Oct. 14, 1998
Contact: Diane Dale 
 (804) 924-6454


PIEDMONT FUTURES:  STRATEGIES OF CHANGE
SYMPOSIUM AT U.VA. LOOKS AT GROWTH IN VIRGINIA'S PIEDMONT
	
	ÒWe need a new design.Ó This is the advice William
McDonough, dean of the University of VirginiaÕs School of
Architecture and founder of the UniversityÕs Institute for
Sustainable Design, will give to civic, business, and government leaders
when they convene at a day-long symposium in Newcomb Hall on October 26
to discuss the future of VirginiaÕs Northern Piedmont.  McDonough
believes not in Òdoing more with lessÓ or being Òless badÓ
Ð the conventional approaches to addressing environmental problems
Ð but in applying an abundance of human creativity to develop
positive design solutions that are profitable, equitable, and
ecologically intelligent, with the goal of having a sustainable
environment. The symposium will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
	One of the main aims of the Piedmont Futures symposium is to get
the regionÕs leaders Ð from Alexandria to Richmond to
Charlottesville Ð to agree on the need to change direction and act
collaboratively. Many of the resources and amenities that form the
regionÕs high quality of life are at risk, ironically, because the
regionÕs high quality of life has been the generator of new business
and residential development, McDonough said.  This growth is now
encroaching on the regionÕs open spaces, high quality farmland, and
historic towns and villages, and threatening the regionÕs water
quality, low taxes, and ability to provide basic community services.
Many residents are spending more time in traffic, less time with their
families, and are faced with stagnating real estate prices and crowded
schools.
	By projecting the regionÕs future under policies and
strategies that are currently in place, symposium speaker Robert Yaro
will reveal the regionÕs Òde factoÓ plan at the symposium.  His
projections are intended to serve as a catalyst for regional cooperation
and dialogue about alternative design, policy, and business development
strategies. 
	
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	Yaro, executive director of the New York Regional Plan
Association, one of the nationÕs most distinguished metropolitan
research and advocacy groups, believes that Òthe Piedmont can choose
a future which welcomes new residents and enterprises and the
development they bring, but on the regionÕs own terms.  The Piedmont
can provide a business-friendly environment and accommodate new growth
in amounts, patterns, and locations that reinforce the regionÕs
character and strengths, while protecting its natural and historic
heritage.Ó
	Within a new regional design and planning framework,
high-technology economic development could offer an opportunity to
direct ÒcleanÓ and high-paying jobs to areas of the region that
are in need of revitalization, and to develop communities already
serviced by transportation and other infrastructure.  Chris Holden, CEO
of Kesmai Corporation, an information technology company in
Charlottesville; David Kalergis, director of Virginia Gateway, a
University of Virginia outreach program to encourage linkages between
the University and the regionÕs growing high-tech business community;
and associate professor of architecture Kenneth Schwartz will discuss an
opportunity for high-tech economic development to rejuvenate a declining
commercial corridor near downtown Charlottesville.
	The symposium speakers will present strategies of change from
several different perspectives, illustrating the benefits of regional
collaboration and models for how Piedmont communities can work together
to create a new, sustaining vision for the future.  Keynote speaker Carl
Guardino, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, a
public policy trade association that represents over one hundred of
Silicon ValleyÕs largest employers, will discuss a model of private
sector leadership for alternative land use and transportation
strategies.  Joseph Maraziti, recently appointed chairman of the New
Jersey State Planning Commission, will discuss New JerseyÕs
state-led, incentive-based framework for smart growth and sustainable
development.
	The symposium is being sponsored by individuals, corporations,
and foundations including the Sacharuna Foundation, the Prince
Charitable Trusts, and the Virginia Environmental Endowment.
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	For more information or to schedule an interview with any of the
symposium participants, contact the Institute for Sustainable Design at
(804) 924 6454. Television reporters should call the TV News Office at
(804) 924-7550.