News

March 2010

iQUILT PRESENTED TO 1000 FRIENDS OF CONNECTICUT

Culture-Based Pedestrian Plan for Downtown Hartford

1000 Friends of Connecticut, the state’s major “Smart Growth” organization / Metropolitan District Commission

Hartford, March 2010 – Doug Suisman and Tyler Smith presented the iQuilt project, a culture-based pedestrian plan for downtown Hartford, to participants at the annual meeting of 1000 Friends of Connecticut, the state’s major “Smart Growth” organization. The conference took place at the former G. Fox Department store on Main Street, now the home of Capitol Community College. The panel began with a presentation by UConn Professor Norman Garrick, who gave an historic overview of downtown’s increasing allocation of land for parking, and its corollary decline in employment. Garrick, who compared this history to Cambridge’s success in limiting parking and expanding employment, called for more pedestrian- and transit-oriented development. The conference’s prime sponsor was the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), which provides water and sewer services to the Hartford region. The iQuilt is spearheaded by The Bushnell, Connecticut’s premier performing arts center, and the Greater Hartford Arts Council.

October 2009
THE ARC AT J-STREET’S FIRST NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Large crowd attends panel on economic development as a pathway to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Doug Suisman presenting the Arc at J-Street national conference

Washington, October 2009 - Doug Suisman presented the Arc project for a Palestinian state to an overflow audience at the first national conference held by J-Street, the highly visible new lobbying group that describes itself as “pro-Israel, pro-peace”. There were more than 2500 attendees at the conference, whose plenary session was addressed by General James Jones, President Obama’s national security advisor. In one of the many panels that followed, Suisman addressed an audience of more than 400 from a dais that included Bassim Khoury, Minister of National Economy for the Palestinian Authority, and Ron Pundak, Director General, Peres Center for Peace. Suisman’s visual presentation included the first public showing of proposed West Bank “demonstration projects” which would bring immediate benefits to Palestinians, while creating the first building blocks for eventual realization of the Arc.

September 2009
CANYON SCHOOL’S NEW LOOK COMPLETE

Campus renovation includes new color palette, historic photomurals, wayfinding signs, and graphic standards

Canyon School history and color

Santa Monica Canyon, September 2009 - After several years of collaboration with the administration, faculty and parents of Canyon Charter School to develop a long-term vision for the school campus, Suisman Urban Design has completed its work on an extensive renovation of the school grounds and building exteriors. The makeover’s most visible feature is a vibrant new paint scheme that unifies the campus’s heteregenous buildings and integrates them with the exceptional natural setting. The new look also includes bold new signage for gates and classrooms, and an outdoor gallery of large-scale photomurals combining text and historic photographs of the school, which was founded in 1894. The renovation program has included new traffic safety banners and signage around the school’s perimeter, and an integrated graphic look for the school’s handbook and logo.

September 2009
i QUILT PRESENTED TO BUSHNELL AND WADSWORTH BOARDS

Hartford’s reknowned art museum and performing arts center are keys to a new pedestrian plan for downtown

The Wadsworth Atheneum and the iQuilt project

Hartford, September 2009 - In back-to-back presentations to the trustees of the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts and the Wadsworth Atheneum, two of Hartford’s pre-eminent cultural institutions, Doug Suisman highlighted the most recent features of the “iQuilt”, the culture-based pedestrian plan for downtown. Envisaged as a loose grid of park-to-river pedestrian routes, the iQuilt aims to weave together Hartford’s key cultural sites and institutions around the theme of cultural innovation in order to promote economic growth and the redevelopment of the Capitol district. The Bushnell and The Greater Hartford Arts Council are co-leading the project, which will complement the ongoing state, city and private sector efforts to revitalize Hartford’s economy and neighborhoods. The planning process for the iQuilt project began in mid-March 2009 with a series of three roundtable discussions between interested stakeholders, community leaders, Suisman, who is a Hartford native, and architect Tyler Smith. A public forum hosted by The Bushnell was held in June where Suisman presented the preliminary vision plan to the community. The planning process will culminate with the development of a culture-based vision for downtown Hartford which will focus on and connect the city’s extensive cultural assets.

July 2009

iQUILT PRESENTED AT EPA WORKSHOP IN HARTFORD

Managing Wet Weather With Green Infrastructure

Hartford, July 2009 - Doug Suisman of Suisman Urban Design was invited to Hartford to presents the iQuilt project at the “Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure” workshop held by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The workshop encouraged conversations with national experts, municipal operators, state and federal regulators, as well as design professionals about the benefits and costs of green infrastructure. The iQuilt contains numerous green infrastructure components, including the repaving of the State Office Building parking lot with permeable paving, and surrounding it with new landscaping in bioswales, or stormwater retention beds.

Doug Suisman’s presentation can be seen here: http://bushnell.org/iquilt.html

June 2009
SUISMAN NAMED NATIONAL PEER BY GSA

General Services Administration program appoints distinguished professionals to advise on Federal projects

Washington, 2009 - Doug Suisman has been appointed a National Peer in Urban Design by the General Services Administration. The Design Excellence and the Arts Program is the center for GSA's advocacy of design quality and artistic expression. It establishes nationwide policies and procedures for selecting the finest and most appropriate architects and artists for GSA commissions. Under the auspices of the program, distinguished private-sector design professionals are appointed national peers by the Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service to help GSA select lead designers and their architect/engineer teams, and critique concept designs as they are being developed.

June 2009
ANGELS KNOLL FEATURED IN “500 DAYS OF SUMMER”

Temporary Bunker Hill park is site of romance and regret, with a view of colorful facades

Hollywood, June 2009 - Angels Knoll, a temporary park in downtown Los Angeles designed by Suisman Urban Design with Pat Smith, served as the dramatic centerpiece of the 2009 indy hit, “500 Days of Summer”. The two lovers, played by Joseph Gordon-Leavitt and Zooey Deschanel, find their romance beginning and ending on a bench which overlooks the backs of Broadway buildings whose color scheme was developed by Suisman. Both the film and Gordon-Leavitt were nominated for a prestigious Golden Globe award.

June 2009

HARTFORD COURANT PRAISES iQUILT

Influential Columnist Tom Condon Explains Why He Likes the Concept

Hartford, June 2009 – Writing in the June 21st issue of the Hartford Courant, Tom Condon, the paper’s widely read editorial writer and columnist on all things urban, shared his positive views of the Bushnell-sponsored iQuilt project: “The iQuilt is a plan to connect Hartford's cultural institutions with pedestrian and bicycling routes running from the Capitol and Bushnell Park to the river, and then enhance the area with physical and programmatic improvements...Here's why I like the iQuilt idea. It gives Hartford a theme — arts and culture — to rally around. "New England's Rising Star" has been an effective external marketing campaign, but it doesn't tell anyone what is here. The city needs an organizing vision, a reason to get excited. The arts make the city cool, enhance quality of life, engage the schools, attract creative people, make it a good place to do business. The iQuilt would bring some thought to planning the Capitol campus, something that has been missing for decades. It might also make it easier to bring more commuters into the city via commuter rail and busway. Also, it would get Hartford thinking about pedestrian-only zones, which are catching on in cities all over the world...The idea will be rolled out at a meeting Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Belding Theater at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. It is worth your attention, and you will enjoy meeting the planner.Doug Suisman...is very bright, engaging, talented and civic- minded.”

June 2009

ARC UPDATE AT PALESTINIAN MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT

Arc Update Presented to Palestinian Ministry of Transportation

Ramallah, June 2009 – A delegation from RAND and Suisman Urban Design met with the Palestinian Deputy Minister of Transport and 14 members of his staff for more than two hours to discuss a range of transportation issues raised by the Arc plan, including public transport in the West Bank.

May 2009
ARC PRESENTED TO UNITED NATIONS PALESTINIAN UNIT IN GENEVA

Doug Suisman presented the Arc project to U.N. officials at the world organization’s Geneva headquarters

Geneva, May 2009 – Doug Suisman of Suisman Urban Design recently went to the UN’s headquarters in Geneva at the invitation of the Office for Assistance to the Palestinian People, part of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, or UNCTAD. Suisman briefed the UN officials on the RAND Palestine initiative and the Arc project, including the recent cooperation agreement between RAND and the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Planning.

May 2009
ARC PRESENTED AT UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA

Suisman Speaks at Conference on “The Next Generation of Global Challenges”

Geneva, May 2009 – On the occasion of its 450th birthday, the University of Geneva organized a joint conference with its new partner, UCLA, to discuss a range of issues confront society in the 21st century. The Rector of UNIGE and the Chancellor of UCLA both attended. Under the rhubric, “Next Generation of Global Challenges - Bridging Knowledge and Policy through Innovative Cross-Boundary Partnerships”, Doug Suisman was invited to present the Arc project as an innovative approach to diplomacy in conflict zones through the use of design thinking and proposition. While in Geneva, Suisman also visited the Aga Khan Trust for Culture for another briefing on the Arc with Trust officials, including Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

March 2009
FUTURE OF PERSHING SQUARE

Suisman is Panelist on “Green to the Street: the Future of Pershing Square.”

Los Angeles, March 2009 - Joe Linton Sketch - Is Pershing Square a study in failed urban design? What would it take to bring it back? Could we take lessons from New York City 's beloved Bryant Park? These were some of the issues raised in a lively panel dicussion as part of the Los Angeles Public Library’s ALOUD series. The panel included Daniel Biederman, founder of the Grand Central Partnership and the visionary behind the revival of Bryant Park; Lewis MacAdams, founder of Friends of the Los Angeles River; landscape architect Kathleen Bullard; Barry Sanders, chairman of the Los Angeles Recreation & Parks Commission, and Doug Suisman. The panel was moderated by Christopher Hawthorne, architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times.

Listen to the podcast here: http://events.lapl.org/Podcasts/PodcastMedia/192.mp3?t=ALOUD

February 2009
GOVERNMENT OF FRENCH PRESIDENT SARKOZY IS BRIEFED ON THE ARC

Officials from the President’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs receive Anthony and Suisman at the Elysées

The Arc project was presented to French officials at the historic Hotel de Marigny in the Elysées Palace complex, seat of the French Presidency

Paris, February 2009 – Representatives of the government of French President Nicolas Sarkozy received Suisman Urban Design’s Doug Suisman and RAND’s Ross Anthony at the Elysées Palace – the presidential complex - for a briefing on the Palestine initiative and the Arc project. The meeting was arranged by French Consul David Martinon; attendees included Christophe Bigot, senior advisor on the Middle East to the Foreign Minister, and two representatives from Mission Union de la Méditerranée, President Sarkozy’s initiative for sustainable development and economic cooperation among Mediterranean nations. The briefing took place inside the historic Hotel de Marigny, the former private palace which serves as France’s official guest residence for foreign dignitaries. While in Paris, Anthony and Suisman also met with Valerie Hoffenberg, the French ambassador the Middle East peace process.

February 2009
WOODBURY SYMPOSIUM ON SF VALLEY

Designing the SFV

Los Angeles, February 2009 - The Department of Architecture at Woodbury University held recntly its Valley Summit II—"Designing the SFV", and Doug Suisman was invited to discuss the urban history and form of the San Fernando Valley. The conference brought together a group of scholars and community design experts who presented strategies on how residents and officials might begin to understand and, potentially, augment the 345 square miles that constitute the San Fernando Valley. The Valley epitomizes suburban sprawl, but surprisingly little scholarship exits about its architecture and urban design. The event was seen as a first step in that direction, and was well attended by faculty, students and practitioners.

February 2009
VISIT FROM SWEDEN

Group From Stockholm's Royal Academy of Design Visits Suisman Urban Design

Los Angeles, February 2009 – A group of 30 students and 6 faculty members from the departments of architecture and art at the Royal Academy of Design in Stockholm were given a walking tour of Santa Monica Canyon by Doug Suisman, followed by a lunch at Suisman’s home. The group was visiting as part of its semester-long study of Los Angeles titled, “The Fifth Ecology – Los Angeles Beyond Desire.”

February 2009
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY INCORPORATES THE ARC INTO ITS PLANNING

RAND and Suisman Urban Design sign agreement with Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Planning

l to r: Bashar Juma’a (PA Coordinator of Palestinian Reform and Development Plan), Hiba Husseini (attorney), Ross Anthony (RAND), PA Minister of Planning Dr. Samir Abdullah, Doug Suisman, Cairo Arafat (PA Ministry of Planning)

Ramallah, February 2009 - The longstanding relationship between the RAND Palestine team and PA Ministry of Planning, which began with a briefing in Ramallah in 2005, was recently cemented in a Letter of Intent signed by the Planning Minister, Dr. Samir Abdullah. The letter calls on the PA and RAND to collaborate in developing detailed technical plans for infrastructure, transportation, land use, housing, and economic development – the core features of the Arc project. Dr. Ross Anthony and Mary Vaiana of RAND, and Doug Suisman of Suisman Urban Design, participated in the meeting at the Ministry’s offices in Ramallah. The signing culminated several months of preparation with senior ministry official Cairo Arafat and urban planner Bashar Juma’a, who is the PA’s Coordinator for the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan (PDRP), the underlying blueprint for development in the West Bank and Gaza. The meeting included discussions of the connector route from the West Bank to Gaza, ideas for demonstration transit projects in the West Bank, and strategies for moving the project forward.

October 2008
ALLEGHENY CITY PROJECT PRESENTED TO HEINZ FOUNDATION

A "Charm Bracelet" for the Northside

Pittsburgh, October 2008 – The board of the Heinz Endowments in Pittsburgh, chaired by Teresa Heinz Kerry, received a briefing from Doug Suisman on the Allegheny City proposal developed by Suisman Urban Design for the “Charm Bracelet” project led by the Childrens Museum of Pittsburgh. The Endowment has been a longtime supporter of the Museum and of revitalization efforts throughout Pittsburgh, including the historic Northside.

October 2008
VISIT TO DANISH CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE

Doug Suisman in Copenhagen and Nordhavnen

Copenhagen, October 2008 – During a 3-day visit to Copenhagen, Doug Suisman met with Henning Thomsen, Director of the Sustainable Cities Program at the Danish Architecture Centre. They discussed the sustainability features of RAND/Suisman Urban Design’s Arc project for Palestine and the current state of Danish urban design. Suisman was given a personal tour of the current exhibition, “Building Sustainable Communities”, by the exhibit’s project manager, Fredrik Gyllenhof.

June 2008
PASAJE DE LA PLAZA FIELD TRIP

Doug Suisman lecturing to third graders next to a fountain at Union Station

Suisman Urban Design organized and led a field trip to the historic El Pueblo de Los Angeles for the third graders of Canyon Charter School in Santa Monica. A day-long expedition, the tour began at the Southwest Museum Rail Station on the Gold Line. After riding the train into Union Station and touring the adjoining facilities, the tour travelled toward the Plaza itself. There, students enjoyed learning about historic sites like the Avila Adobe while broadening their observational skills through sketching their surroundings. The field trip was praised as informative and fun for students and parents alike.

This field trip also serves as a protoype educational program being developed for permanent use on the Pasaje De La Plaza Project. The Pasaje would link Union Station and Fort Moore Memorial through a newly renovated pedestrian walkway. Passing through La Plaza and the soon to be constructed Plaza de Cultura y Artes, the Pasaje would also feature multimedia exhibits with historic infomation. Ultimately, the Pasaje will continue southward to the Civic Park and Music Center. Suisman Urban Design is part of the design team for both the Pasaje Project and La Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

Pasaje De La Plaza Fieldtrip Website http://www.pasajedelaplaza.org/

May 2008
Suisman Urban Design Awarded 2008 EDRA/Places Award

Aerial view rendering of the projected transit boulevard and growth sequence

Suisman Urban Design was awarded the 2008 EDRA/Places Award in the category of Place Planning for The Arc Project. As a visionary exercise grounded in research, the jury praised the project for its use of planning to “move the bar.” Since its initial release in 2005, it has had an overwhelmingly positive reception, as evidenced by reviews in more than 200 media outlets worldwide. By raising typical planning concerns in a dispassionate way and placing the needs of a future Palestine at the center of discussion, it offers an object of hope to all who have sought peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The plan envisions construction of an infrastructural “arc” linking the major cities of the two territories and providing connection to an international airport and seaport. Consisting of a high-speed trunk rail line, water, electricity and telecommunications lines, the arc would follow the high ground in the West Bank before sweeping through the Israeli Negev to Gaza. Perpendicular to it would be subsidiary collecting infrastructures allowing development of linear urban areas. In analyzing this scheme, the plan looks at underlying natural conditions; compares aspects of the resulting Palestinian state to those of other small nations; relates the potential character of its cities to models from Phoenix to Istanbul; and sets the overall density of settlement in context of other metropolitan areas.

The project team at Suisman Urban Design consisted of Doug Suisman, FAIA (Principal), Eli Garilazo (Senior Associate), and Helen Choi, Kevin Short, and Daniel Windsor (Designers). The RAND research team was led by C. Ross Anthony and Steven N. Simon, and included Glenn E. Robinson, Michael Schoenbaum, and Mary Vaiana. Robert Lane of Regional Plan Association also contributed to the plan.

Rendering of Civic Square at City Hall's south lawn fronting First Street

Following the successful completion of its master plan study for First Street in downtown Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, Suisman Urban Design and its partners Rios Clementi Hale Studios and Campbell & Campbell are poised to begin the next stage of the project in early 2007. The next phase will involve implementation of certain pieces of the master plan, and the development of new city standards to ensure design compliance over the long term. Project Restore, the non-profit arm of the City of Los Angeles which led the renovation of City Hall, is again leading this important revitalization effort. Funding participants include the Federal government through the office of Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard; MTA; and the Community Redevelopment Agency, Planning Department and Transportation Department of the City of Los Angeles.

Andover Bulletin article

The Arc, Suisman Urban Design’s award-winning infrastructure proposal for a Palestinian state developed in partnership with the RAND corporation, continues to inspire interest both internationally and in the region. The election of Hamas last January to lead the government has led to a series of political repercussions that have stymied peace initiatives, damaged the Palestinian economy, and created growing tension and unrest both with Israelis and within Palestinian society. The war in Iraq and last summer’s short war in Lebanon have only exacerbated the situation in the region. Despite the bleak climate of the moment, many groups continue to press forward with initiatives aimed at improving the situation, including individuals and companies in the private sector, private foundations, and NGO’s. Suisman Urban Design and RAND presented their proposal last summer in Washington D.C. to the Aspen Institute’s Middle East Strategy Group, and to a reception at the residence of the Egyptian Ambassador. This led to planning for a two-day conference on the Arc, to be held in the region in early 2007. Meanwhile, the press continues to report on the project. The project had already been covered in more than 250 media outlets worldwide, including an extensive 3-page story in the New York Times in May 2005. Recently, there have been feature articles or reviews in:

BBC World Service interview with Doug Suisman on the program “One Planet”, as part of a special program on “Supercities”.

Site visit photo of new home for the Exploratorium at the Embarcadero

The Exploratorium, San Francisco’s renowned interactive science museum, invited Doug Suisman to join a group of thirty experts from across the U.S. and England to help the museum plan for its proposed relocation to two piers along the Embarcadero, the city’s revived waterfront district. Joining more than twenty staff members of the Exploratorium, Suisman and the other visitors brainstormed during a two-day on-site workshop to develop principles, goals, programs and design strategies for the historic move. The Exploratorium has occupied its current hangar-like structure in Bernard Maybeck’s landmark Palace of Fine Arts since the museum’s inception in 1969. Planning and design for the new complex is expected to occur over the next several years.

Rendering of future improvements to the courtyard space

Suisman Urban Design has been helping the administration, faculty and parents of Canyon Charter School develop a long-term vision for the school campus. The school, which was founded in 1894 and is the second oldest in Los Angeles, has been in its present Santa Monica Canyon location for nearly 100 years, although it has been reconfigured and expanded several times. Doug Suisman presented a visual history of the campus to a large school audience, and used the school’s long connections to its surrounding community and canyon setting to set the stage for visions of how the school might evolve in the next twenty to thirty years. A number of short-term improvements projects are now underway or in planning stages; longer-term projects may include reconfiguration of the entrance and administration building, and replacement or upgrading of the portable classrooms..

Aerial rendering of North Hollywood Station

Suisman Urban Design has prepared preliminary design concepts for developer JSM Construction to create a new high-density, mixed used district centered around the North Hollywood transit station serving the Red Line and Orange Line. Suisman developed the concept of a dramatic station shed to create a covered plaza for transit users, office workers, and shoppers. Direct access is provided to the MTA’s Orange Line BRT service and to the Red Line subway. The historic Lankershim Depot is preserved and incorporated within the train shed. The MTA is currently reviewing the proposals for development on its property.

Sketch of North Side’s origins as Allegheny City and its unique 36-block core surrounded by the historic Allegheny Commons.

The Childrens Museum of Pittsburgh has selected Suisman Urban Design to lead one of four design teams examining prospects for urban revitalization in Pittsburgh’s North Side district. The museum is one of a number of nationally recognized cultural institutions on the North Side, including the Andy Warhol Museum and the Mattress Factory arts center; the museum itself recently won an AIA National Award for its addition and renovation designed by Koning/Eisenberg. The Suisman team, which includes RAND Corporation and Pure Design, will look at the North Side’s origins as Allegheny City and its unique 36-block core surrounded by the historic Allegheny Commons. The team will propose strategies for restoring the old grid, infilling the area with new buildings and uses, and linking the district’s many cultural, historic, and landmark destinations. The other three teams include Pentagram (New York), MUF (London), and a university consortium (Syracuse). The work of all the teams is expected to be exhibited at the Childrens Museum in February 2007.

Gulf South Region Map

RAND Corporation has turned to Suisman Urban Design to help develop a comprehensive strategy for its new RAND Gulf States Policy Institute. Based in Jackson, Mississippi, the Institute was created in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Institute now provides immediate access to RAND’s research and analytical services for regional decision-makers. Suisman helped RAND describe the region in terms of natural systems, land use, infrastructure, and urbanization, and helped frame a series of research directions which will be pursued by RAND analysts in a range of different disciplines.

Doug Suisman (center) accepting the P/A Award at the Center for Architecture in New York; at right is former Suisman team member Daniel Windsor

At an awards ceremony attended by more than 300 people at the Center for Architecture in New York, Doug Suisman accepted a prestigious P/A award for Suisman Urban Design’s project with RAND Corporation, “The Arc: A Formal Structure for a Palestinian State”. The P/A Awards program, now in its 53rd year and administered by Architecture magazine, is considered by architects to be one of the world’s top honors for unbuilt projects, recognizing innovative architecture at its conception. The Arc, which lays out an unprecedented vision for infrastructure and urban growth in an eventual Palestinian state comprised of the West Bank and Gaza, was one of only eight projects selected for the 2006 Awards. The jury said of the Arc, “It has a clear, functional logic, and organizes and anticipates phased development...a great project”.

The Arc and the other winning projects are published in the January 2006 issue of Architecture, and are also on exhibit at the AIA New York’s Center for Architecture in lower Manhattan. The exhibition will continue through February 25, 2006.

The Arc wins a 2006 AIA National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design
The U.S. architectural profession’s highest recognition of excellence; jury calls project “compelling” and “visionary”

Suisman Urban Design received the architectural profession’s highest recognition of excellence for a project when its plan for a Palestinian state, “The Arc”, won a national Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The AIA awards are given in the areas of architecture, interior architecture, and urban design. Selected from over 680 total submissions, the 30 recipients will be honored in June at the AIA 2006 National Convention and Design Exposition in Los Angeles.

“The jury reviewed a broad spectrum of submissions from the smallest scale projects to the largest proposal for the transportation framework for the new nation of Palestine” said Jury Chair Diane T. Georgopulos, FAIA, of Mass Housing Finance Agency in Boston. “The awards recognized projects that best demonstrated the application of sustainable design principles to creatively use open space and density to advance social, economic and environmental health”.

Of Suisman Urban Design’s Arc project with RAND Corporation, the jury said, “Clear and compelling framework plan for a thoughtfully shaping expansion of the newly created Palestinian nation... The necessity to create public transit to support the huge expansion of population was proposed through the development of a transportation spine, settlement areas and intertwining environmentally sensitive areas, which were conveyed with extraordinary sensitivity...Visionary plan built on logical approach to infrastructure creating immeasurable hope for a displaced people and nation.

www.aia.org
www.aia.org/SiteObjects/files/Arc.pdf
www.aia.org/press2_template.cfm?pagename=release_011306_honorawards

December 6, 2005
Innovative Wellness Center presented to the Qatar National Health Authority
In partnership with RAND Qatar Policy Institute, Suisman Urban Design develops innovative national prototype for Qatar

Aerial of Qatar Wellness Center Prototype
© RAND/Suisman Urban Design

Working with RAND Health and the RAND Qatar Policy Institute, conceptual prototypes for primary care centers developed Suisman Urban Design were presented in December to the newly formed Qatar National Health Authority. RAND has been a leader in helping the Arabian Gulf state reform and modernize the health care system for its 750,000 inhabitants.

A new network of “wellness centers” is envisioned which will not only provide ambulatory care and relieve pressure on hospital emergency rooms, but emphasize good health in diet, exercise, and lifestyle. Suisman is working with RAND to determine the size, scope and location of potential centers, their working arrangements, and their urban and architectural character.

www.rand.org/qatar

October 27, 2005
The Arc wins a 2005 AIA/Los Angeles Honor Award
Only Honor award in the Unbuilt category; jury was unanimous, called the project “elegant”, “unprecedented” and “breathtaking”

RAND’s Executive Vice President Michael Rich with Doug Suisman at the AIA Awards Gala in Los Angeles
© Suisman Urban Design

Suisman Urban Design’s “Arc” project, an infrastructure master plan for a Palestinian state, was the sole winner of a coveted Honor Award in the Unbuilt category of the AIA / Los Angeles’s 2005 Awards program. The awards were announced at annual Awards Gala held in October.

In its comments, the awards jury said, “The jury was unanimous on this entry, whose strength derives from the simplicity of its diagram and its depth of research…the design is elegant and clear. The simplicity in its gesture is its strength, integrating complex systems in an unprecedented way. It’s amazing that this investigation is even happening. It’s breathtaking.”

Joining the Suisman team were RAND Corporation Executive Vice President Michael Rich and RAND Vice President and Director of RAND Health Dr. Robert Brook, as well as project supporters Carol and David Richards. The Suisman team included Principal Doug Suisman and his wife Moye Thompson, Senior Associate Eli Garsilazo, and designers Helen Choi and Kevin Short.

www.aialosangeles.org/events/next_winners.htm

October 21, 2005
Ideas for New Latino Urbanism presented at Los Angeles forum
Formed by Suisman’s fifteen years research on Mexican, Latin American urbanism; Los Angeles area a lab for combining tradition and innovation

Doug Suisman joined Landscape Architect Mia Lehrer to discuss design directions for “Latino New Urbanism” at a well attended conference on the campus of Cal State Los Angeles, organized by the Transportation and Land Use Coaltion. Suisman spoke of his many years of studying urban form and public spaces in Mexico, and his hopes that aspects of Latin America’s urban vitality could be applied in Los Angeles.

Suisman suggested that the “New Urbanism” has derived primarily from Anglo prototypes, and that instead of focusing on a Latino version of New Urbanism, Los Angeles would do well to focus on a new version of Latino Urbanism, the rich tradition of plazas, parks and streets which can be found in cities from Santiago de Chile to Guadalajara.

“Plaza, Parque, Calle” article by Doug Suisman in pdf
www.tluc.net/lnu

September 30, 2005
Suisman presents Arc in New York at Columbia and Jewish Community Center
In a series of public presentations, the RAND project and Arc concept receive wider public attention

“The Arc: A Formal Structure for a Palestinian State” was Doug Suisman’s subject at two speaking engagements in New York, at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) at Columbia University, and at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Manhattan.

At the JCC, Suisman spoke in the new facility’s auditorium on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, discussing his personal connection to the conflict, the development of the Arc project with RAND Corporation, and the current status of the project. A question-and-answer period was followed by a reception.

At the GSAPP, from which Suisman graduated in 1981, he addressed an audience of students and faculty from the school, including Dean Mark Wigley, and from related fields in international affairs. A lively discussion followed, with questions and comments from a number of both Palestinian and Israeli students. Also in the audience was Robert Lane, urban design director of the Regional Plan Association in New York, and an early contributor to the Arc project.

September 15, 2005
Suisman briefs Palestinian Prime Minister Qurei
Represents the RAND Corporation, presents Arc project; PM expresses appreciation for RAND’s efforts and depth of thinking on Palestinians’ behalf

Representing the RAND Palestine State Study Team, Doug Suisman traveled to Ramallah where he briefed Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and his senior staff. Qurei signalled the public nature of the meeting by calling in the press for photographs before the briefing began.

After the briefing, Qurei asked a number of questions and said he was very appreciative of the effort that had been made by the RAND team on behalf of a Palestinian state, and the depth of its thinking. He said the project helped the Palestinians open their minds to new ideas. The Prime Minister said his office was organizing an international conference with the World Economic Forum in December in Bethlehem, to meet with major investors in the private sector, and that it would be a good idea for RAND to present the project there.

www.pna.gov.ps/

September 4, 2005
“First Now!” plan unveiled
New First Street development, streetscape plan by Suisman-Campbell-Rios for Project Restore; strong political support in downtown Los Angeles

After more than two years of planning and design, Project Restore unveiled the new conceptual master plan for First Street in downtown Los Angeles. The plan was prepared by a consortium of three award-winning firms: Suisman Urban Design, Campbell & Campbell, and Rios Clementi Hale Studios.

On the steps of Los Angeles City, the report was made public by a group of city leaders including Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, City Councilwoman Jan Perry, MTA head Roger Snoble, Project Restore Chairman Nabih Youssef, and Project Restore’s President Ed Avila.

The working plan, dubbed “1st Street Now,” calls for a walkable urban corridor filled with pedestrian activity benefiting current and future developments along the two-mile stretch of First Street through the heart of the Civic Center and Little Tokyo, over the L.A. River, and onto Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights.

“What makes this plan different is that it was created with an open-door policy and that it is already being enacted,” says Project Restore’s Ed Avila. “We have been consulting with myriad community groups and development projects from Bunker Hill to Boyle Heights so that new projects reflect the goals of the entire community.”

The eight main tenets of 1st Street Now are: a continuous green promenade of street trees; four special streetlight designs to accent each neighborhood’s characteristics; paving, crosswalks, streetscape furniture, and signage to increase pedestrian activity; new transit lines—bus and light rail—to connect neighborhoods; creation of a Bridge Park over the L.A. River; a new Civic Square garden plaza for Downtown workers, residents, and visitors; streetscape guidelines to be adopted by stakeholders; and a task force to oversee implementation of the guidelines.

press release
report in pdf
www.lacity.org/restore

August 18, 2005
Arc plan presented to Seeds of Peace “Summit”
Suisman visits with young Israelis and Palestinians at renowned camp in Maine

Doug Suisman meeting with Seeds graduates, all young professionals from Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt
© Suisman Urban Design

Seeds of Peace, the renowned organization which brings young Israeli, Palestinian and other Arab youth together in the neutral setting of a lakeside camp in Maine, invited Doug Suisman to its first “Leadership Summit” to discuss his work with RAND Corporation on the structure of a new Palestinian state.

The Summit was attended by more than 100 graduates of the first years of the program, who by now are in their mid-twenties and embarked on a range of careers in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, England, and the United States. Suisman talk in the main hall was followed by a lively round of questions and comments.

Following the talk, Suisman had lunch with a number of the attendees, and then joined several focused seminars for further discussion.

www.seedsofpeace.org
www.seedsofpeace.org/site/News2page=NewsArticle&id=7568

May 2004
Urban Vision for a New Palestinian State
Working with a multidisciplinary team at the Rand Corporation, Suisman Urban Design has developed an urban design framework for an eventual Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. Doug Suisman recently presented the concept in Washington D.C. to Rand's Middle East Policy Advisory Board, which is chaired by former Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci.

Westlake/Macarthur Park Station
The MTA Board of Directors recently approved entering into a joint development agreement that will bring an apartment and retail complex to the Westlake/MacArthur Metro Red Line Station. The developer, MacArthur Park LLC, will develop a 199-unit affordable housing complex that will include 50,400 square feet of retail space, a public plaza, a potential childcare center and 276 parking spaces of which 200 will be reserved specifically for transit users. Sixty-one of the 199 affordable housing units will be set aside for senior citizens, while 138 units will be used for family housing. Stores and restaurants will be located in two areas called Plazuela del Mercado and Plaza de las Americas, which is currently the Metro Red Line entrance and exit portal. Suisman Urban Design developed the conceptual master plan; conceptual architectural design was prepared by Roschen Van Cleve Architects. Phase one of the project will begin construction in mid-October 2005. It will include 88 of the apartments and approximately half of the retail space and the parking area. Phase Two, scheduled to begin a year later, will have 111 apartment units and the remainder of the retail space.

First Street Master Plan in Downtown Los Angeles
Project Restore announced that the team of Suisman • Campbell • Rios has been selected to develop the conceptual master plan for downtown Los Angeles's First Street. The 2.4 mile corridor links Disney Concert Hall on Bunker Hill to Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights. The street runs by Los Angeles City Hall, which was renovated by Project Restore, and across the Los Angeles River on the historic First Street Bridge. More than $2.4 billion is currently being reinvested along the corridor, from the Grand Avenue Project and the new Caltrans Headquarters to the East Side light rail project. Numerous mixed-use housing developments are also underway. The team, a joint venture of Suisman Urban Design, Campbell & Campbell, and Rios Clementi Hale Studios, will develop a detailed streetscape plan, as well as development, programming, marketing, and maintenance strategies for the street.

Housing and TOD on the Boulevards
Doug Suisman will join architects Teddy Cruz, Julie Eizenberg, and Ted Smith at a UCLA panel on new housing along the boulevards and commercial corridors of Los Angeles. Sponsored by the non-profit group Livable Places, the half-day symposium will focus on both design issues and development financing.

April 2004
Suisman On Related Team for Grand Avenue
Suisman Urban Design has been invited to join one of the four finalist teams for the multi-billion redevelopment of Grand Avenue. Collaborating with such architectural luminaries as David Childs of SOM and Thom Mayne of Morphosis, Suisman was asked to bring urban design skills and knowledge of Bunker Hill to the team of the Related Companies of New York, which also includes Brenda Levin, Katherine Gustafson, and Elkus/Manfredi. The competition, which has received considerable attention in both the local and national press, is expected to be decided in June.

Transit Center in San Francisco Bay Area
A team led by renowned engineering firm Ove Arup will develop a concept plan for a new commuter transit facility in Richmond, a suburb in the San Francisco Bay area. Suisman Urban Design will provide architectural design services for the project, which will include a 700-car parking structure, a 10-bay bus transit facility, and retail and amenity services for commuters and local residents. Also on the team are Nelson/Nygaard and Strategic Economics. The client is the Contra Costa County transit planning agency and Alameda Transit.

New Town Center and Transit Station on the Monterey Peninsula
Suisman Urban Design has developed a vision plan for downtown Marina, focused on a new town center that combines a major transit facility, housing, retail, and a public square. Working with Sacramento-based Local Government Commission, which led the project, Suisman was brought in by the city of Marina to help reconcile the city's redevelopment goals with the transit operations requirements of Monterey Salinas Transit, the regional transit operator. The results were presented in a series of public meetings and workshops over two days in mid-April, and received broad support from the local community. The city and the agency are now engaged in discussions to determine how to move forward with the project.

Transit-Oriented Development in California
Doug Suisman joined development and transit specialists on a panel to discuss transit-oriented mixed-use development in California. On the panel, part of a conference organized by the California Studies Association and held at Loyola Marymount University, Suisman raised the question of whether Bus Rapid Transit could catalyze transit-oriented development as well as light rail projects. He presented some of the firm's work on L.A.'s Metro Rapid system, and on the proposed bus transit center and associated town redevelopment in Marina, California.

Residence and Studios on LACMA Tour
The Modern Art and Architecture Committee, a support group at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, recently visited a canyon residence and work studios designed by Suisman Urban Design. Doug Suisman personally welcomed the group and led the tour. The group also visited homes designed by Oscar Niemeier, Richard Neutra, Stephen Ehrlich, and Johnston Marklee.

Better Homes and Gardens, April 2004
A combined residence and design studio designed by Suisman Urban Design was featured in a 12-page spread in the April issue of Better Homes and Gardens. The magazine, which has the largest circulation of any "shelter" magazine, focused on the "live-work" aspects of the design, which it dubbed "a modernist masterpiece".

Walt Disney Concert Hall di Frank O. Gehry
A new Italian monograph on the Disney Concert Hall cites the work of Suisman Urban Design in the master planning of Grand Avenue. Authored by Mariopaolo Faddo, the book reproduces two drawings of Grand Avenue developed by Suisman for its CRA-sponsored work in the late 1990's.

Symphony: Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall
The "official" monograph on the Disney Concert Hall, published by Abrams, includes a chapter length essay on the history of planning in downtown Los Angeles, including the work of Suisman Urban Design on the "Ten Minute Diamond", the master plan for the Los Angeles Civic Center. The essay, by the noted planning historian Carol McMichael Reese, cites Doug Suisman's leading role among the "visionaries" of the plan, whose imagery she calls "brilliantly concise and revelatory." Suisman's iconic axonometric drawing of the plan is reproduced.

The Slatin Report: Grand Avenue
The long and somewhat tortured history of planning efforts along Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles has been elegant summarized in a Slatin Report essay by Morris Newman. Newman's chronicle, which includes Suisman Urban Design's work for the CRA/LA in the late 1990's, reviews the succession of initiatives and visions which - despite strong political support - failed to remake the avenue in time for the openings of the new Cathedral (2003) and Disney Concert Hall (2004). Newman sets the stage for the current massive redevelopment project now being launched by the Grand Avenue Authority.

March 2004
First Bus Rapid Transit Line for San Antonio, Texas
Suisman Urban Design will provide conceptual architectural and graphic design concepts for what would be the first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line in San Antonio, Texas. The team is being led by the Houston office of Lockwood Andrews & Newman, a subsidiary of Leo A Daly. The team also includes Nelson/Nygaard and Ximenes & Associates. The study for the corridor is expected to lead to a $30 million transit investment along the "Northwest Corridor", primarily on Fredericksburg Road. The client is the San Antonio - Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Revitalizing Los Angeles Boulevards
The Westside Urban Forum held a panel on revitalizing the commercial corridors and boulevards of Los Angeles with new housing and mixed-use projects. Doug Suisman moderated the panel, which included specialists in transit, housing, and development.

January 2004
Theater Row in the Hollywood Media District
With much fanfare and press coverage, the Theater Row section of Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood was given a shot of publicity and a boost in visibility with the raising of 30 wayfinding banners. The opening ceremony, attended by city and state officials, highlighted the new banners and the more than a dozen theater companies on the Row. Together the theaters have more than 1,000 seats. Suisman Urban Design developed the revitalization and marketing strategy, as well as the design of the banners, as part of its overall master planning work along Santa Monica Boulevard. The client is the business improvement district known as the Hollywood Media District, which area stretches from La Brea to Vine and from Fountain to Melrose.

Staffer Admitted to Columbia Graduate School of Architecture and Planning
Daniel Windsor, a recent graduate of USC School of Architecture and a designer at Suisman Urban Design, has been admitted to the Master of Urban Design program at Columbia University. Daniel will move to the New York for at least the duration of his three-semester program. He has worked on numerous Suisman projects, and will be missed. We send him our best wishes for success.

Urban Design and Transportation Course at UCLA
In December 2003, Anastasia Likaitou-Sideris, chair of the Urban Planning department at UCLA, invited Doug Suisman to teach a course on Urban Design and Transportation. Suisman focused the 10-week seminar on Bus Rapid Transit and Transit-Oriented Development. 33 graduate planning students took the class.

December 2003
Suisman Elected to LA/AIA Board
Doug Suisman has been elected to a two-year term as a member of the board of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects, which is headquartered in the landmark Wiltern Building. Founded in 1894, the L.A. chapter is one of the oldest and largest in the nation.