Rotary Club of Los Angeles provides $1,000 in support of a Community Greening Strategy for Downtown

A very special thank you to the Rotary Club of Los Angeles

On Friday, March 19, 2010, the Rotary Club of Los Angeles - the fifth oldest Rotary Club - presented the DLANC Sustainability Committee Chair Ashley Zarella Hand, LEED AP BD+C, Assoc. AIA with a $1,000 check towards the community match required for the SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) Grant. This money will go the national American Institute of Architects Center for Communities by Design to help cover the costs of the SDAT visit hosted by DLANC last December 2009 as part of the process to develop a community greening strategy. In addition to financial support, the Rotary Club participated throughout the team visit, sharing its perspective on the changes seen Downtown Los Angeles and its vision for the future.

DLANC has committeed $1,500 towards the $5,000 match required for this $15,000 grant and we continue to invite community partners to help support this grassroots initiative to create a comprehensive sustainability plan for Downtown Los Angeles. For more information on the SDAT process and our preliminary report from the team of professionals on the SDAT, please click here.

AIA SDAT visit to start this Wednesday

After many months of anticipation, the AIA SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) arrives this Wednesday for a three day visit and study of our neighborhood. In November 2008, the Sustainability Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council successfully applied to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Center for Communities by Design SDAT Grant - which provides our community with more than $15,000 in resources and professional expertise from across the nation to help us meet our goals for a more sustainable urban environment.

Since its inception, the Sustainability Committee has been working towards the development of a community greening strategy and resource toolkit to help our stakeholders make more sustainable choices where they live, work and play. This grant will provide us with the professional expertise we need to make a comprehensive plan for our Neighborhood Council to implement in the coming years - with the help of our community partners and stakeholders. With an additional focus on creating a transferable plan, the SDAT will provide us with a resource we hope to share with other NCs across the city for a truly grassroots approach and solution to sustainability in Los Angeles.

In addition to tracking our progress over the course of the three day visit, click below to learn more about our project, goals, itinerary, and how you can get involved.
DOWNLOAD our media package & itinerary

SDAT Project Goals and Objectives
SDAT National Team
SDAT Steering Committee

SDAT Visit Agenda Day 1: Wednesday, December 2
10:00AM SDAT Neighborhood Tour
4:00PM SDAT Steering Committee Meeting - Central Public Library Meeting Room A
5:30-7:00PM Community Mixer at Ciudad - Come meet the team!

SDAT Visit Agenda Day 2: Thursday, December 3 - The Standard
10:00AM Working Group/Stakeholder Meeting 1: Downtown Business Improvement Strategies & Redevelopment
11:30AM Working Group/Stakeholder Meeting 2: Streetscape, Open Space, Placemaking & Transportation
2:00PM Working Group/Stakeholder Meeting 3: Housing & Neighborhood Amenities
3:30PM Working Group/Stakeholder Meeting 4: Neighborhood Governance & Community Leadership
7:00PM Live Working Group - public invited to view

SDAT Visit Agenda Day 3: Friday, December 4
6:00PM Public Presentation of Preliminary SDAT Report

It's starting! AIA SDAT this Thursday & Friday

The Sustainability Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council is pleased to announce that the first stage of the SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) grant starts this Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 9am.

This $15,000 national grant is from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and will fund a team of professionals to help with the development of a community greening strategy and resource toolkit. We have only had a short amount of time to get ready for this visit but the Sustainability Committee would like to invite you to participate in this exciting planning process.

Please NOTE: I am updating the itinerary frequently - please check out our website for a link to the latest version of the schedule.

You are welcome to join us for any of our community walks - as indicated on the schedule. Thank you to our community partners who are participating in the preliminary visit. We are hoping to visit all parts of the neighborhood represented by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. Introduce yourself to the team, hear their first impressions, and discuss your thoughts about walkability, livability, affordability, efficiency, and sustainability in your neighborhood.

We hope to see you this Thursday, September 10 - Friday, September 11 as we introduce the SDAT to Downtown Los Angeles. Thank you!

www.downtownsustainability.com