Ellen Wyoming Facilitating Environmental and Social Justice Session this Saturday

On Saturday, April 6, COC Associate Ellen Wyoming will be facilitating a break-out session at Portland State University’s Sustainability for All conference.

Her session is called “Environmental and Social Justice: Moving Towards Dialogue and Finding Common Ground”

In the session they will explore the current context of the sustainability movement which is often identified as a movement for people with the privilege of participation. This often means that “sustainability” in the terms that it is most frequently discussed, is targeted towards an upper-middle class consumer who can afford to “buy” and “use” everything so that they need to think about “using less.”  This framework dismisses many people who may in fact already be participating deeply in the sustainability movement and who would benefit from being a contributor and participant in the conversation.

Today, many well-meaning people may find themselves in diverse environmental-advocacy positions and while the assumption is that they are working towards a common cause, they may actually be injuring the opportunity for a wider dialogue about what sustainability means, why it’s important, and how people from all walks of life can, or indeed, already are, deeply participating. They will explore safe ways for dialogue and thought leadership around this to bring to light the care that must be exercised when working towards a “common good” to ensure that the goods are indeed, received commonly.

Nikki Henderson of People’s Grocery in Oakland, CA will be keynote speaker (learn more about this incredible leader here: http://www.makers.com/nikki-henderson).

More information and registration information is located here: www.sustainability4all.org. Registration is free and food and childcare will be provided!

We look forward to hearing how it goes this weekend and will update next week with key highlights!

Sustainability presentation to Qatar delegation for the 2022 World Cup

On Thursday, February 20, COC’s Bob Wise as Director of Team Oregon, LLC and Tim Smith, Team Oregon’s partner at SERA Architects presented their ideas to a high level delegation from Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.  The delegation included the US Ambassador to Qatar, Susan L. Ziadeh and the Secretary General of the Qatar Supreme Committee of Delegates for the 2022 World Cup, Hassan Al-Thawadi.

The presentation summary is Qatar and Doha – The World Cup 2022. Bob and Tim advocated advanced sustainability principles for the World Cup to support legacy of sustainable urbanism in Doha, Qatar.

Bob Wise China Projects Highlighted in Scholar’s Blog

Bob Wise’s career of projects in Greater China including major city, regional and national plans is featured in an article by Jenny Ryan Starr, a China Scholar and blogger.  Key to Bob’s success has been a deep interest in and appreciation of China’s magnificent culture including the unusual roles played by Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist, and Socialist thought in city and regional planning.  See:  http://jrstarr.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/strengthening-chinas-urban-form/

Ellen Wyoming Promoted to Associate

Cogan Owens Cogan, LLC is delighted to announce that Ellen Wyoming has been promoted to Associate as a full-time colleague with the firm beginning January 1, 2013. Ellen brings experience, creativity and passion for equity in urban and community planning, authentic community involvement with diverse groups of people, and culturally-appropriate organizing and facilitating.  She is keenly focused on the intersection of planning and economic opportunity, and looks forward to continuing to increase her capacity as a planner in her work related to creating vibrant, sustainable, and healthy communities.

In her capacity as Associate, Ellen will be managing projects including a Tsunami preparedness guide for Oregon coastal communities. She also is working on research of trends over time that will affect estuaries along the Oregon coast. Both projects are for the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. She is assisting with the public involvement process for a voluntary annexation strategy for South Hillsboro and has been working with the Tulalip Tribes in Washington on a neighborhood and green infrastructure planning project. Most recently, she was project manager for the development of the Portland Mercado, an initiative of Hacienda Community Development Corporation for a new Latino-themed public market to serve more than three dozen new low-income Latino entrepreneurs.

Ellen was awarded the American Planning Association Award for Application of the Planning Process for her work on the Portland Mercado as a graduate student in Portland State University’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning program. She also was awarded the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association’s award for Student Achievement in Planning for the Portland Mercado project. She can be reached at 503-278-3462 or ellen.wyoming@coganowens.com