CNU board evolves by adding leading engineer and planner

With the CNU board of directors finishing up a revised strategic plan to help it identify and accomplish critical future goals — including improving CNU’s effectiveness at the regional level and in the education of design and development professionals – the board took a few future-oriented personnel actions at its fall meeting. The CNU board voted to confirm Dan Solomon’s request to become an emeritus member of the board. A co-founder of CNU, Solomon will remain engaged with the board and will continue to provide CNU initiatives with guidance. With his recent speech at CNU XIV generating buzz among CNU members (architects at Torti Gallas used a video of the lecture as the subject of a lunchtime conversation series this fall), the movement will continue to benefit from his leadership as it does other emeritus board members such as Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Stefanos Polyzoides. With an eye on future challenges, the board took the opportunity to add two new board members that can help advance New Urbanism, Norman Garrick and Paul Crawford. Specialty in urban transportation Norman Garrick, associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Connecticut and director of UConn’s new Center for Smart Transportation, specializes in the planning and design of diverse urban transportation. Garrick has been cochair of CNU’s Transportation Task Force at a time when it has been one of the most vital of CNU’s member groups. Through the task force, Garrick has been an essential contributor to the CNU/ITE urban thoroughfares project that has produced the influential new manual, “Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities.” At critical points in the project, Garrick carefully reviewed comments on the manual, incorporated the advice in a productive way, and worked to convince project partners of CNU positions, a process that continues as the draft manual undergoes final review. He was also a member of CNU’s transportation team at the Mississippi Renewal Forum. Garrick holds a Ph.D. and MSCE from Purdue University, and a BSCE from the University of the West Indies, Trinidad. With a career that bridges academic study and engineering practice, Garrick is an effective leader in transportation reform. Considering his goals for his renewable 3-year term on the board, Garrick said that the CNU/ITE partnership has helped change the way people think about streets, “but there’s lots more to be done in creating a transportation framework that supports urbanism.” In Paul Crawford, the board adds another proven leader who has demonstrated his commitment to the movement by generously sharing his time and expertise on a number of initiatives. As co-chair of CNU’s Planners Task Force, Crawford co-wrote Codifying New Urbanism, jointly published in 2004 by the APA and CNU. Given his experiences as director of planning and building for San Luis Obispo County and executive director of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, he brings first-hand knowledge of how local governments can help implement New Urbanism. In addition to forming Crawford Multari & Clark Associates, where he now consults on improving zoning codes and comprehensive plans, Crawford also cofounded the national Form-Based Codes Institute, a group dedicated to setting standards and increasing implementation of form-based coding. His zoning work includes 20 form-based codes, including the first (Petaluma) adopted in California. As a board member, Crawford is looking forward to becoming more involved with CNU initiatives. “I am particularly interested in seeing CNU engage more members of the municipal planning community and the world of planning academia,” he says. “Of course, I also expect to continue to promote the evolution of form-based codes as a key means of facilitating development consistent with Charter principles.” — Nora Beck