San Diego, CA, June 20, 2018 – AVRP Skyport’s Urban Design Studio Director, Howard Blackson, III, CNU-A, was recently invited to speak at the 26th Annual Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) in Savannah, GA. The May 16-19 conference brought together over 1,500 people from around the world for education, collaboration, and discussion on how to make great places. Based out of Washington, DC, CNU is an international nonprofit organization aiming to create vibrant and walkable places where people have diverse options for how they live, work, go, and shop.
Howard Blackson, III, CNU-A
Mr. Blackson is an urban design leader with over 25 years of experience throughout the United States, South Korea, Singapore, China, Mexico, and Canada. His articles and drawings have appeared in numerous publications. He sits on multiple committees for the City of San Diego, serves as Chairman of the Congress for the New Urbanism – California Chapter, and is a Contributing Faculty member for the NewSchool of Architecture & Design.
Mr. Blackson brought his lessons learned from decades of international design and AVRP Skyport’s award-winning projects to CNU. The workshops he helped lead included:
- The Urban Reset Now That The Great Sprawl Experiment Has Finally Come to an End (Urban Design)
- Creating Places That People Love (Placemaking)
- Urbanism Strategies for Downtown Waterfronts in Cities of All Sizes
Mr. Blackson also participated in an exclusive tour of the ‘new towns’ Harbortown, MS; Providence, AL; Gorhams Bluff, AL; Serenbe, GA; Glenwood Park, GA; Nexton, SC; I’on, SC; and Habersham, SC; with the downtowns districts of Memphis, Chattanooga, Huntsville, Atlanta, Greenville, Charleston, Savannah. The enriching journey allowed participants to experience, compare, and learn from these revitalized neighborhoods.
Howard Blackson, III, CNU-A, AVRP Skyport’s Director of Urban Design, states, “CNU has changed the national conversation from a debate over sprawl to a dialogue on how to reinvest in our cities and towns. I was honored to be a part of CNU and help shape this discussion on a national scale.”
AVRP Skyport strives to find and develop an original idea that drives the creative process for each project. Principals Douglas H. Austin, FAIA; Christopher T. Veum, AAIA, IIDA; Randy Robbins, AIA, LEED AP; and Frank Wolden represent award-wining portfolios inspiring developers and civic leaders to think beyond traditional boundaries, infusing each project with experiential community connections. For more information, visit www.avrpstudios.com.
