Recent news from our office:
1/13/12 | Vinayak Bharne, Director of Design, has been nominated to the Resource Council of the Form-Based Code Institute.
12/13/11 | The Pasadena City Council and Design Commission approved the design for Playhouse Plaza, a 145,000-square foot Mixed-Use Development located in the City’s historic Playhouse District. The development will include 137,000 square feet of office and 8,000 square feet of commercial/retail uses, arranged over a 367-car subterranean garage. The project is designed to highlight and complement the complex urban and architectural character of its setting. The office building is located on Colorado Boulevard and along the mid-block portions of the 1.32-acre site. The stores and restaurants are accommodated in one-story commercial buildings that line a network of intimate courtyards. The project is arranged into several discreet volumes and images, characteristic of the existing built patterns of its surroundings. The design of new buildings, gardens and streetscape safeguards the monumental presence of the Pasadena Playhouse.
Playhouse Plaza was designed in a rolling charrette, attended weekly for twelve weeks by a Working Group of nine members which included IDS (developer), Pasadena Heritage, Pasadenans for a Livable City and three members of the City’s Design Review Commission. Moule & Polyzoides, Design Architect for Playhouse Plaza, wishes to acknowledge the support, collaboration and contributions of Gensler, Executive Architect, to the successful resolution of a complex project.
11/14/11 | The New College of Florida Academic Center & Plaza, completed last August and now hosting its first classes, has received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Its design combines vernacular and contemporary design elements and incorporates many sustainable strategies. These include both passive and high-tech solutions, such as externalized circulation, deeply shaded south and west facing arcades, natural light and ventilation, and a rainwater collection system.
10/7/11 | The Fresno Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan, part of the Downtown Fresno Specific Plan was released on October 7. Fresno residents have approximately 30 days for review before each Community Advisory Committee votes to formally initiate the plans. A key outcome of this process will be the future form and function of the Fulton Mall. Adoption of the plans is expected in late 2012, after public comment and environmental review.
8/3/11 | The New College of Florida Academic Center and Plaza has been completed and is ready to host its first classes in the fall. This $9 million building is the new home of the College's Division of Humanities and includes classrooms, faculty offices and a small café. The first project to be realized from our 2006 Master Plan for the College, it is among the most significant structures on campus - the first of a series of buildings that will form the College’s main quadrangle.
Its design combines vernacular and contemporary design elements, consistent with its location on the Gulf of Mexico. Many sustainable strategies have been incorporated, such as externalized circulation, deeply shaded south and west facing arcades, natural light and ventilation, and a rainwater collection system, and is expected to receive LEED Gold designation. The new Academic Center and Plaza promises to become the campus hub, a natural meeting point throughout the week for students, faculty and staff.
5/17/11 | In early May, the Paso Robles City Council unanimously approved the Moule & Polyzoides Uptown/Town Centre Specific Plan & Form-Based Code for their 120-year-old city.
Sitituated midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Paso Robles is in the heart of Central California’s wine country which is fast becoming one of the most admired appellations in California.
“This is a most auspicious event for Paso Robles,” Paso Robles City Planner Ed Gallagher said to us after the vote. “We are ever so grateful for your professionalism, expert guidance and sage advice.”
The Plan was developed to provide a vision for the 1,000-acre, 245-block planning area that revitalizes and expands the historic downtown by introducing infill buildings; preserving historic fabric; establishing a pedestrian-friendly street network; rethinking traffic circulation, public transit, and parking; and developing a range of sustainable site and building strategies.
Moule & Polyzoides led a distinguished team of consultants, including Opticos Design, Fong Hart Schneider, Poole Design, Impact Sciences, Sherwood Design Engineers, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Strategic Economics, M. Goodwin Associates, and Historic Resources Group.
Download the Strategic Plan and Form-Based Code [40 mb PDF]
11/23/10 | Downtown Lancaster Streetscape Officially Completed
The redesigned Lancaster Boulevard in downtown Lancaster, California has been transformed from a high-speed thoroughfare with struggling businesses into a grand new civic space. This mile-long stretch is now invigorated with a variety of pedestrian improvements, traffic calming measures and a new ramblas - a tree-lined promenade enhanced by outdoor furniture, pavers, landscape, sound systems and decorative festival lighting. Running down the center of the boulevard, the ramblas provides a gracious new shaded pedestrian walkway that hosts street fairs, farmer’s markets, parades, new diagonal parking and a right-of-way for a future streetcar. The improvements to walkability, social activity and retail visibility are the City’s route to a renewed downtown.
6/3/10 | Elizabeth Moule & Stefanos Polyzoides Honored
at 18th Annual Evening of Art
Partners Elizabeth Moule and Stefanos Polyzoides were honored by the County of Los Angeles and the HeArt Project for their contributions to the arts on June 3 at the 18th annual Evening of Art. The HeArt Project offers weekly arts programs to continuation high schools and community day schools, providing an alternative to students who have not been successful in traditional educational settings. Augmenting schools’ minimal resources by offering a comprehensive arts education that engages both the hearts and minds of overlooked teenagers, the HeArt Project gives these students the opportunity to work with professional artists, cultural centers and communities to imagine, produce and present new work.
4/6/10 | Local Residents Share Outlook on Hunter's Point
In this Center for Creative Land Recycling video, local residents share their own perspectives about redevelopment of Hunter's Point in San Francisco. Moule & Polyzoides designed two blocks of urban infill for the project's master plan, which includes the former home of the Hunter's Point Shipyard and Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Until 1974, Hunter's Point was a major source of jobs for the community, but with the Navy's closure of the shipyard, residents and businesses left, leaving abandoned properties and contaminated sites. The redevelopment project will revitalize the area, transforming it into a thriving neighborhood with new homes and parks and bringing back jobs for local residents.
3/10/10 | Modern Streetcar Approved for Tucson's Mission District
The Mission District, Moule & Polyzoides's plan for a new neighborhood in Tucson, Arizona, is about to become a key destination on the City's recently funded streetcar line. The streetcar will create internal linkages for the Mission District, as well as connect to Tucson's main downtown area. The Mission District project, which won the Congress of the New Urbanism's Charter Award in 2006 (previously known as the Mercado District), is in the midst of phased development as a walkable neighborhood, including residential, commercial and cultural uses.
Moule & Polyzoides's plan for the District includes the streetcar as one component of a well-connected, pedestrian- and transit-oriented neighborhood. As currently envisioned, the streetcar will follow a loop that serves both the District's evolving Avenida del Convento (its main street) and its adjacent mixed-use areas. From the south end of the District, the route will then proceed eastward and connect with Tucson's Downtown and University areas.
The streetcar complements the plan's many pedestrian-oriented design features and encourages strolling opportunities. Such features include wide sidewalks, generous arcades and street trees for shade, regionally inspired architecture, a mixed-used emphasis, a variety of cultural destinations and on-street parking to increase the free supply of parking stalls while slowing traffic. Buildings fronting the street accommodate commercial uses on the ground floor with residential or office uses above.
The move to build the streetcar marks a continued rise in the area's fortunes and stands in stark contrast to the site's recent history as a forgotten and vacant tract of land alongside the freeway. Following the completion of early phases of the project, the streetcar will be a welcome addition to the Mission District, ensuring appeal for many years to come and building on the successes of a vital and evolutionary plan.
The streetcar is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Arizona's Regional Transportation Authority and other sources.
To learn more about Moule & Polyzoides's TODs, please click on the Transit Villages link at left.
1/28/10 | Moule & Polyzoides has been selected to lead a major planning effort for Fresno, California, the state's fifth largest city. The Fulton Corridor Plan will encompass several distinct areas, including the Central Business District (and the Fulton Mall), a new high-speed rail station, and a variety of surrounding neighborhoods. In all, the Plan area includes approximately 7,000 acres.
The effort represents an important opportunity to revitalize the core of one of California's longstanding regional centers. Fresno's importance began from the time of its founding in 1872, sparking a half century of growth and prosperity until World War II. This was followed by a period of downtown decline coinciding with the growth of outlying suburbs. In response to evolving, long-term challenges, the Plan seeks to reinvigorate the City by creating a comprehensive vision and implementation strategies for future development.
The Plan will incorporate extensive outreach and focus on revitalization, aesthetics, infrastructure, and attraction and expansion of businesses. It will include a Specific Plan, Community Plan, and a supporting environmental document. The effort is scheduled to be completed over the course of nearly three years.
The project continues Moule & Polyzoides long-term commitment to sustainable urbanism.
1/26/10 | New College of Florida, Sarasota, Florida, broke ground on a new Academic Center Building designed by Moule & Polyzoides. The design will be the first building completed based upon Moule & Polyzoides 2006 Master Plan for the small, highly regarded institution. The building includes more than 35,000 square feet of faculty offices, classrooms and support space, and will be located near the formal entry to the 110-acre campus.
The building's significance is not lost on those who know and appreciate the College's history. Originally established during the early 1960s as an independent Honors College, it eventually became part of the University of South Florida, only regaining its independence during the last decade. Among its first steps after regaining independence was to commission the highly sustainable New College of Florida Master Plan.
The new building will share a common quadrangle, the primary gathering place on campus, with the existing Bancroft Library. Its design reflects vernacular and contemporary tropical architectural influences, including open air circulation, cross ventilation, deep window recesses, shutters, a metal roof and masonry walls. The building is expected to achieve LEED Gold Certification. The design helps refine the College's evolving architectural character and is rooted in its academic traditions.
Read more about the New College of Florida Academic Center or visit the New College of Florida web site.
1/22/10 | Stefanos Polyzoides, partner of Moule & Polyzoides, Architects and Urbanists, addressed a group of civic leaders and design and development professionals at the “Making Transit-Oriented Development a Reality in the San Joaquin Valley“ conference that was sponsored by the City of Fresno and held at Fresno's Convention Center, not far from the anticipated site of one of California's key high-speed rail stations.
Stefanos spoke from the viewpoint of an architect and planner who has built TODs, focusing upon Mission Meridian Village, the award-winning Metro Gold Line Station in South Pasadena, California, designed by Moule & Polyzoides. Joining him to offer the developer's perspective was Michael Dieden of Creative Housing Associates. The talk discussed the design's evolution from initial concept through design and construction, noting opportunities and challenges. Among the key lessons of such projects is that TODs can enliven and even be the center of attractive, walkable communities. Furthermore, successful TOD strategies can be applicable to a wide range of rail types, such as light, heavy and high-speed rail stations. A thoughtfully planned TOD is often the core of a mixed-use community; it enables people to live, work and shop without driving; it dramatically reduces reliance on automobiles; and it promotes a healthy, walkable lifestyle and sustainable development model. In summary, effective TODs coordinate environmental, economic and social needs.
For more information, please click on the link for the City of Fresno's Regional Land Use & Transportation Workshop. To learn more about Moule & Polyzoides's TODs (including the Mission Meridian Station) please click on the Transit Villages link on the left.
8/27/09 | The need for reform of conventional development practices has been a long-time topic for those seeking exemplary, highly sustainable development. A new report, Removing the Roadblocks: How to Make Sustainable Development Happen Now, describes in detail ways to implement climate-friendly real estate development in California, using walkable communities near transit, jobs, and services that reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions. The report grew out of a March workshop at the UCLA School of Law's Emmett Center on Climate Change, reflecting the efforts of participants such as Moule & Polyzoides Principal Elizabeth Moule and a group of leading real estate developers and architects, the California Attorney General and primary author Ethan Elkind.
The report presents a set of comprehensive recommendations for business leaders and federal, state and local governments to make sustainable development easier, more affordable and more widespread. The report also identifies the major obstacles blocking environmentally sustainable neighborhoods and recommends long- and short-term actions that policy makers and industry professionals must take to remove these obstacles. The paper and workshop series was organized by the UCLA School of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law's Center for Law and the California Attorney General's office.
DOWNLOAD the full report from the UCLA School of Law website.
8/4/09 | Parklands, Moule & Polyzoides's design of a 67-acre traditional neighborhood development in Ventura, California, has been adopted by the City of Ventura. A sustainable mixed-use community designed around a pedestrian-friendly network of streets and blocks, the Parklands design ushered in the era of sustainable planning in the City of Ventura just as a new General Plan effort began. The design integrates landscaped/permeable alleys, storm water retention strategies, restoration of an existing barranca, discourages impermeable pavement, and includes more than 11 acres of open space. The Plan also includes 500 units of varying housing types, retail uses, and a central park and pool facility that are the focus of an intricate network of pocket parks and rose walks. Parklands draws upon Ventura's long history of unique traditional neighborhoods to create a charming pedestrian-oriented place that enhances the fabric of one of California's oldest cities.
5/13/09 | American Public Media's daily radio program, Marketplace continued its series on "The Next American Dream" with an interview of Elizabeth Moule, Principal of Moule & Polyzoides, on the firm's design of the award-winning Mission Station transit-oriented development. The series is exploring ways in which architects and developers are rethinking the traditional single-family home in response to changing economic influences, environmental considerations and contemporary family lifestyles.
In responding to questions from host Kai Ryssdal, Ms. Moule discussed a number of the characteristics that make Mission Station very practical, affordable, sustainable, and supportive of its residents' quality of life. These include a mix of commercial and residential uses, walkable neighborhood setting, adjacency to a light rail transit station, landscaped courtyards, emphasis on permanence of construction, densities that relate to the scale of the neighborhood, and lower cost relative to single-family homes. She noted that an increasing number of Americans are embracing this more sustainable, family-oriented urban living as an alternative to the time, expense and isolation of long commutes.
LISTEN to the interview at the Marketplace Web site.
1/13/12 | Vinayak Bharne, Director of Design, has been nominated to the Resource Council of the Form-Based Code Institute.
12/13/11 | The Pasadena City Council and Design Commission approved the design for Playhouse Plaza, a 145,000-square foot Mixed-Use Development located in the City’s historic Playhouse District. The development will include 137,000 square feet of office and 8,000 square feet of commercial/retail uses, arranged over a 367-car subterranean garage. The project is designed to highlight and complement the complex urban and architectural character of its setting. The office building is located on Colorado Boulevard and along the mid-block portions of the 1.32-acre site. The stores and restaurants are accommodated in one-story commercial buildings that line a network of intimate courtyards. The project is arranged into several discreet volumes and images, characteristic of the existing built patterns of its surroundings. The design of new buildings, gardens and streetscape safeguards the monumental presence of the Pasadena Playhouse.
Playhouse Plaza was designed in a rolling charrette, attended weekly for twelve weeks by a Working Group of nine members which included IDS (developer), Pasadena Heritage, Pasadenans for a Livable City and three members of the City’s Design Review Commission. Moule & Polyzoides, Design Architect for Playhouse Plaza, wishes to acknowledge the support, collaboration and contributions of Gensler, Executive Architect, to the successful resolution of a complex project.
11/14/11 | The New College of Florida Academic Center & Plaza, completed last August and now hosting its first classes, has received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Its design combines vernacular and contemporary design elements and incorporates many sustainable strategies. These include both passive and high-tech solutions, such as externalized circulation, deeply shaded south and west facing arcades, natural light and ventilation, and a rainwater collection system.
10/7/11 | The Fresno Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan, part of the Downtown Fresno Specific Plan was released on October 7. Fresno residents have approximately 30 days for review before each Community Advisory Committee votes to formally initiate the plans. A key outcome of this process will be the future form and function of the Fulton Mall. Adoption of the plans is expected in late 2012, after public comment and environmental review.
8/3/11 | The New College of Florida Academic Center and Plaza has been completed and is ready to host its first classes in the fall. This $9 million building is the new home of the College's Division of Humanities and includes classrooms, faculty offices and a small café. The first project to be realized from our 2006 Master Plan for the College, it is among the most significant structures on campus - the first of a series of buildings that will form the College’s main quadrangle.
Its design combines vernacular and contemporary design elements, consistent with its location on the Gulf of Mexico. Many sustainable strategies have been incorporated, such as externalized circulation, deeply shaded south and west facing arcades, natural light and ventilation, and a rainwater collection system, and is expected to receive LEED Gold designation. The new Academic Center and Plaza promises to become the campus hub, a natural meeting point throughout the week for students, faculty and staff.
5/17/11 | In early May, the Paso Robles City Council unanimously approved the Moule & Polyzoides Uptown/Town Centre Specific Plan & Form-Based Code for their 120-year-old city.
Sitituated midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Paso Robles is in the heart of Central California’s wine country which is fast becoming one of the most admired appellations in California.
“This is a most auspicious event for Paso Robles,” Paso Robles City Planner Ed Gallagher said to us after the vote. “We are ever so grateful for your professionalism, expert guidance and sage advice.”
The Plan was developed to provide a vision for the 1,000-acre, 245-block planning area that revitalizes and expands the historic downtown by introducing infill buildings; preserving historic fabric; establishing a pedestrian-friendly street network; rethinking traffic circulation, public transit, and parking; and developing a range of sustainable site and building strategies.
Moule & Polyzoides led a distinguished team of consultants, including Opticos Design, Fong Hart Schneider, Poole Design, Impact Sciences, Sherwood Design Engineers, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Strategic Economics, M. Goodwin Associates, and Historic Resources Group.
Download the Strategic Plan and Form-Based Code [40 mb PDF]
11/23/10 | Downtown Lancaster Streetscape Officially Completed
The redesigned Lancaster Boulevard in downtown Lancaster, California has been transformed from a high-speed thoroughfare with struggling businesses into a grand new civic space. This mile-long stretch is now invigorated with a variety of pedestrian improvements, traffic calming measures and a new ramblas - a tree-lined promenade enhanced by outdoor furniture, pavers, landscape, sound systems and decorative festival lighting. Running down the center of the boulevard, the ramblas provides a gracious new shaded pedestrian walkway that hosts street fairs, farmer’s markets, parades, new diagonal parking and a right-of-way for a future streetcar. The improvements to walkability, social activity and retail visibility are the City’s route to a renewed downtown.
6/3/10 | Elizabeth Moule & Stefanos Polyzoides Honored
at 18th Annual Evening of Art
Partners Elizabeth Moule and Stefanos Polyzoides were honored by the County of Los Angeles and the HeArt Project for their contributions to the arts on June 3 at the 18th annual Evening of Art. The HeArt Project offers weekly arts programs to continuation high schools and community day schools, providing an alternative to students who have not been successful in traditional educational settings. Augmenting schools’ minimal resources by offering a comprehensive arts education that engages both the hearts and minds of overlooked teenagers, the HeArt Project gives these students the opportunity to work with professional artists, cultural centers and communities to imagine, produce and present new work.
4/6/10 | Local Residents Share Outlook on Hunter's Point
In this Center for Creative Land Recycling video, local residents share their own perspectives about redevelopment of Hunter's Point in San Francisco. Moule & Polyzoides designed two blocks of urban infill for the project's master plan, which includes the former home of the Hunter's Point Shipyard and Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Until 1974, Hunter's Point was a major source of jobs for the community, but with the Navy's closure of the shipyard, residents and businesses left, leaving abandoned properties and contaminated sites. The redevelopment project will revitalize the area, transforming it into a thriving neighborhood with new homes and parks and bringing back jobs for local residents.
3/10/10 | Modern Streetcar Approved for Tucson's Mission District
The Mission District, Moule & Polyzoides's plan for a new neighborhood in Tucson, Arizona, is about to become a key destination on the City's recently funded streetcar line. The streetcar will create internal linkages for the Mission District, as well as connect to Tucson's main downtown area. The Mission District project, which won the Congress of the New Urbanism's Charter Award in 2006 (previously known as the Mercado District), is in the midst of phased development as a walkable neighborhood, including residential, commercial and cultural uses.
Moule & Polyzoides's plan for the District includes the streetcar as one component of a well-connected, pedestrian- and transit-oriented neighborhood. As currently envisioned, the streetcar will follow a loop that serves both the District's evolving Avenida del Convento (its main street) and its adjacent mixed-use areas. From the south end of the District, the route will then proceed eastward and connect with Tucson's Downtown and University areas.
The streetcar complements the plan's many pedestrian-oriented design features and encourages strolling opportunities. Such features include wide sidewalks, generous arcades and street trees for shade, regionally inspired architecture, a mixed-used emphasis, a variety of cultural destinations and on-street parking to increase the free supply of parking stalls while slowing traffic. Buildings fronting the street accommodate commercial uses on the ground floor with residential or office uses above.
The move to build the streetcar marks a continued rise in the area's fortunes and stands in stark contrast to the site's recent history as a forgotten and vacant tract of land alongside the freeway. Following the completion of early phases of the project, the streetcar will be a welcome addition to the Mission District, ensuring appeal for many years to come and building on the successes of a vital and evolutionary plan.
The streetcar is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Arizona's Regional Transportation Authority and other sources.
To learn more about Moule & Polyzoides's TODs, please click on the Transit Villages link at left.
1/28/10 | Moule & Polyzoides has been selected to lead a major planning effort for Fresno, California, the state's fifth largest city. The Fulton Corridor Plan will encompass several distinct areas, including the Central Business District (and the Fulton Mall), a new high-speed rail station, and a variety of surrounding neighborhoods. In all, the Plan area includes approximately 7,000 acres.
The effort represents an important opportunity to revitalize the core of one of California's longstanding regional centers. Fresno's importance began from the time of its founding in 1872, sparking a half century of growth and prosperity until World War II. This was followed by a period of downtown decline coinciding with the growth of outlying suburbs. In response to evolving, long-term challenges, the Plan seeks to reinvigorate the City by creating a comprehensive vision and implementation strategies for future development.
The Plan will incorporate extensive outreach and focus on revitalization, aesthetics, infrastructure, and attraction and expansion of businesses. It will include a Specific Plan, Community Plan, and a supporting environmental document. The effort is scheduled to be completed over the course of nearly three years.
The project continues Moule & Polyzoides long-term commitment to sustainable urbanism.
1/26/10 | New College of Florida, Sarasota, Florida, broke ground on a new Academic Center Building designed by Moule & Polyzoides. The design will be the first building completed based upon Moule & Polyzoides 2006 Master Plan for the small, highly regarded institution. The building includes more than 35,000 square feet of faculty offices, classrooms and support space, and will be located near the formal entry to the 110-acre campus.
The building's significance is not lost on those who know and appreciate the College's history. Originally established during the early 1960s as an independent Honors College, it eventually became part of the University of South Florida, only regaining its independence during the last decade. Among its first steps after regaining independence was to commission the highly sustainable New College of Florida Master Plan.
The new building will share a common quadrangle, the primary gathering place on campus, with the existing Bancroft Library. Its design reflects vernacular and contemporary tropical architectural influences, including open air circulation, cross ventilation, deep window recesses, shutters, a metal roof and masonry walls. The building is expected to achieve LEED Gold Certification. The design helps refine the College's evolving architectural character and is rooted in its academic traditions.
Read more about the New College of Florida Academic Center or visit the New College of Florida web site.
1/22/10 | Stefanos Polyzoides, partner of Moule & Polyzoides, Architects and Urbanists, addressed a group of civic leaders and design and development professionals at the “Making Transit-Oriented Development a Reality in the San Joaquin Valley“ conference that was sponsored by the City of Fresno and held at Fresno's Convention Center, not far from the anticipated site of one of California's key high-speed rail stations.
Stefanos spoke from the viewpoint of an architect and planner who has built TODs, focusing upon Mission Meridian Village, the award-winning Metro Gold Line Station in South Pasadena, California, designed by Moule & Polyzoides. Joining him to offer the developer's perspective was Michael Dieden of Creative Housing Associates. The talk discussed the design's evolution from initial concept through design and construction, noting opportunities and challenges. Among the key lessons of such projects is that TODs can enliven and even be the center of attractive, walkable communities. Furthermore, successful TOD strategies can be applicable to a wide range of rail types, such as light, heavy and high-speed rail stations. A thoughtfully planned TOD is often the core of a mixed-use community; it enables people to live, work and shop without driving; it dramatically reduces reliance on automobiles; and it promotes a healthy, walkable lifestyle and sustainable development model. In summary, effective TODs coordinate environmental, economic and social needs.
For more information, please click on the link for the City of Fresno's Regional Land Use & Transportation Workshop. To learn more about Moule & Polyzoides's TODs (including the Mission Meridian Station) please click on the Transit Villages link on the left.
8/27/09 | The need for reform of conventional development practices has been a long-time topic for those seeking exemplary, highly sustainable development. A new report, Removing the Roadblocks: How to Make Sustainable Development Happen Now, describes in detail ways to implement climate-friendly real estate development in California, using walkable communities near transit, jobs, and services that reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions. The report grew out of a March workshop at the UCLA School of Law's Emmett Center on Climate Change, reflecting the efforts of participants such as Moule & Polyzoides Principal Elizabeth Moule and a group of leading real estate developers and architects, the California Attorney General and primary author Ethan Elkind.
The report presents a set of comprehensive recommendations for business leaders and federal, state and local governments to make sustainable development easier, more affordable and more widespread. The report also identifies the major obstacles blocking environmentally sustainable neighborhoods and recommends long- and short-term actions that policy makers and industry professionals must take to remove these obstacles. The paper and workshop series was organized by the UCLA School of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law's Center for Law and the California Attorney General's office.
DOWNLOAD the full report from the UCLA School of Law website.
8/4/09 | Parklands, Moule & Polyzoides's design of a 67-acre traditional neighborhood development in Ventura, California, has been adopted by the City of Ventura. A sustainable mixed-use community designed around a pedestrian-friendly network of streets and blocks, the Parklands design ushered in the era of sustainable planning in the City of Ventura just as a new General Plan effort began. The design integrates landscaped/permeable alleys, storm water retention strategies, restoration of an existing barranca, discourages impermeable pavement, and includes more than 11 acres of open space. The Plan also includes 500 units of varying housing types, retail uses, and a central park and pool facility that are the focus of an intricate network of pocket parks and rose walks. Parklands draws upon Ventura's long history of unique traditional neighborhoods to create a charming pedestrian-oriented place that enhances the fabric of one of California's oldest cities.
5/13/09 | American Public Media's daily radio program, Marketplace continued its series on "The Next American Dream" with an interview of Elizabeth Moule, Principal of Moule & Polyzoides, on the firm's design of the award-winning Mission Station transit-oriented development. The series is exploring ways in which architects and developers are rethinking the traditional single-family home in response to changing economic influences, environmental considerations and contemporary family lifestyles.
In responding to questions from host Kai Ryssdal, Ms. Moule discussed a number of the characteristics that make Mission Station very practical, affordable, sustainable, and supportive of its residents' quality of life. These include a mix of commercial and residential uses, walkable neighborhood setting, adjacency to a light rail transit station, landscaped courtyards, emphasis on permanence of construction, densities that relate to the scale of the neighborhood, and lower cost relative to single-family homes. She noted that an increasing number of Americans are embracing this more sustainable, family-oriented urban living as an alternative to the time, expense and isolation of long commutes.
LISTEN to the interview at the Marketplace Web site.
