What is the best way to bring Northampton’s sustainability plan alive? There’s been some chatter this week on the Paradise City Forum regarding the potential for Professor Philip Bess and the Notre Dame Architecture fall graduate charrette and urban design studio to be invited to Northampton to study the city’s design. Recently the Planning Department and the Planning Board decided not to pursue this option. Some private residents, however, feel otherwise and have begun to raise funds in the hope that the idea will materialize. The total cost is estimated at around $20 thousand. According to local architect Tris Metcalfe half the funds are already raised. Joel Russell wrote on the forum, "If you are interested in helping out financially or otherwise, you can write to the following email address to register your interest: NotreDameNorthampton@gmail.com."
From Professor Bess:
"a) we want to engage as many people as possible;
b) we bring no political agenda with us except a commitment to traditional urbanism and its beneficial social and environmental and economic and aesthetic consequences;
c) we are looking to address both practical and long term concerns in the best interest of our host community; and
d) we hope and believe that engaging communities from this perspective with no strings attached both will be a good educational experience for our students and will facilitate a beneficial discussion within our host community itself about its common future."
The sustainability plan has been percolating for some time now, several years. Perhaps this initiative will spur further advancement along this front. Meanwhile, several developments are under way or proposed, developments that don’t necessarily have to abide by the non-binding sustainability plan. Let’s hope that developers keep in mind the importance to the community of sound design based on sustainable principles. Infill should mean more than plunking a big box housing development into the midst of a traditional neighborhood and calling it good. Infill should mean more than encroaching upon urban wetlands forcing people to drive to outlying areas if they wish to enjoy nature and wildlife. Perhaps Philip Bess’ offer is an opportunity for us to do better.
