Tampa’s Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT)

The Tampa Urban Charrette continues to work hard with its sponsors/partners (including the Planning Commission) to successfully complete this important process. The Tampa SDAT, entitled Connecting Tampa, is focused on improving the neighborhood planning process, with the goal of creating a more sustainable city. On November 12-14, 2008, the SDAT Team will be conducting a series of meetings with local officials, neighborhood representatives, and other stakeholders to collect input for a final report that will recommend on how the City can empower neighborhoods to create a stronger, more connected Tampa.

In preparation for the event, Mr. Wayne Feiden, FAICP, Planning Director of Northampton, Massachusetts and Marsha Garcia of AIA Communities by Design, visited Tampa in August, officially kicking off the SDAT process. They participated in a series of community stakeholder meetings on a variety of topics including economic development, transportation, environmental protection, and community organizations including a visit to the Planning Commission.  The visit gave Mr. Feiden the context and background needed to gain insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the existing neighborhood planning process.

In November, the full SDAT Team will converge on Tampa for a series of meetings and workshops with the goal of developing a report with a focus on implementation strategies. The visit will include two public workshops, on November 12th and 14th respectively,  the SDAT Team will collect input and present their preliminary findings.

This is an exciting opportunity for positive change in Tampa. If interested in attending the events, or volunteering, please email sdattampa@gmail.com or visit the project website at www.sdattampa.com.