Development and OTR Chamber of Commerce Vice President Bobby Maly discussed the revitalization taking place in that historic Cincinnati neighborhood.
According to Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission Senior Planner Catalina Landivar, the event and the three to follow are intended to bring together disparate parts of the community: academics and members of Cincinnati's educational community, business leaders and local residents. The seminars give these various stakeholders information and a common touchstone around which to discuss how to best move Hamilton County forward.
And with just the first event under its belt, the series can already claim success of sorts; Landivar says planners had to close registration, after a rush of participants booked all the available seats for the event.
The next session in the Sustainable Hamilton County series, "Trends that are Changing our Communities: Housing, Transportation, Health," takes place 8 a.m. to noon Friday, Nov. 19 at Techsolve, 6705 Steger Drive.
The third session, "Fiscal Sustainability and Quality of Life of Our Communities," takes place Friday, Jan. 21. A final follow-up session, "Sustainable Hamilton County: We Can Do It!" is scheduled for March 11, and will give participants the chance to discuss their thoughts about the sessions and suggest what the community needs to do to move forward with a sustainable revitalization plan.
For more information on the Sustainable Hamilton County series, contact Catalina Landivar, Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission Senior Planner, at (513) 946-4455 or
[email protected].
Writer: Matt Cunningham
Photo of June Williamson, provided
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