[StBernard] Louisiana Speaks Pattern Book awarded Congress for New Urbanism's 2007 Charter Award

[Westley Annis]

Louisiana Speaks Pattern Book awarded Congress for New Urbanism's 2007
Charter Award

The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) announced the Louisiana Speaks
Pattern Book as a recipient of its 2007 Charter Award, the annual prize
honoring projects around the world that promote walkable, neighborhood
development as an alternative to urban sprawl. 

A seven member jury chose the Pattern Book as one of 20 winning professional
submissions and 5 student/faculty submissions from 125 entries last month. 

Created as a resource for Louisianians rebuilding in the wake of the 2005
hurricane season, the Pattern Book contains patterns and techniques for
building housing, neighborhoods, and towns while remaining true to the
values and traditions of the people of Louisiana. It also provides guidance
on incorporating green building, hazard-resistant design, and improved
construction techniques into the built landscape.

CNU reports that "[T]he project has given many pride and hope to rebuild in
ways that uphold local tradition." 

Urban Design Associates (UDA) created the Pattern Book for Louisiana Speaks
and the project was funded by the Louisiana Recovery Authority Support
Foundation. 100,000 Pattern Books have been printed, and to date, over
65,000 books have been distributed. The Center for Planning Excellence
(CPEX), which is in charge of the book's distribution, reports that requests
have come from places as far as away as Japan and Australia. Pattern books
were initially distributed at Lowe's, Stine Lumber Stores and other locally
owned building supply stores across South Louisiana. The Pattern Book is
available for download at www.louisianaspeaks.org
<http://www.louisianaspeaks.org> . 

This year's awards ceremony will be held on May 18, 2007, in conjunction
with the fifteenth Congress for New Urbanism in Philadelphia. On hand to
accept the award will be: Ray Gindroz, FAIA, Chairman of UDA; Elizabeth
"Boo" Thomas, ASLA, President and CEO of Center for Planning Excellence; and
Suzanne Turner, FASLA, who contributed to the Pattern Book's Landscape
section. Mr. Gindroz, Ms. Thomas, and Ms. Turner will also serve on a panel
during this year's Congress for New Urbanism, which will be held May 17-20,
2007. For a full schedule of this year's Congress, visit www.cnu.org
<http://www.cnu.org> . 

The projects selected for this year's Charter Awards range in purpose, from
helping to renew the hurricane-damaged Gulf Coast, repairing damage brought
by previous generations of development or disinvestment, supplying
high-quality affordable housing, and reducing the environmental impact of
growth and development. "These projects exhibit excellence and often a
strong sense of purpose," says jury chair Stefanos Polyzoides, a CNU
co-founder and principal of Moule Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists in
Pasadena, CA. "They make a difference in the world." 

Winning entries extend from Camden, NJ to Antigua, Guatemala, with the
southern United States winning 14 of the 25 awards. 

Jury members for the 2007 Charter Award included: Stefanos Polyzoides, AIA,
jury chair, (Moule & Polyzoides Architects & Urbanists); Hillary Brown, AIA,
(New Civic Works); Rick Cole (City of San Buenaventura); Andres Duany, FAIA
(Duany Plater-Zyberk); Vince Graham, (I'On Group); Kjell Forshed (Brunnberg
& Forshed); Susan Van Atta, ASLA, (Van Atta Associates). 

Louisiana Speaks <http://www.louisianaspeaks.org>  is a long-term planning
initiative of the Louisiana Recovery Authority
<http://www.lra.louisiana.gov/>  (LRA) that is supported with private funds
provided through the LRA Support Foundation. The Center for Planning
Excellence (CPEX), created to provide information on best practices for
planning and urban design to residents, community organizations, developers
and elected officials in Louisiana, provides support and management for the
Louisiana Speaks initiative. CPEX also manages distribution of the Pattern
Book.