Peter Calthorpe
Encyclopedia
Peter Calthorpe is a San Francisco-based architect, urban designer and urban planner. He is a founding member of the Congress for New Urbanism
, a Chicago-based advocacy group formed in 1992 that promotes sustainable building practices.
and raised in Palo Alto. He attended the Yale School of Architecture
.
In the mid 1970s, Calthorpe left Yale to work with California governor Jerry Brown
on sustainable building projects. In 1983, he formed Calthorpe Associates, which has worked on several neighborhood development projects in Northern California including Laguna West
and a Sacramento
County plan, other locations in the mid-west including the decommissioned Stapleton airport redevelopment in Denver, and "from coast to coast and overseas." He has co-authored several books on sustainable development.Peter Calthorpe was green when it wasn’t easy, San Francisco Business Times A recent planning project of Peter Calthorpe's was the massive Mesa del Sol
project in Albuquerque, New Mexico
.
In 1989 he proposed the concept of "Pedestrian Pocket" a up to 110 acres (44.5 ha) pedestrian friendly, transit linked, mixed-use urban area with a park at its centre. The Pedestrian Pocket mixes low-rise high-density housing, commercial and retail uses. The concept had a number of similarities with Ebenezer Howard
's Garden City
, and aimed to be an alternative to the than usual low-density residential suburban developments.
Calthorpe has been a visionary leader in the field of urban regional planning, beginning with the LUTRAQ and Vision 2040 projects for the Portland
metropolitan region. His firm, Calthorpe Associates, has worked on regional projects across the country, including: Envision Utah for the Salt Lake City, UT region; Compass Vision for the Los Angeles, CA region; and Louisiana Speaks
for the state of Louisiana following the Katrina disaster. Currently, Calthorpe Associates is working on Vision California, helping that state developer a smarter land use plan to guide growth through the year 2050.
Calthorpe was named the 2006 Laureate of the Urban Land Institute
J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development, for his work in walkable communities and land preservation.
New urbanism
New Urbanism is an urban design movement, which promotes walkable neighborhoods that contain a range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually continued to reform many aspects of real estate development, urban planning, and municipal land-use...
, a Chicago-based advocacy group formed in 1992 that promotes sustainable building practices.
Biography
Calthorpe was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and raised in Palo Alto. He attended the Yale School of Architecture
Yale School of Architecture
The Yale School of Architecture is one of the constituent professional schools of Yale University. It is generally considered to be one of the most prestigious architecture schools in the world.- History :...
.
In the mid 1970s, Calthorpe left Yale to work with California governor Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
on sustainable building projects. In 1983, he formed Calthorpe Associates, which has worked on several neighborhood development projects in Northern California including Laguna West
Laguna West-Lakeside, Elk Grove, California
Laguna West-Lakeside is an area located on the west side of the city of Elk Grove in Sacramento County, California. Formally a census-designated place , Laguna West-Lakeside was annexed by Elk Grove in 2003...
and a Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
County plan, other locations in the mid-west including the decommissioned Stapleton airport redevelopment in Denver, and "from coast to coast and overseas." He has co-authored several books on sustainable development.Peter Calthorpe was green when it wasn’t easy, San Francisco Business Times A recent planning project of Peter Calthorpe's was the massive Mesa del Sol
Mesa del Sol
Mesa del Sol is a proposed mixed use community in Albuquerque, New Mexico.-History:Mesa del Sol was approved as part of a public-private partnership strategy with the State of New Mexico, City of Albuquerque and University of New Mexico and has been planning stages since the 1980s...
project in Albuquerque, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
In 1989 he proposed the concept of "Pedestrian Pocket" a up to 110 acres (44.5 ha) pedestrian friendly, transit linked, mixed-use urban area with a park at its centre. The Pedestrian Pocket mixes low-rise high-density housing, commercial and retail uses. The concept had a number of similarities with Ebenezer Howard
Ebenezer Howard
Sir Ebenezer Howard is known for his publication Garden Cities of To-morrow , the description of a utopian city in which people live harmoniously together with nature. The publication resulted in the founding of the garden city movement, that realized several Garden Cities in Great Britain at the...
's Garden City
Garden city movement
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...
, and aimed to be an alternative to the than usual low-density residential suburban developments.
Calthorpe has been a visionary leader in the field of urban regional planning, beginning with the LUTRAQ and Vision 2040 projects for the Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
metropolitan region. His firm, Calthorpe Associates, has worked on regional projects across the country, including: Envision Utah for the Salt Lake City, UT region; Compass Vision for the Los Angeles, CA region; and Louisiana Speaks
Louisiana Speaks
-About:Published in May 2007, the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan is a plan set to guide the state of Louisiana and its citizens on a "bold new course" through the state's recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and "into a safer, stronger, smarter future."...
for the state of Louisiana following the Katrina disaster. Currently, Calthorpe Associates is working on Vision California, helping that state developer a smarter land use plan to guide growth through the year 2050.
Calthorpe was named the 2006 Laureate of the Urban Land Institute
Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a non-profit research and education organization with offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London...
J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development, for his work in walkable communities and land preservation.
Writings
- Calthorpe, Peter: The Pedestrian pocket, in Doug, Kelbaugh (ed.) Pedestrian Pocket Book, 1989
- Calthorpe, Peter: The Next American Metropolis: Ecology, Community, and the American Dream, Princeton Architectural Press, 1993
- Calthorpe, Peter and Fulton, William: The Regional City, Island Press, 2001
- Calthorpe, Peter: Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change, Island Press, 2010