Investors in America Award
For his influential work in developing new approaches to urban redevelopment, suburban growth and regional planning.
Ameri
can communities have taken many forms throughout the centuries, perhaps the most significant of which is the suburb in its impact on our environment and quality of life. Returning from WWII, families traded in their urban apartments and row-houses for big front yards and auto-dependent developments. Though the demand for this ‘American dream’ did not cease for decades to come, we are now realizing the consequences of this style of living. One pioneer of urban design has led the way in developing sustainable communities and offering a healthier alternative to the suburban model. Peter Calthorpe has redefined the relationship between transportation and land use within the planning community. His expertise in regional-scale planning and attention to the environment make him one of our nation’s foremost progressive urban experts. After graduating from Yale’s Graduate School of Architecture, Calthorpe was recruited by architect Sim Van der Ryn to join the Farralones Institute as Director of Design in the field of climate-responsive design. When Van der Ryn was appointed as the California State architect, Calthorpe came along, applying his expertise to the design of public buildings. Though an architect by training, Calthorpe quickly became more intrigued by the way in which people traveled to his buildings. To encourage citizens to use forms of transit other than a car, Calthorpe’s team began to design buildings without parking lots, a design element that eventually led to the idea of transit-oriented development and Calthorpe’s transition to large-scale urban design.
Calthorpe began his own design firm, Calthorpe Associates, in 1983. To date, the firm has developed more than 30 new community designs, managed countless urban revitalization projects such as HOPE VI public housing in Chicago, and led 11 long-term regional plans such as Envision Utah and Metro Vision 2040 in Portland, Oregon. More recently, Calthorpe was recruited by Kennecott Land of Salt Lake City to design a plan for more than 90,000 acres, 42,000 of which will comprise the new development of Daybreak. This community will reflect Calthorpe’s signature design style complete with a variety of housing choices and mixed land uses while encouraging walkability and transit use. Calthorpe has also authored many publications on these important design elements including The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community and the American Dream.
Promoting quality design in our communities has been a lifelong commitment for Calthorpe. By adhering to four basic principles with every project, 1) the need for diversity, 2) building to human scale, 3) focusing on restoring and preserving buildings, and 4) taking a regional perspective, Peter Calthorpe has made a vital investment in livable communities that will benefit generations to come.