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By Daniel Lobo, Project Manager, AIA Center
for Communities by Design
Approaching the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the
AIA's Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT, pronounced
roo-dat) the Center for Communities by Design looks back at five of
its initiatives to
showcase what engaged communities, assisted by architects, urban
designers, and professional volunteers can achieve towards a
livable environment.
The selected R/UDATs – Austin TX, Moose Jaw Canada, Salt Lake
City UT, San Angelo TX, and Springfield IL – highlight the
resources available to communities to develop feasible visions for
their the future. In turn, architects demonstrate the important
role they play as members of their communities using their skills,
knowledge and experience to advocate and support a built
environment that enhances the quality of life.
R/UDAT uses a grassroots, charrette-style approach to help combine
local resources with the expertise of architects and other
professionals from across the nation. Teams conduct an intensive
three to four-day workshop onsite, engaging all members of the
community in creating a vision for the future. The momentum
gathered with the preparations leading to this session is carried
over to the follow up process to ensure implementation.
The program shows tangible benefits to communities. In these examples we can
see the creation of 2,300 new hotel rooms, increased population in
urban downtowns, 1.000.000 s.f. of new office space, civic
buildings such as performing arts and visual arts facilities or a
convention center and a city hall, the adoption of bike trails and
the implementation of a transit system, or becoming a leader in
expanded tourist activity.
The breadth of these 5 reviews represents the large range of
issues and solutions provided by the 138 currently completed
R/UDATS making easier to understand the program’s recognition
for its positive impact in the North American built environment
since its beginning in 1967. But what is probably the most relevant
contribution of a R/UDAT can not be represented easily with
figures: an enhanced sense of community, engagement in the
continued development of America’s cities and towns, and a
vision for the future formed by objective and quality analysis
supported by grassroots participation.
Springfield, Illinois long after the 2002
full team visit and workshop – by far the most intense and
visible part of a R/UDAT – remains engaged in a continued
implementation effort. The recognition and presence of the
follow-up committee in the public life of Springfield has been an
outstanding result of the initiative. The support and involvement
of the mayor in backing and implementing recommendations
speaks of the impact of an initiative that represented the
community and marks the long impact that the R/UDAT will carry in
the years ahead.
But reaching that intensity in a community does not come in a
readymade package. R/UDATs typically go over several phases,
starting with the request by a local representative of detailed
information about the process and initiating a conversation between
the AIA architect and local leaders. A diverse local steering
committee prepares the application. Springfield, IL after creating
their “Road map to the future” in 1999 sought an
implementation strategy bridging the proposed vision and the
existing solutions. Their approach to the local AIA to study the
case was just the beginning of the process that is now reaping
success in the city.
With the formal commitment of the AIA the next step is to get
organized. Austin, TX dedicated a year to find the
right team chair while raising funds and generating the commitment
of the community. This careful action helped to establish clear
areas of interest, staffing and the overall organization that would
provide the backbone to the next step: the team visit.
An architect-lead multidisciplinary team of eight experts was
selected for the workshop in Salt Lake City, UT. After listening to the
concerns and ideas of residents, community leaders, and interested
groups and viewing both the study area and the surrounding
community, the team prepared and published a report that is
presented in a public meeting on the last day. The insightful
recommendations enabled Salt Lake City to reach a dedicated
community follow-through with visible results.
This community engagement in the final phase of the R/UDAT is
crucial for its success. Implementation faces innumerable hurdles
without public participation and a constructive dialogue towards
common shared goals. The Canadian city of Moose Jaw knew it all too well. As a
result of the recession and unsuccessful initiatives in the
previous years a sense of skepticism prevailed. Their R/UDAT
addresses the situation by gathering a strong community momentum
where the architect-lead team helped to understand how the
strengths and weakness of the City played in the current situation;
thus building consensus for a community in transition and
supporting the role played by the local leaders. In turn, Moose Jaw
engaged in a process that saw the successful assignment of downtown
locations for an infill long-term care facility, the Temple Gardens
Mineral Spa, or the Casino Moose Jaw. The implementation of the
recommendations helped preserve and promote a downtown that rivaled
the best in North America according to the R/UDAT team. Now Moose
Jaw leads Canada in expanded tourism activity.
The opportunities and vision of the program drives professionals,
volunteers and community stakeholders with the same energy. Erin
Simmons, Program Manager, Design Assistance: “R/UDAT is the
“Mission Impossible” of the AIA Center for Communities by
Design. No, I’m not referring to the recent movie remakes but
to the original 60’s and 70’s TV show where a group of
professionals were faced each episode with resolving a common
challenge. The members of the group changed depending on the needs
of each mission, choosing those best suited for the work at hand. A
collaborative effort, a careful study of the situation, and an
intense and carefully paced course of action led to the success of
operations. The group is called-in and it assists finding solutions
and avenues for progress in achieving a just environment. It all
sounds very R/UDAT to me.” She adds: “The five R/UDATs
reviewed provide a great range of possibilities of what a R/UDAT
can do for your community. And where we say five, we could have
just said 138 – the number of R/UDAT’s completed to date.
Each one of them offers a unique take on community development. The
program is truly exemplary.”
So no matter what is the challenge faced by your community,
neighborhood or district, or if you have the professional drive to
help transform America’s environment you may want to speak to
your local architect about a R/UDAT.
For further information, please, visit The AIA Center of Communities by Design or
e-mail us at: communitiesbydesign@aia.org
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