UNISYS SIGN MEDIA COVERAGE AND POLL

Recent media stories give the impression that opposition to the proposed Unisys sign for Liberty Place comes primarily from the building's condo owners. DAG thinks the design issues regarding the sign are of more widespread concern than that.  Help make the point by weighing in with your opinion via the Inquirer's on-line poll, where you can also track the results: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/26905229.html

WHYY recently interviewed DAG vice-chair George Claflen about proposed Unisys sign.  The interview can be heard here: http://www.whyy.org/podcast/news/reports20080725unisys.mp3

DAG POSITION ON UNISYS SIGN:

The Design Advocacy Group, after meeting with Unisys to review their proposed signage for Liberty Place and after hearing from others who oppose the signage, sent letters to the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Board of Licenses and Inspections Review recommending against permission to install the signs and suggesting that that the Philadelphia Planning Commission prepare an interim policy, prior to the revision of the City’s Zoning Code, to deal with signage issues in a comprehensive manner rather than on an ad hoc basis. Read DAG's letter to the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Board of Licenses and Inspections Review.

LEARNING FROM PHILADELPHIA IN AUSTIN, TEXAS:

According to an article in The Austin Chronicle, "In the sparkling City of Brotherly Love, an outspoken coalition is successfully championing good design and planning." They’re referring to DAG.  See what else they say here: http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid:640116

MAYOR NUTTER'S SPEECH

CLICK HERE to read the full text of Mayor Nutter's speech to the Planning Commission outlining his vision for restoring Philadelphia as a national leader in city planning.  Note that DAG has long advocated for many of the items that the Mayor included in his address and we look forward to seeing them implemented.

New Leadership at DAG:

The Steering Committee of DAG is pleased to announce that effective June 1, 2008, Joanne Aitken AIA, will become the third Chair of DAG in the organization's six-year history.  Co-founder William Becker served as Chair for five years.  Co-founder Alan Greenberger was the second Chair and is stepping down after 18 months of service to allow him to focus on his new role as Vice Chairman of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission under Mayor Michael Nutter.

Joanne Aitken was one of the earliest DAG members and has served on the DAG Steering Committee since its inception.  An Associate at Kieran Timberlake Architects, Joanne is a committed civic activist and outspoken champion of design.  A Past-President of AIA Philadelphia, Joanne assumes the Chair as Philadelphia embarks on a new era of design consciousness, fostered in part by DAG's advocacy.  With nearly 1,000 members, DAG looks forward to strengthening its voice under Joanne's leadership. 

George Claflen AIA and David Brownlee will continue to serve as Vice Chairs.

In addition, Ariel Ben-Amos and Andy Toy have agreed to join the Steering Committee.

May 2008 - Michael Sklaroff's Remarks at the may dag meeting:

Michael Sklaroff, attorney and former Chairman of the Philadelphia Historical Commission, offered his thoughts on historic preservation in Philadelphia at the May DAG meeting.  To read his complete remarks, click here.  DAG members are invited to post their thoughts at our online forum.  To do so, simply log in at the top of this page using your email address.

May 2008 - DAG UPDATE - TAKE BACK OUR SIDEWALKS:

City Council is seeking testimony on the issue of construction-related sidewalk closures. This is a key issue of DAG's Take Back Our Sidewalks initiative. George Claflen coordinated the preparation of a report on this subject incorporating the views of many DAG members and friends. The report has been submitted to Councilman DiCicco, chairman of the Committee on Streets and Services. You may view the report (PDF) HERETo see other examples of blocked sidewalks, click here. 

FEBRUARY 2008 - DAG CHAIR ALAN GREENBERGER APPOINTED TO PLANNING COMMISSION

At its regular meeting on January 30, 2008, the Steering Committee of the Design Advocacy Group voted unanimously to commend Mayor Michael Nutter and to congratulate DAG chair Alan Greenberger on his appointment to the City Planning Commission. Greenberger's appointment helps to realize the first recommendation of the DAG Reform Agenda, to "appoint experts to the boards and commissions that work in the areas of planning and design."

The Steering Committee also voted unanimously to endorse Greenberger's continuing service as DAG chair. Appointment to the Planning Commission creates no systemic conflict of interest, and special arrangements can be made to avoid such conflict or the appearance of conflict on the rare occasions when they may arise.

DVRPC Report on Civic Design Excellence

This report, funded by the William Penn Foundation, and developed by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, looks at the state of civic design in Philadelphia in 2007 and makes recommendations as to how the City can strengthen its own functions to improve the quality of civic design that defines our urban landscape. Topics covered include elements of civic design, design review, design guidelines, design education and advocacy, and best practices from across the country.

Click here to see the report.

2008.01.07 - DEAL WAS BROKEN, HISTORY DEFILED:
Ed Bronstein and George Claflen Op Ed piece from the Monday, January 7th, 2008 Inquirer regarding the proposed demolition of PLICO building.  Click here to read.

2007.08.04 - INGA SAFFRON PRESENTATION:
Inga Saffron, architecture critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer,  spoke at the DAG meeting on August 2, 2007.  Click here to read the entirety of her presentation.

NEW ADVOCACY PROJECT - REFORM AGENDA:
A DAG taskforce has developed a Reform Agenda for Philadelphia's decentralized government planning and design agencies. Click here to read the agenda.

NEW ADVOCACY PROJECT - URBAN DESIGN EVALUATION TOOL:
The Urban Design Evaluation Tool was developed by DAG as a resource to help Philadelphians analyze the multitude of new development projects going up around the city. Also included is a listing of current and proposed development in Center City. Click here

DAG LETTER OF OPPOSITION:
DAG formally opposes Senate Bill 881 that prohibits the use of eminent domain for private development. Click here

DAG NABS IT!: On May 15, all of the Charter change measures recommended by DAG passed. We were successful by partnering with numerous advocacy groups throughout the city who share our interest in zoning and planning reform. Congratulations to all. The real work, especially on the writing of a new zoning code, lies ahead.

DAG RECOGNITION: DAG is pleased to announce that in its Philadelphia 2007: Prospects and Challenges report, the Pew Charitable Trusts has cited DAG as an example of one of the Philadelphia organizations "that represent the ferment of the new leadership climate".  In the subsection entitled "Public policy networks" the report says "the Design Advocacy Group meets monthly as a voluntary think-tank to discuss and respond to the need for urban planning and design."  Click here to read this section of the report.  If you would like to download the entire report, please visit http://www.pewtrusts.org/pubs

AWARDS FOR DAG: DAG is the proud recipient of Young Involved Philadelphia's 2005 Thomas Holme Award for its dedication to civic design excellence and education.  The award was presented at YIP's annual Membership Party on February 23. The award is named in honor of William Penn's surveyor and Philadelphia's first urban designer.

In December 2004, AIA Philadelphia presented DAG with the annual Lewis Mumford Award for Journalism, in recognition of our efforts to promote good design through print and broadcast media. A number of DAG members were on hand to accept the award at AIA Philadelphia's annual and awards ceremony.

The Design Advocacy Group was among those honored with a 2003 AIA Pennsylvania Design Award for its participation in the Penn's Landing Forums. DAG organized a charrette as part of an extensive public planning process led by Penn Praxis, Graduate School of Fine Arts and the Center for School Study Councils, Graduate School of Education, both at the University of Pennsylvania, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.