COC in the Oregonian: Planner to present Portland’s green policies in Taiwan

Following is the write-up on Bob Wise’s sustainability efforts in Taiwan taken from the Oregonian’s Web site. Enjoy!

Planner to present Portland’s green policies in Taiwan
by Dylan Rivera, The Oregonian
Thursday June 04, 2009, 10:37 AM

A leader of Portland planning firm Cogan Owens Cogan is traveling to a national conference in Taiwan to present the latest Oregon and Portland-area sustainability efforts.

Bob Wise, senior project manager for the firm, is helping draft the Taipei 2050 EcoCity Vision, a long-range planning document for Taiwan’s largest city. He’s been asked to make a presentation about Oregon sustainability efforts to the Taiwan National Council for Sustainable Development’s annual conference.

“We’ve worked in Taiwan off and on for 10 years,” Wise said. “They’re always interested in what Portland and Oregon are doing.”

The sustainable development conference includes business leaders and cabinet-level members of Taiwan’s federal government. Wise said he plans to explain how Portland became the No.1 city in the nation for sustainability in rankings by SustainLane. He also will discuss the Living Building Challenge, which is a new green building standard, and the eco-district concept, which would have buildings share water and energy infrastructure to achieve greater efficiencies.

Wise was chairman of the Portland/Multnomah County Sustainable Development Commission when green building policies and climate change plans were developed.

Cogan Owens Cogan’s Taiwan work is performed through Team Oregon, a joint venture with SERA Architects and Century West Engineering of Portland.

– Dylan Rivera; dylanrivera@news.oregonian.com

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/06/portland_planner_to_present_gr.html

PSU Forums Spring Term 2008

Presented by Arnold Cogan, FAICP, Planner-in-Residence in the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning.

This forum will be held in room 303 of the Urban Center from 10 to 11:30 am. Specific dates, topics and speakers are as follows:

April 25: Why infrastructure is an important element of regional planning.
Guest speakers: Robin McArthur, AICP, Metro Regional Planning Director, and Ted Kyle, Capacity Program Manager of Water Environment Services for Clackamas County. To be discussed: Advancing the state of the art of infrastructure planning from its current piecemeal approach to one that is more regionally based. While this applies to large, expensive facilities such as highways, water systems and sewer projects, it is also important for smaller facilities such as parks, schools, libraries and other public buildings. A possible model to consider is the current study underway at Metro.

All forums will be webcast live and archived for future viewing. Our expectation is that each event will stimulate spirited conversation, focus our expectations on the role of planning in the future and provide students, faculty and others with new insights.

For more information, please contact Arnold Cogan at: 503-225-0192 or at arnold.cogan@coganowens.com

PSU Forums Spring Term 2008

Presented by Arnold Cogan, FAICP, Planner-in-Residence in the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning

Three forums will be held in room 303 of the Urban Center from 10 to 11:30 am. Specific dates, topics and speakers are as follows:

April 4: How does sustainability complement the practice of planning?
Guest speakers: Tim Smith, Director of Urban Design and Planning for SERA Architects, and Bob Wise, Senior Manager at Cogan Owens Cogan, LLC, and Director of sustainability programs for Team Oregon, a multi-disciplinary consulting firm specializing in sustainability services overseas. They will explore how the principles of sustainability can be applied to the field of planning. To be discussed: the triple bottom line of sustainable development of economic opportunity, environmental quality and social equity and its potential for transforming traditional planning into a more effective discipline for the 21st Century.

April 25: Why infrastructure is an important element of regional planning.
Guest speakers: Robin McArthur, AICP, Metro Regional Planning Director, and Ted Kyle, Capacity Program Manager of Water Environment Services for Clackamas County. To be discussed: Advancing the state of the art of infrastructure planning from its current piecemeal approach to one that is more regionally based. While this applies to large, expensive facilities such as highways, water systems and sewer projects, it is also important for smaller facilities such as parks, schools, libraries and other public buildings. A possible model to consider is the current study underway at Metro.

May 30: Status of the Big Look.
Guest speaker: John Fregonese, President of Fregonese Associates. Mr. Fregonese is the manager of the consulting team working for the Big Look Task Force which is charged with identifying the most appropriate approach for land use planning in Oregon over the next several decades. He will describe the rationale and current status of his study, to be completed by the end of 2008.

All forums will be webcast live and archived for future viewing. Our expectation is that each event will stimulate spirited conversation, focus our expectations on the role of planning in the future and provide students, faculty and others with new insights.

For more information, please contact Arnold Cogan at: 503-225-0192 or at arnold.cogan@coganowens.com

PSU Forums Winter Term 2008

ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINTER TERM 2008
FORUMS ON THE ROLE FOR PLANNING
IN THE FUTURE OF OREGON

Presented by Arnold Cogan, FAICP, Planner-in-Residence in the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning

Two forums will be held in room 303 of the Urban Center from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on the last Friday of January and February.  Specific dates, topics and speakers are as follows:

January 25—This session will be devoted to the issue of global warming.
Guest speakers are Michael Armstrong, Deputy Director of the Portland Office of Sustainable Development, and Mike Burnett, Director of the Oregon Climate Trust.  They will discuss what Oregon in general and planners, in particular, should do to prepare our communities and regions for the dramatic changes we can expect from the impacts of climate change.  We will hear about the changes that must take place in the way we plan our cities and other urban places and what can we learn from other states and countries.

February 29—This forum will focus on the need for creative and bold leadership, particularly in the public sector.
Joining us are Steve Clark, President of the Portland Tribune and member of the Oregon Land Use Big Look Task Force, and Tom Hughes, Mayor of the City of Hillsboro.  Many believe there is a desperate need for leadership at all levels of government.  Our speakers will discuss how this is affecting our quality of life here and how we can recruit, find or train the leaders we need.  They will speak about the important role leaders play in planning for livable places, building/rebuilding infrastructure, preserving open spaces and making it possible for future generations to thrive and grow.

Three additional forums planned for spring term will consider sustainability, infrastructure and land use choices facing Oregon.  All forums will be webcast live and archived for future viewing.   Our expectation is that each event will stimulate spirited conversation, focus our expectations on the role of planning in the future and provide students, faculty and others attending with new insights.

For more information, please contact Arnold Cogan at: 503-225-0192.