BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:Indybay-72473 SEQUENCE:72473 CREATED:20050803T204600Z DESCRIPTION:The Green Party Housing and Land Use Seminar Series Presents: Smart Growth: What Does It Mean For San Francisco? Monday, August 8th, 7 - 9 pm First Baptist Church 7 Octavia Street, at Market St., San Francisco (on the historic F streetcar line) Speakers: Tom Radulovich, Executive Director of Transportation for a Livable City, a grassroots activist organization working to balance a sustainable transportation system with complementary land uses; and Ninth District representative to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors. Chris Durazo, Community Planning Director, South of Market Community Action Network, a community organization committed to supporting the neighborhood improvement of the South of Market neighborhood. Gilda Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer of the Unity Council, the non-profit community development organization responsible for Fruitvale Village, a transit oriented, mixed-use development located in the heart of Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood. This seminar will look at the growing movement defined as “smart growth”, a series of development policies aimed at minimizing dependence on auto transportation, reducing air pollution, protecting open space, and making more efficient use of land resources and existing infrastructure, to determine how its concepts and practices can best be implemented in San Francisco. Smart growth is most commonly discussed at the regional level, frequently focusing on directing growth towards urban areas that are well-served by mass transit, bikeways, and a strong pedestrian environment. In the already urbanized neighborhoods of San Francisco, smart growth often means directing development into existing communities where people already live and work. Regional discussions of smart growth often lack the scope necessary to address neighborhood level impacts. Our panelists will discuss how the broad concepts of smart growth can be applied to the already urbanized neighborhoods of San Francisco. About the Panelists Tom Radulovich is an activist promoting better environmental, transportation, and urban design policies in the Bay Area. He has co-authored several “transit-smart” initiatives and ballot measures, including the Octavia Boulevard Alternative, Proposition E, Proposition I, and Proposition H. During his nine year tenure on the BART Board, he has promoted the creation of area plans and access plans for BART stations, encouraged closer coordination between BART and other transit agencies, worked toward BART’s series of 'transit villages' located at Fruitvale, Hayward, and Pleasant Hill, and has secured grants for the neighborhood plan process and renovation of the Balboa Park Station. He will be discussing why smart growth is appropriate for San Francisco. As Community Planning Director for SOMCAN, Chris Durazo represents the community perspective on smart growth. Chris has worked with local communities to address the impacts smart growth development can have on existing neighborhoods and their residents, and has worked with them to remedy those impacts. Her viewpoint will present the significant affects new development can have on those who already live in the areas identified for this new development, and will offer lessons in how the needs and concerns of existing residents can be addressed in the smart growth process. As Executive Director of The Unity Council in Oakland, Gilda Gonzalez directed the community-based redevelopment process of the Fruitvale BART Station. Fruitvale Transit Village includes mixed-use retail and residential development, community services, a public library, several community organizations, a computer technology center, and a seniors' center to the region’s transit network, linking residents, commuters, services, and businesses via intermodal transportation. Building on her experience with the Fruitvale Transit Village, she will provide insight into how The Unity Council was able to build and maintain community, and political, support for the project while negotiating the regulatory hurdles smart growth projects often face. About the Housing and Land Use Seminar Series This is the ninth seminar in an ongoing series on housing and land use issues hosted by the San Francisco Green Party, currently being held on the second Monday of the month at First Baptist Church, organized by the Green Party Housing and Land Use working group. These workshops are a great opportunity to educate yourself, share your thoughts and get involved with local advocacy groups trying to create a better San Francisco. The seminars have included a diverse range of topics and speakers--SF Supervisors, activists, attorneys, developers, nonprofit builders and city planners--policymakers and advocates from all sides of our housing and development battles. Here's a chance for you to consider diverse, frequently contradictory opinions, and make up your own mind on important issues facing the city. The previous seminars have proven informative, lively and entertaining. For more information about the Green Party Housing and Land Use working group, see: Housing and Land Use Working Group, or go to the SF Green Party website (http://www.sfgreenparty.org) and choose the Working Groups link. The seminars are free and open to the public. Contact: HLU Co-chairs Jennifer Donlon at junipers.hill(at)gmail.com or David Wilbur at drwsf(at)yahoo.com for additional seminar details. \n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2005/08/03/72473.php SUMMARY:Smart Growth: What Does It Mean For San Francisco? LOCATION:First Baptist Church 7 Octavia Street, at Market St., San Francisco (on the historic F streetcar line) URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2005/08/03/72473.php DTSTART:20050809T020000Z DTEND:20050809T040000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR