Eco-City
Eco-City Alexandria
In January 2007 the city partnered with UAP to design and manage a strategic planning process for the city called Eco-City Alexandria. The initial goal was to create a new environmental action plan that would set forth environmental goals and priorities for the next ten years. The project now consists of three main phases:
Phase One: Inventory Existing Programs/Policies and Collect Relevant Model Practices (Spring and Summer 2007)
Phase Two: Facilitate Strategic Planning Workshops & Roundtables (Fall 2007)
Phase Three: Design and Facilitate a Series of Community Events (including an Eco-City Summit set for Earth Day 2008) to Build Consensus Around a Eco-City Charter (Spring 2008)
Professors in Practice Joseph Schilling and Shelley Mastran along with Research Assistant Sara Hamberg are leading the Virginia Tech effort. They serve as the project’s primary points of contact with city staff and the community. The core Virginia Tech team is also supported by Associate Professor Kris Wernstedt and Kathryn McCarty, adjunct community involvement professor, and co-director of ADR Vantage, Inc., a woman-owned community involvement and facilitation firm. William Skrabek from the city’s Environmental Services Department manages the project for the city.
Eco-City Update
On January 22, 2008, the Alexandria City Council formally launched the Eco-City Project by accepting a special report prepared by UAP’s Eco-City Studio, A Green-ventory of the City’s Environmental Policies, Plans, and Programs. Professor Joe Schilling spoke on behalf of Virginia Tech and Director of Environmental Quality William Skrabak represented the city. Mayor Euille and the City Council passed Resolution 2265 in favor of the Eco-City Project that will create the city’s first Eco-City Charter. For the spring semester UAP graduate students and professors will lend a hand designing and facilitating an Eco-City Café on March 8th, 2008 and the city-wide Eco-City Summit set for May 10th.
The Web cast of the Council Meeting is located on the City’s Web site and is available at http://www.alexandriava.gov.
Meeting Detail
Representatives from Virginia Tech, the City of Alexandria Transportation & Environmental Services (T&ES) Department, and the Environmental Policy Commission met with the Mayor and Council Members on January 22, 2008 to present Phase I of the Eco-City Alexandria Project. The first phase of the project consisted of compiling a “Green-ventory” of the City’s environmental policies, plans, and programs and a Compendium of Model Practices. The Green-ventory is now available at: http://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/tes/info/tes_ecocityalexandria.pdf. The entire Compendium will be posted sometime in March. For more information please review the January 2008 Eco-City progress report. Click here for a pdf of the January 2008 Eco-City progress report.
The goal of the Eco-City Alexandria Project is the development of the city’s first Eco-city Charter (June 2008) followed by an Environmental Action Plan during Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. Critical to the process is the involvement of the City’s citizens. Professors and students from the Eco-City Studio and the Community Involvement Class will be working closely with city officials, staff, and the Environmental Policy Commission to host an Eco-City Café on March 8th and the Eco City Summit on May 10, 2008 at the newly renovated T.C. Williams High School. Prior to the Summit, the City’s residents will have the opportunity to provide input on Eco-City Alexandria through an on-line survey hosted by Virginia Tech.