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

July eNews from Cogan Owens Cogan

Managing Principal Transition
As the world restructures to engage the challenges of the 21st century, we at Cogan Owens Cogan (COC) are doing so as well.

As of July 1, I have the distinct privilege of succeeding Arnold Cogan as our Managing Principal. Everyone who has worked with Arnold knows his are enormous shoes to fill. Instead of trying to fill them, we have decided to walk together. Arnold, Elaine Cogan and Jim Owens will continue as full Principals.

We all are concerned with the many challenges we face locally and globally – climate change, energy, water, economy and biodiversity just to name a few.

These economic restructuring and threats to the global environment weigh heavily on the communities we work with. Recognizing that these issues are interrelated, COC collaborates with public and private leaders to develop strategies that leverage the economy, environment and community livability. Our strategies draw on the best in both the creative and scientific fields.

COC is mission-driven, focused on engaging people to create and sustain great communities. We are committed to utilizing best practices in community engagement and planning to help solve our emerging problems. With our more than 30 years experience providing top-level strategic advice and planning to communities throughout the west and Asia, we are passionate about stepping up to new, complex challenges and prepared to do so.

In spite of our global challenges, we are optimistic. We firmly believe the world is abundant in resources and human potential and look forward to continued opportunities to work with all of you on these pressing issues.

Please stay in touch.

Kirstin Greene
kirstin.greene@coganowens.com

EcoVision Development Taipei, Taiwan
Bob Wise, senior project manager at COC, traveled to a national conference in Taiwan to present the latest Oregon and Portland-area sustainability efforts. Bob is leading a consulting team drafting the Taipei 2050 EcoCity Vision, a long-range planning document for Taiwan’s largest city. He made his presentation about Oregon sustainability efforts at the Taiwan National Council for Sustainable Development’s annual conference.

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

Look for an article on the Vision 2050 process and metrics in the fall issue of InterPlan, the International newsletter of the American Planning Association. He also will speak on this topic in the fall for The Natural Step.

Meier & Frank Building
We are delighted to receive word that the project to convert the iconic Meier & Frank building in downtown Portland to Macy’s department store and the boutique Nines Hotel has just received a 2009 National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Serving with a team of architects and other professionals under the leadership of the Portland Development Commission, Elaine Cogan wrote the informational brochure, interviewed key stakeholders, and designed and facilitated public meetings.

Backcasting and Least Cost Planning
Senior project manager Dave Mayfield has led several discussions on the applications of backcasting and least cost planning as effective decision-making tools for transportation planning.

These related approaches are value-driven, focusing on achieving an agreed-upon outcome rather than responding to projected demands for services. As both of these processes can be “trend breakers,” they can help in times of rapid change. Used correctly, they can focus public and private efforts on identified goals such as meeting greenhouse gas emissions targets. Least cost planning is a guiding principle of the 2009 Jobs and Transportation Act and is expected to be utilized broadly in Oregon.

Dave’s commitment to sustainable mobility led him to give a series of presentations on this subject for the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium, Oregon Department of Transportation, Portland Metro, the Oregon Metropolitan Planning Organization Consortium and the Coalition for a Livable Future.

Water Water Water
Principal Jim Owens continues his focus on intergovernmental relations and water. This spring, he brought together multiple diverse interests in science-policy workshops that identified new nearshore disposal sites along the southwest Washington coast for dredged material from the mouth of the Columbia River. He also continues to facilitate stakeholder involvement in Oregon’s efforts to achieve recovery for salmon and steelhead. This fall, he will lead COC’s public involvement efforts for a water reuse project in Corvallis.

Facilitation and Mediation
Arnold Cogan has just completed a two-year term as Planner-in-Residence at the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at PSU. During that time, he assisted graduate planning students with career counseling and their projects. Arnold continues his facililtation and mediation work. He is a consultant to the City of Rainer to resolve a downtown redevelopment issue. For the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, he has been retained to lead efforts to review the wildlife, habitat and public use activities on the 11,000-acre Sauvie Island Wildlife area.

Healthy Communities Congress Success
Participants of Congress VI May 16th at Clackamas Community College made this an inspiring and successful event. In addition to elected officials, neighbors, business leaders and representatives of governmental agencies attended. The theme was Healthy Communities. Participants identified characteristics of a healthy community and innovations the County should consider to improve the health of communities in Clackamas County. See the County’s Web site for more information: (www.co.clackamas.or.us/community).

Promotions
We recently promoted Ellie Fiore to senior planner, Daniel Christensen to associate, and Alisha Dishaw to administrative and public engagement assistant.

Ellie holds a master’s degree in urban and community planning from Portland State University and is on the boards of directors of the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association and Housing Land Advocates. Daniel received a master’s degree in urban and community planning from the University of Oregon. Alisha holds a degree in human development and family sciences from Oregon State University.

New Projects
We have several recent projects that we would like to share with you if you haven’t already heard.

• Safe Routes to School Workshop for the City of Madras
• Grant Writing Support for the Oregon Department of Transportation – Governor Kulongoski’s Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Working Group
• Presentation Training for the Oregon Recreation and Park Association
• Community Coach for Highlands Neighborhood Association, Longview
• Clackamas County Economic Landscape Report
• Sauvie Island Draft Management Plan Public Meetings
• Training, City of Tigard City Center Advisory Committee

For more news, follow us on the web at www.coganowens.com or on Twitter: @coganowens.

Don’t miss out! If you didn’t receive our July eNewsletter in your inbox, contact us to add you to our e-mail list.

Kirstin Greene to Speak at Deliberative Democracy Symposium May 29

Principal Kirstin Greene will be a panelist at the free Deliberative Democracy symposium in Portland at the White Stag Building on May 29.

A principal and one of the owners of Cogan Owens Cogan consulting firm, Kirstin has 17 years experience as a planner and public process facilitator. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Economics as well as masters degrees in Community and Regional Planning and Asian Studies from the University of Oregon. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is on the Board of the Oregon Chapter of the Urban Land Institute.  She has served on the Board of the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association for legislative issues and the City Club of Portland for advocacy and awareness in civic affairs.

In her 14 years with Cogan Owens Cogan, Kirstin has helped facilitate public engagement and planning processes throughout Oregon including recently managing the conditional use permit for the new University of Oregon basketball arena.  She was recognized as the PPPM’s first distinguished Young alumna and with three classmates established the annual Catalyst Scholarship award, helping support students in the department of PPPM make positive change in the world.

Kirstin will give a short update on her work for Clackamas County’s Complete Communities and Completing Connections process.  Her recent work for the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition was profiled in the February 2009 edition of Planning magazine.

Completing Connections – Clackamas County, Oregon
Case study in community empowerment recognized as one of the top 50 Innovations in Government by the Ash Institute at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2007. In late 1999, responding to a “crisis” in confidence, mistrust and dissatisfaction with County government, Clackamas County convened what started as a project and became what is now a ten year relationship between County elected officials and citizens – Complete Communities for Clackamas County. In the initial outreach, the overarching recommendation was to develop better ways for citizens to be involved in decisions that effect their lives. This recommendation led to establishment of two quasi-governmental organizational frameworks in Clackamas County – Hamlets and Villages.  The Completing Connections hamlet and village program also was recognized with an award for excellence from the International Association of Public Participation in 2006.

Corvallis Sustainability Coalition – Corvallis, Oregon
Case study in grass roots organizational development and community-based action planning to respond to environmental crisis. The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition of more than 130 partner organizations used sustainability focused Natural Step principles to guide their work. The Sustainability Action Plan was finalized in December 2008 with the involvement of over 1,200 citizens.  Implementation continues today.

Read more about this event below or download the flyer and registration form.

Deliberative Democracy:
Building Public Will for Action on Critical Problems

What are the strategies and tactics for strengthening public discourse? How can deliberative processes be used as a vehicle for building public understanding of critical problems and develop commitment to long term policy solutions. These questions are being asked by state and local governments as well as non-profit organizations who are faced with broadly recognized problems that are difficult if not impossible to address through the current structure of policy debate and public discourse. This forum will share the findings from some of the leading applied researchers and practitioners with the goal of improving public discourse.

Date: Friday May 29, 2009, 1-5pm with hosted reception following
Location: White Stag Building, Portland
A Free event open to the Public: Registration required (2nd page of attachment)

Sponsored by:
Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management
School of Architecture and Allied Arts
University of Oregon

Featured Researchers

Ed Weeks, Emeritus Professor, Department of PPPM, University of Oregon
Matt Leighninger,  Executive Director, Deliberative Democracy Consortium

Opening Remarks by UO President Frohnmayer

Featured Panels

Priority Setting and Long-term versus Short-term Pressures
Public Finance
Public Infrastructure

Panelists Include:

Kirstin Greene, Cogan Owens Cogan
Susan Brody, National Policy Consensus Center
Tony Mounts, City of Salem
Connie Ozawa, Portland State University
Adam Davis, Davis Hibbitts
Jeanne Lawson, Jeanne Lawson Associates

More questions?
pppm@uoregon.edu or rdm@uoregon.edu
541.346.3635 or 541.346.2526

ALSO! RECEPTION FOLLOWING THE SYMPOSIUM
Date: Friday May 29, 2009 5pm to 6:30pm
Location: White Stag Building, Portland (directions are on the flyer)
Open to all symposium attendees and alumni or friends of CSPA and PPPM
Attendance at symposium not required

New Projects for COC

COC is keeping busy!  We have several new projects that we would like to share with you if you haven’t already heard.

• Public Involvement and Writing, Editing & Document Management as part of an Environmental Support Services Roster for the Bonneville Power Administration
• Economic Opportunities Analysis for the Salem-Keizer Region
• Safe Routes to School Workshop for the City of Madras and the Oregon Department of Transportation TGM Program
• Strategic Plan Research for Portland + Oregon Sustainability Institute (P+OSI)
• Grant Writing Support for the Oregon Department of Transportation
• Presentation Skills Training for the Oregon Recreation and Park Association
• Community Coach for Highlands Neighborhood Association
• Public Involvement for City of Corvallis Wastewater Reuse Plan
• Economic Landscape Strategic Advice and Document Production for Clackamas County