The Design Assistance Team Program

The Design Assistance Team Program

Presentation to the CACE Annual Meeting

Minneapolis, MinnesotaAugust 7, 2014

Since 1967…Collectively the DAT program, a public service of the AIA, represents over 1000 professionals from more than 30 disciplines providing millions of dollars in professional pro bono services to more than 200 communities across the country. The program has catalyzed over one billion dollars in new investment in just the past 5 years..

R/UDATs & SDATs

DAT Impacts in large cities over the years…

• San Francisco (Embarcadero)

• Portland (Pearl District)• Seattle (Downtown housing)• Denver (LoDo/16th Street

mall)

• Austin (Downtown Revitalization)

• Santa Fe (Railyard Redevelopment/Park)

• Process adaptation in UK and across Europe

SDAT vs. R/UDAT

• SDAT is…– 3 day process– Costs $5,000 (AIA

covers up to 15K team costs)

– Community presentation

– Report 2-3 months later

• R/UDAT is…– 4.5 day process– Community covers

cost of hosting the team

– Community presentation

– Report delivered on site

What distinguishes the DAT?

• We are NOT:– Another Consultant

Team– A process to produce a

planning document• “Please don’t give us

another plan. We have plenty – they all sit on the shelves. We need implementation strategies.” – Almost Every community

– Government-focused– “Green”-focused– Building-focused

• We ARE:– Public Service in the Public

Interest• “Consultants work for

somebody. Design Assistance Teams work for everybody.”

– Action-Oriented – Community-focused– Holistic, Customized

• “It’s about the space between the buildings, and the people that inhabit that space”

– Catalytic, Momentum-generating

How Does the DAT Program help?

• Transcends local political dynamics – moves beyond narrow interests and constituencies to broader, shared community interests

• Re-defines public work to include the whole community and set the stage for civic leadership and partnership

• Creates a broad sense of community ownership by collaborating on an authentic community process

• Builds customized frameworks, action-oriented strategies and priorities

• Positions a local jurisdiction for major investment (private, federal, etc)

“We have no public resources to implement”

• Volunteerism = $171 billion (only 64 mill people)• Total Charitable Giving = $298.42 billion.• Non-profits = $300 billion in investment into local

communities • Over half of all states have enacted legislation to enable

private-sector participation in infrastructure projects, where there is an estimated $180 billion to be leveraged

• Crowdfunding - $3 billion, and growing

The Snowball Effect

“a figurative term for a process that starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon itself, becoming larger and faster at every stage”

Applied to a community, this is a transformational principle…

“You gave us hope. Back in 1992, your ideas seemed like dreams. Now we are living those dreams.” – Rick Smith, San Angelo Times-Standard, 2012

CASE STUDY: Newport, Vermont

2009 R/UDAT Project

Newport – 2 year ‘snowball’• Newport, Vermont

(2009)• Last town in state to

receive downtown designation, double-digit unemployment

• Citizen: “I’ve seen Newport come, and I’ve seen it go”

• Newport, Vermont (2011)• $250 million in new investment,

and 2,000 new jobs coming online

• “The biggest change here has been one of attitude. Now we realize that through partnerships, we can do anything. Now, nothing is impossible.”

CASE STUDY: Port Angeles, Washington

2009 SDAT Project

Port Angeles, WA 2009 SDAT: 2 months later, 43 buildings repainted with volunteers and donated paint,

led to a façade improvement program, then private $

Today: Millions in New Investments

Transforming Downtown

Waterfront: from SDAT to Masterplan to…

Realizing their aspirations

Award-winning design

Bringing People Back to the Waterfront

Creating an Attractive Sense of Place

Snowball Effect: $100+ million

And, it keeps going

Case Study – Birmingham, AL2011 R/UDAT Project

Catastrophic Impact

Frustration• "I think everyone in the neighborhood is tired," said Patricia

Montgomery. Montgomery and others are tired of seeing their neighborhood look the way it does.  Trees are still down, homes have been abandoned. While many are rebuilding, others are not and Montgomery says lately it doesn't seem like a whole lot of work is being done."I understand it's going to take a while to get stuff done but when you look out your house everyday and you see trees just laying, dead trees just laying there it makes you like, I'm so sick of this," said Montgomery. "I'm willing to get out there and help. My neighbors, I'm sure there are willing to get out there and help but we don't know where to start."

Immediate R/UDAT Outcomes

• “it is a plan than we can use as a guide as we go back to restoring our community to not just the way it was, but better than it was before.”-Mayor William Bell

• ‘Greater Pratt Partnership’

Birmingham R/UDAT Outcomes

• $8 million in federal funds within 2 months

• June 2012 – TIGER Grant of $10 million

• “The coalition of communities and organizations that have come together behind this grant is incredibly impressive. I think we all know we are working in an environment of finite resources, so from a federal standpoint it is always extraordinarily helpful to see a large commitment from the local community, the private and public sector and the region as a whole behind one project.” – Federal official

• 2013: another $17 million in federal community block grants

Two Year Anniversary - 2013

Three-Year Anniversary: ‘Tragedy to Triumph’ Celebration

“No one thought we could get this much done in just 3 years. We have done it together. We are a community on the move! Aint no stopping us now! I can’t wait to see what we will have done in ten years. – Neighborhood Assc. Leader

2011

2014

…and it keeps going

How do DATs help AIA Components?

• Visibility with the public & public officials• Engagement with current/future Members• Economic Development & Job Creation• Community Impact & Pride

Public Sector Impact

“A few days ago, Mayor Bell of Birmingham gave welcoming remarks at our Alabama AIA state convention, and his comments centered on this work. Wow. Mayor Bell got the message about the value of design for the public. Not only did he appreciate the outcome of the work, but he praised the impact of good design on our communities and expressed fervent appreciation of the work we architects do. We could not have written a script more complimentary. The real value of this design assistance effort is a renewed credibility of our profession and a commitment for future collaboration. These AIA dollars were a great investment.”

– AIA National Board Member, 2013

Remaking Cities Congress, 2013

“Thank you and the American Institute of Architects for all you have done to help move Birmingham forward.” – Mayor William Bell

Economic Impact

“Thank you for the project you did in Port Angeles. Our firm won the million dollar contract to do the master planning for their waterfront!” –AIA Member

Emerging Professionals Impact

"Thanks so much for inviting and letting our CRC students participate in the AIA R/UDAT for Rio Vista. What an educational experience! Each of them, as they move along their educational pathways into their architectural careers, will remember this experience and benefit from it for the rest of their lives. To learn about how to take a global look at creating livable, sustainable and vibrant communities will have a profound multiplier effect and impact their design decisions as professionals. I interviewed each of them in front of the rest of our ARCH 332/334 class and, to a person, they were so excited to have participated in the process and felt the learning was invaluable.”

Community Impact

A primary outcome has been that the process awakened community pride and inspired a “together we can” attitude.” –Nathan West, Port Angeles Community Development

A Tool for AIA Repositioning

• “Guide the conversation by creating more occasions to engage the public.”

• “The AIA’s sweet spot is the intersection of collaborative, passionate/visionary, and problem-solving.”

• “Building relevance is ultimately a matter of demonstrating impact.”

Training Institute & Tech Assistance

• Training Platform: Public Participation, the Design Assistance Model

• Technical Assistance in implementing local DATs, providing guidance on public participation, process design, communications, and methods for your specific situation.

Questions?

http://www.aia.org/about/initiatives/AIAS075265