Magic of Landscapes 2008 Speakers

Speakers

PHILIP MYRICK
Vice President
Project for Public Spaces

TOPIC: Quality Landscapes and the Placemaking Process:
Dynamic Parks and Public Spaces
Phil will discuss the dynamics of successful parks and public spaces and the unique Placemaking process development at Project for Public Spaces. Phil will show how a successful approach starts by truly understanding how people will use a place and what activities will draw them there. Design cannot be the starting point for creating a great place. Within any successful park, there should be several dynamic destinations that attract different kinds of people. These destinations should offer many things to do, such as socializing, eating, reading, playing a game, interacting with art, and so on. Creating a great public space requires that communities articulate a vision for these activities and destinations. Phil will show how landscapes in particular can create a diversity of interests and destinations within a park or public space.

Philip Myrick is a Vice President and director of Project for Public Spaces’ work in parks and plazas, campuses and downtowns. He is a certified planner whose expertise encompasses public space planning, Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS), downtown revitalization, and facilitation. Phil joined PPS in 1995 and has led many of PPS’ major projects and programs. Phil has also managed and participated in many of PPS’ international projects and training programs: in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Serbia, Scotland, Georgia, and Armenia. Prior to joining PPS, Phil worked as a sculptor for a number of years in Zimbabwe and Portugal, which, along with his own observations, raised his awareness of public space and urban issues internationally.

JOHN THOMAS
Senior Associate
Edward Pinckney Associates, LTD.

TOPIC: Landscape as Infrastructure:
Demographic Trends, Stormwater and Green Development
There are many significant forces building nationwide that will change and shape our country as well as our industry for decades to come. John will talk about growth projections for the USA in the coming years and how this growth will affect real estate and the green industry. John will draw attention to the importance of better land use practices and the conservation of water resources. He will share specific methods on how to capture and treat storm water efficiently using low impact development (LID) practices. John will also explore the correlation between landscape best practices and green building and sustainable development practices. He will show how to maximize landscape design and site planning points in LEED certification.

John Thomas has been the Senior Associate at Edward Pinckney Associates, Ltd. since 2000. John is a seasoned professional with 35 years of experience in major project design and construction. Using a hands-on approach, he has designed and developed projects as large as 5000 acres, working in nine states and more than 50 cities throughout the south. He is a recognized expert on Low Impact Development (LID), entitlements, LEED certifiable site design, and stormwater quality and mitigation systems utilizing “natural” storm drainage design.

.....return to top