Hi all,
I would like to tap into any enthusiasm among the membership to form a
Special Interest Group focusing on issues of urban and regional planning. I
know that many of us serve as librarians for academic programs in urban and
regional planning and I wonder if some might work more directly for city
planning departments (public art offices, for instance). I suspect that
there are others in our membership who have an interest in issues related to
planning, whether for work or personal interest.
I suggest that we interpret planning as broadly as possible to include a
number of wide-ranging issues, such as: land use (urban, suburban,
industrial, agricultural, natural), environmental factors (climate change,
brownfields, natural disasters), sustainability of city and land (renewable
energy sources, urban renewal), natural resources (where are they and who do
they belong to?), infrastructure (transportation, waste management, water,
food, energy), social issues related to land use (housing, transportation,
urban vs suburban, infill vs sprawl, etc.), and aesthetics and lifestyle
(public art, parks, recreation). It's a long list, but it is not
comprehensive and can be expanded upon as the group desires.
I know that there are few places or outlets for planning librarians to get
together and talk about the unique challenges we face and so hope that by
forming a Special Interest Group in ARLIS/NA that we can begin having
conversations, share information, and generally begin learning from each
other. It seems that with each conference being in a different city/region
we have a wonderful opportunity each year to learn about a new region of
North America and how they are addressing their local and regional planning
issues.
I hope some of you were able to attend the session "Mile High Planning: New
Directions in Urban Renewal and Sustainability Planning" while in Denver.
We learned from local planners about the resource issues (particularly
water) vs population growth in the Colorado region as well as the specific
initiatives undertaken by the city of Denver to make city planning more
accessible to its citizens and a more productive process and tool for the
citizens and planners, resulting in a better city. With your interest and
participation we could have similar sessions and/or workshops that highlight
local planning and land use issues at future conferences.
Let me know if you're interested in being part of a Special Interest Group
for Urban & Regional Planning Issues (please reply to me directly so as not
to clog all ARLIS-L boxes). Depending on the response, we can initiate a
Special Interest Group and begin thinking how we might enrich our time next
year in Indianapolis, as well as how we can share information throughout the
year.
Best regards,
-- Rebecca
_____________
Rebecca Price
Architecture, Urban Planning and Visual Resources Librarian
Art, Architecture & Engineering Library
Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2094
734.647.5274
http://www.lib.umich.edu/aael/
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