COTE Green Walk – 2 LU/HSW

green walk: tracing Austin’s connectivity & urban health

Recognizing the intrinsic value of interconnected green space as a free-moving zone for humans, critters, microorganisms, vegetation, and hydrology could be the key to adapting and flourishing in a growing metropolis, environmentally, culturally, equitably, and economically.” – For more insights on green walks and urban health see Lauren Woodward Stanley’s article “The Drift” in ARCHITECT Magazine March/April 2021.

Can we create green corridors and transects through the city that function as a vital part of our personal and urban health and resilience?

On foot, we will explore urban green connectivity in a loop walk of about 5 miles, convening and ending at a local eatery. As we arc through changing light and setting, our focus will be on health and wellness indicators of what we observe and experience: green spaces, natural systems, built fabric, mobility, community vitality, local culture, and ourselves as active urban dwellers.

Participants will be asked to record this sojourn in a haiku or photo snapshots, to be gathered at the conclusion. A digital compilation of these tokens of our attention to the details of an interwoven urban fabric will be collected as an Austin timestamp.

Route map to be provided at location start.

This event is free and open to the public, or offers CE credit with a paid ticket. 2 LU/HSW

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Lauren Woodward Stanley, AIA                      

Lauren is co-owner of Stanley Studio, an integrated design practice she shares with Lars Stanley, FAIA.  Their studio and shop produce award-winning architecture and metalwork at a wide range of scales that includes civic, institutional, and residential projects in addition to public and commissioned artwork and architectural accessories.  The full spectrum of the studio’s work integrates material craft and detail, resilient and sustainable design, and inventive embrace of environmental conditions.  Drawn to the intersection of architecture and landscape, Lauren seeks design solutions that respond to site, are adaptive and regenerative, clever with material and resource use, and forge a unique presence.

A UT Austin School of Architecture MArch graduate, Lauren spent a 9-year chapter in Seattle where she worked in several architectural firms before returning to Austin in 2005.  Since then, while engaged in professional practice, she has always kept an active civic role, engaging in various community efforts and cultivating a driving interest in the healing potential of natural systems in the urban landscape.  Among these pursuits have been co-founding peer networking and advocacy groups such as Living City ATX (equitable access to urban nature) and GRoWERS (green roof non-profit), initiating and leading the EM Franklin Green Street under the city of Austin Neighborhood Partnering Program, co-chairing AIA COTE Health & Wellness Committee, and sitting on the city of Austin’s Green Roof Advisory Group, Urban Design Guidelines Advisory Group, Biophilic Cities ATX, as well as speaking, writing, and serving as occasional guest critic at UTSOA.  She knows her two teenage boys will carry the torch trying to make a better world even if they don’t become architects.

About COTE

AIA Austin Committee On The Environment (COTE) reflects the profession’s commitment to provide healthy and safe environments for people, and is dedicated to preserving the earth’s capability of sustaining a shared high quality of life. COTE typically meets the first Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m.

The Committee on the Environment (COTE) is an American Institute of Architects Knowledge Community working with architects, allied professionals, and the public to achieve climate action and climate justice through design. We believe that design excellence is the foundation of a healthy, sustainable, and equitable future. Our work promotes design strategies that allow people, communities, and our planet to thrive.