MEREDA will be holding thier 2013 annual spring conference on May 22. The topic is The Retrofitting Movement: Repositioning Underutilized Commercial Real Estate. It will be held at the the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland on May 22. Registration begins at noon.
Maine's communities face the daunting dual challenge of a push for energy-conscious development and planning and existing buildings and developments that are abandoned or in decline that thwart or hinder planning and development efforts.
Find out how Maine communities, large and small, can reach their architectural, cultural, and economic potential by making best use of scarce community resources to enhance commerce, walkability, and community heritage. The cutting-edge concept of retrofitting and creative re-use planning is one of the important trends in play all around the country and MEREDA is pleased to host this discussion, and to welcome a leading expert on the topic of retrofitting, Ellen Dunham-Jones.
Dunham-Jones is a leading authority on suburban redevelopment. She has been featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Harvard Design Magazine, Urban Land, Planning, Architectural Record, TEDx and other venues. Co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia; Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs, Dunham-Jones will share case studies of "underperforming asphalt properties" that have been redesigned and redeveloped into walkable, sustainable vital centers of community. Her presentation will focus on adaptive reuse of vacant buildings, environmental repair, revising zoning codes and public works standards, providing easements for future connectivity and adaptability.
This event will inspire and inform developers and their allies (attorneys, architects, engineers, bankers, realtors, et cetera), planners, students, municipal officials, and/or anyone interested in a creative and useful tool that creates value while enhancing community.
Local experts who have been involved in the retrofitting movement will support this discussion by addressing some of the practical challenges and or opportunities with respect to retrofitting suburban layouts in our Maine communities.
MEREDA will also recognize the Top Notable Projects for 2012 and provide an overview of the "MEREDA Index," a new metric that will illustrate the statistical changes and measure the pulse of the commercial real estate industry in Maine, including sale and lease activity, construction starts and other data.
For more information and to register to this event visit www.mereda.org.