The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today announced it has selected 7 communities throughout the country to receive technical assistance under the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program in 2013. The communities selected are Coral Bay, St. John; Covington, Ky; Lee County, Fla.; Livingston, Calif.; San Diego, Calif; Sebastopol, Calif; and Tremonton City, Utah.
The SDAT program represents a significant institutional investment in public service work to assist communities in developing policy frameworks and long term sustainability plans. Since 2005, the program has provided technical assistance to 68 communities across more than 30 states.
The collaborative SDAT brings together architects and other professionals assembled from across the country to provide a roadmap for communities seeking to improve their sustainability – as defined by a community’s ability to meet the environmental, economic, and social equity needs of today without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The SDAT will work with local stakeholders to help the community create a plan for its sustainable future. To provide the most objective assessment, team members volunteer their time and expertise and are selected from areas outside the project communities.
The communities were selected after submitting an application to the Center for Communities by Design outlining the economic, environmental, and social equity challenges facing their region. The SDAT community assistance program provides the selected communities with these components:
- Preliminary/scoping visit
- Three-day visit from a multidisciplinary team
- A report highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the community with regards to sustainability, along with the opportunities and obstacles to change
- Consultations after the three-day visit (typically by phone or email)
To learn more about the AIA Center for Communities by Design or the SDAT program visit:
http://www.aia.org/about/initiatives/AIAS075425.
