Former COC Intern Reports on Interesting Findings in Yuhuan, China

Michael Burnham is a second year graduate student in the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning in the School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University.  In his first year, Michael was an intern at Cogan Owens Cogan, LLC, undertaking research in the field of eco-industrial development for the Portland metropolitan area.

Last summer, he was selected for an eight-week internship at the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design in Beijing.  The introduction to Michael’s paper, “A River Ran through It,” is a case study of Yuhuan, a disappearing Chinese island and aspiring eco-city. An excerpt follows:

“In the summer of 2011, while working at CAUPD’s Beijing headquarters, I helped develop a master plan for Yuhuan County, Zhejiang Province’s easternmost municipality, about 300 kilometers south of Shanghai. My team and I spent nine days in Yuhuan, toured the Singapore-sized county, and met with local government officials.

This paper, whose intended audience is urban planners and other sustainable development practitioners working in China, uses Yuhuan to explore the broader planning and policy challenges and opportunities China faces as it urbanizes.”

Michael concludes that Yuhuan — and, presumably, other Chinese cities — should integrate sustainable development best practices from some of the world’s best-planned “eco-cities.

China learns from Portland…Portland learns from China

Bob Wise and Cogan Owens Cogan helped host a high level delegation from Langfang China led by the Langfang regional Party Secretary Shihong Zhou in a day-long visit to Portland to explore planning and development relationships between the two cities.  Bob is part of an international team that completed the award-winning Eco Smart Master Plan for Langfang (see previous post: http://bit.ly/kzylXk).  Langfang is a city of 700,000 that is expected to grow to over 2.3 million in the next few years.

During the April 20 visit, identified opportunities areas included:

1. Further planning for the central core where the high speed rail station is to be located.
2. Mass transit planning for light rail and streetcar and possible car(s) purchase.
3. Redevelopment of an existing sports complex as a green sports/entertainment project.
4. A sustainability center may be possible in the future.

Cogan Owens Cogan also will be discussing with the Mayor’s office and Party Secretary whether more formal relationship between the two cities is possible.  Mayor Adams endorsed COC’s work and said:  “It is in large part thanks to Bob Wise and Cogan Owens Cogan that the City is where it is with regard to sustainability today”.

Langfang leaders were struck by Portland’s mass transit system, integration of open space, tree canopy, small blocks, the variety of street-level building textures and urban design. They said parts of the city almost feel like a college campus.  They are inspired to make their city more functional, textured, and sustainable.

For more information email Bob at bob.wise@coganowens.com.

January 2010: New Beginnings

Cogan Owens Cogan Celebrates 35 Years!
Passion drives our work at COC. We are inspired by our clients, the communities with whom we work and all our partners and friends.

While we are encouraged that 2010 has started off with a bang, it will continue to require efficiencies in our work, creative partnerships and innovation.  Through professional development and work with our clients, we continue to advance and refine our integrated practice areas of planning, community engagement and sustainability. We have had the good fortune to continue to be able to stretch our professional wings in broadening our creative and strategic partnerships in energy, climate change, urban design, asset management, community engagement, social media, strategic planning and process facilitation.

We hope to have the chance to work with you this year. Please continue reading for a sample of what we are up to!

~ Kirstin Greene, Managing Principal

Welcome Ric Stephens!
We are pleased to welcome planner and urban designer Ric Stephens to COC. Ric’s practice on local and national levels helps us stay on the cutting edge of public engagement and community building.  In addition to his work in Chehalem, Urban Reserves projects, the Dominican Republic and Haiti recovery planning, Ric is closely involved with community initiatives such as the recent urban design charrette in Beaverton. The Oregonian gave impressive coverage to this event. It attracted elected officials, experienced urban design and planning professionals, and agency staff to work with 70 high school students to design attributes and uses for the long neglected Westgate Theater site.

Building on his extensive expertise creating meaningful and memorable communities, Ric continues to inspire us all with his ideas and creativity in youth engagement, innovative community planning and urban design.

Climate Action Planning
As part of our 2010 commitment to continuing work on helping solve our most challenging problems, COC hosted a brown bag on Climate Action Planning on January 7.  Twenty committed professionals doing work in this field enjoyed a presentation by former COC planner Damian Pitt, PhD, on his recent research on climate action planning at Virginia Tech. The discussion that followed was intense and enlightening.  We were fortunate in 2009 to work on various aspects of climate change and greenhouse gas reduction strategies, and look forward to a continued focus in this area in 2010.  Let us know if you would like to be apprised of our next gathering on this or related topics. Please email us at coc@coganowens.com.

Community Renewal
In Oregon City, we are helping the community decide how to maintain and enhance the iconic Carnegie Center, a community asset that has been vacant for more than a year.

For the Office of Portland Mayor Sam Adams, we are facilitating meetings of a group of veterans for their perspective on how to revitalize and reuse the historic Memorial Coliseum.

In Rainier, COC assisted business owners, elected and appointed officials, railroad and ODOT representatives to reach consensus on a vision for A Street that will guide public investments to attract redevelopment along the city’s main downtown thoroughfare.

In Clackamas County, we are wrapping up an update to the County’s economic landscape project. The strategy will help decision makers and the business community guide investment, policy and regulatory decisions to maximize the benefits from both public finance and land use decisions.  Also in Clackamas County, we are facilitating Lake Oswego’s review of its sensitive lands ordinance to ensure compliance with regulatory standards, increase flexibility for property owners and simplify the permit process.

Internationally, we are initiating a new project to develop an eco-city master plan for Langfang, China, near Beijing.  COC is part of a team that includes the Woo Group, HOK Hong Kong, CW Group of San Francisco and others selected to develop a master plan to add to and redevelop an existing city of four million people.  The plan will focus on all aspects of urban development and redevelopment. Our firm will focus on the public policies necessary to implement and advance the eco-city vision and master plan.

Continuing our precedent-setting work in Asia through Team Oregon, we have completed work with Origin International on an Eco-City Plan for the City of Taipei, Taiwan.  See Net Green News’ coverage of this planning effort.  Bob Wise’s presentation on this  groundbreaking initiative given to the Natural Step of Oregon and other organizations is available here.

Sustainability Plans Roll On
Our 2008-2009 sustainability plans in Corvallis, Palm Springs, Clackamas County and Taiwan continue to gather momentum.  In Corvallis, volunteers created action teams to implement top community-based recommendations in the areas of transportation, energy, food, land use, natural areas, waste prevention and water. The Coalition is comprised of more than 130 community groups. COC designed and facilitated meetings with over 600 participants at three key points during the planning process.

Community Engagement
Individuals at COC remain personally committed to community involvement and participation. We volunteer our time to the Oregon Environmental Council, Urban Land Institute, Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association, Hands On Greater Portland, International Society of Japanese Gardens, Three Rivers Conservancy and others. Karen Beal with Hands on Greater Portland had this to say about COC’s Alisha Dishaw:

“…This is exactly the kind of experience that we hope for on MLK Weekend of Service.  I am grateful that you stepped up as you always do.  Being a good leader is all about relationship and inspiration and you’ve accomplished both with intention and grace.”

~ Karen Beal, PhD, Hands On Greater Portland

Recent Projects

Planning

• Civic Engagement and Land Use Framing Paper, Intermountain West Funder Network
• Floodplain Zoning Ordinance Update, City of Stanfield
• Stafford Triangle Infrastructure Cost Inventory and Analysis, Clackamas County Business Alliance
• Salem-Keizer Regional Economic Opportunities Analysis, Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments

Sustainability

• Sustainability Planning Assistance, Metro
• Eco-City Master Plan, Langfang, China

Facilitation

• Listening Sessions, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
• Marine Reserves, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Memorial Coliseum Veterans Focus Group, Portland Development Commission and Portland Mayor’s Office
• Multnomah County Initiative Food Summit, Multnomah County
• Oregon Jobs and Transportation Act, Section 18 Implementation Project, Oregon Consensus and Oregon Department of Transportation
• Board Facilitation, Lewis & Clark College

Public Engagement

• Planning and Community Engagement, City of Damascus
• Junction City Transportation System Plan Update, Oregon Department of Transportation
• Complete Communities Healthy Communities Implementation, Clackamas County

Be in touch!
www.coganowens.com
Follow us on Twitter @coganowens

COC in DJC: Local Firms Bring Sustainability to China

Nice write-up in the Daily Journal of Commerce (DJC) on COC and LRS Architect’s sustainability planning for the Zhangjiang High Tech Industrial Park in Shanghai, China.  Visit DJC’s website to read the article!

http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2009/04/22/Local-firms-bring-sustainability-to-China-Cogan-Owens-Cogan-and-LRS-Architecture-contribute-to-proje