2015 Sustainable Cities Initiative Expert-in-Residence lunch + discussion at RBA

Shelley Poticha Photo Hi-Res_1.jpg
2015 SCI Expert in Residence, Shelley Poticha

2015 SCI Expert in Residence, Shelley Poticha

 

In late March, Rowell Brokaw Architects hosted a small group of designers, planners, and developers who share a mutual interest in the work of the UO Sustainable Cities Initiative (SCI) and its relevance to topical developments in the Eugene-Springfield area for an intimate discussion with the 2015 SCI Expert-in-Residence, Shelley Poticha, director of the Urban Solutions Program for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in Washington, DC. 

Shelley is a longtime partner of NRDC in multiple initiatives including transportation policy reform, LEED-ND, and the creation of Smart Growth America. Prior to joining NRDC, Shelley was a senior advisor and director of the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Before joining HUD, she served as President and CEO of Reconnecting America, where she became a national leader for the reform of land use and transportation planning and policy with the goal of creating more sustainable and equitable development, particularly around transit stations. .

Urban Solutions brings the place-based work of NRDC together into a coordinated strategy and includes promoting transportation choices through mobility options, scaling up building energy efficiency, model green and equitable neighborhoods, sustainable food systems, green infrastructure and climate preparedness. Urban Solutions is the culmination of NRDC’s thinking and work for sustainable communities since the organization adopted the area as an institutional priority.

SCI is a hub of research related to sustainable cities based at the University of Oregon, and annually hosts the SCI Expert-in-Residence program. SCI's work addresses sustainability issues across multiple scales, from the region down to the building, and its cross-discipline engagement approach is a key strategy for solving community sustainability issues. 

These national experts are invited by SCI each year to share their expertise in sustainability ideas for three-day sessions on the Eugene and Portland campuses. During their visit they conduct design charrettes, provide specialized workshops for both private and public organizations in Oregon, and deliver large public lectures on topical sustainable city issues or ideas. 

Past SCI Expert-in-Residence (EIR) include:

Events, Staff, Sustainability LEEDGregory Brokaw