Atlanta Downtown Leadership Forum & Urban Lab to Kick Off January 14-15

January 1,2010

Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) and Cousins Properties will host “Imagine Downtown: Sustainable, Healthy and Livable” a leadership forum with a series of presentations and roundtable discussions in the American Cancer Society’s Auditorium on Thursday, January 14, 2010, from 6-9 p.m. Topics to be addressed during the event are Downtown Atlanta’s future related to water, energy, transit and livability.

Invited guests include Stefanos Polyzoides, Co-Founder, Congress for the New Urbanism; John Norquist, CEO Congress for the New Urbanism; Dhiru A. Thadani, a renowned architect and urbanist; Chick Krautler, Director, Atlanta Regional Commission; Ciannat Howett, Director of Sustainability Initiatives, Emory University and Brian Stone, Georgia Institute of Technology. The forum takes place in anticipation of the 18th National Congress for New Urbanism coming to Atlanta May 19-22, 2010. The theme for this year’s CNU18 is “New Urbanism: Rx for Healthy Places.”

On Friday, January 15, an Urban Lab program with a select group of CNU leaders and local experts will test integrated sustainable principles into existing plans for SoNo (South of North Ave. district) that will expand into presentations during the May conference.

Who: The event is organized by Jennifer Ball; Vice President of Planning for CAP & Laura Heery Prozes, AIA & CNU18 Executive Co-Chair with AJ Robinson, CAP President; Taylor Glover, CAP Board Chair and the CNU18 Downtown Urban Lab Organizing Team: Townsend Bailey/Sustainable Atlanta; Ben Brown/Placemakers; Lori Thomas Bryant/Plan+Design; Bob Bunker/Brookwood Group; Jim Cumming/Trillium; Ellen Dunham-Jones; Andrea Pinabell/Home Depot Foundation; John Goff/Cousins Properties; Charles Green/CDC; Ciannat Howett/Emory University Director of Sustainability Programs; Caleb Racicot/Chair, CNUAtlanta & Tunnell Spangle Walsh; Robert Reed/Southface; Dan Reuter/ARC.

What: A gathering of government, non-profit and private sector leaders to share progress reports, chart the next phase of Atlanta’s sustainable future and test key concepts in an Urban Lab focusing on SoNo, one of the focus areas of the Imagine Downtown 2.0 plan. At its core the Imagine Downtown 2.0 vision plan promotes the responsible growth and development of a vibrant and attractive Downtown Atlanta. Downtown will include more options for transit, pleasant sidewalks and enjoyable open space. New construction will be oriented towards dense mixed-use development incorporating a variety of retail, office and residential uses. Downtown will be a 24-hour community, a place where residents, business people and visitors can experience all the Capital of the New South has to offer.

When: Thursday, January 14 (6-9 p.m.) & Friday, January 15 (8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.)
Where: American Cancer Society Auditorium (Jan. 14)
250 Williams Street, between Baker and Harris
Atlanta, GA 30303

CNU 18 Urban Lab: SONO District (Jan. 15)
St. Luke’s Church
435 Peachtree St.
Atlanta, GA 30308