The resilience of Virginia's coastal cities, towns, and villages is threated by sinking ground (subsidence), increased rainfall intensity, storm surges and rising seas. The flood records are clear: more flooding is occuring now than ever before and more flooding is expected in coming years. These hazards directly affect regional economy, public health and social coherence. Coastal communities in Virginia are experiencing high risk areas prone to repeated flooding, some of which are projected over time to... Continue reading →
Categorized as: 2010s, Dialogue, Public Participation, Land, People & Communities, Water, Educational Institutions,
The City of Charlottesville, the University of Virginia, and Perrone Robotics have partnered to consider how autonomous vehicles might impact the Charlottesville community in the near and long-term future. As part of this project, IEN facilitated a focus group with local elderly residents to explore their questions and concerns regarding autonomous vehicles, as well as ways in which this technology might be helpful to them. Dr. Cody Fleming from the University's School of Engineering joined the facilitators to present to the group on autonomous vehicle technology and the questions... Continue reading →
Categorized as: 2010s, Dialogue, Public Participation, Land, People & Communities, Business and Industry,Educational Institutions,
Photos courtesy of Stacey Evans (left) and Nina Morris (right).
The IEN is working with the Sustainable Food Strategy task force to implement the University of Virginia's Sustainability Plan (2016-2020) goals relating to food. Now entering its second year of work, the task force is chaired by Andrea Trimble, Sustainability Director, and facilitated by Tanya Denckla Cobb, Director of IEN, and includes a broad array of representatives concerned and interested in food and its impacts:... Continue reading →
Categorized as: Current, Consensus Building, Dialogue, Health & Food, Educational Institutions,
Local coastal governments face daunting challenges related to sea level rise. Current and projected conditions affect residents, businesses, and key national security facilities, as well as public health, infrastructure and economic development.
IEN is partnering with the William & Mary Virginia Coastal Policy Center and Old Dominion University to initiate a multi-university, inter-disciplinary academic partnership to create an assessment and response decision... Continue reading →
Categorized as: Current, Dialogue, Land, People & Communities, Water, Educational Institutions,
At the September 2016 meeting of the Board of Visitors, the design team of Höweler + Yoon, Mabel Wilson, Gregg Bleam and Associates, and IEN's Frank Dukes was approved to design the Memorial for Enslaved Workers at the University of Virginia. The design of a new memorial marks a critical moment to address the complex history of the University and of the country, and affirms UVA’s role as a leader in the national conversation about race, history and institutions.
As a World Heritage Site and a cherished American landmark, UVA’s grounds require an... Continue reading →
Categorized as: Current, Dialogue, Public Participation, People & Communities, Educational Institutions,
The Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC), located at U.Va., initiated a pilot project with Campbell County to test a Federal Highways collaborative planning framework, known as PlanWorks. The project's focus is a busy 6.6-mile stretch of Route 29 on the south side of Lynchburg, beginning at the southern city limit and extending to Colonial Highway (Route 24).
This stretch of highway hosts multiple mixed uses and needs for residential, business, and large institutional access. IEN is... Continue reading →
Categorized as: 2010s, Dialogue, Public Participation, Land, People & Communities, Educational Institutions,State Government,
(2011) IEN designed and facilitated a curriculum workshop at Virginia Tech. We worked with the co-Program Directors to develop an agenda that will address participant issues, and developing a synthesis of the workshop results and follow-up actions. The first workshop will identified key learning objectives, ways to enhance student outcomes, and resources needed and available. The second workshop gave give these concepts “legs” by translating them into a functional, skeletal curriculum.
Categorized as: 2010s, Strategic Planning, People & Communities, Educational Institutions,
(2012)
A new project was proposed in the Shenandoah Valley to build a facility north of Harrisonburg that would convert poultry litter to energy. As part of the preliminary ground work to gather information on possible health impacts of the project, the VCU Center on Human Needs was asked in 2012 to conduct a Health Impact Assessment Analysis (HIA) of this proposed project to engage community members in gathering information as part of the Health Impact Assessment. The IEN was contracted, with facilitation assistance from Dialogue + Design Associates, to facilitate the stakeholder... Continue reading →
Categorized as: 2010s, Public Participation, Health & Food, Educational Institutions,