Current:
Shoreham Town Commons, Shoreham, Vermont, 2002
Master Plan Design for Town Commons and associated Historic Buildings
VDI Collaborators: Steve Libby, Diane Gayer, Kathleen Ryan, Michael Oman, Brandy Saxton (ACRPC)

Edmunds Elementary School, Burlington, Vermont, Spring 2002
Garden Project with Elementary School teacher Rosemary Sadler
VDI Collaborators: Diane Gayer, Elizabeth Brody

EPA Green Communities Workshops, Harper's Ferry, W. Virginia, Spring 2002
Green Communities Workshops led and organized by Susan McDowell, EPA, and Jennifer Colby, GMIED. Green Design workshop by Diane Gayer.

Past:
Community Design: Incorporating Design Concepts and practices into Community Planning. A workshop developed for the Orton Family Foundation, held at the Vermont Law School, South Royalton, November 2001. Steve Libby and Diane Gayer led the workshop for the Vermont Design Institute and Martha Perkins represented the Orton Family Foundation. Participants came from across the state.

The workshop included the following activities:
• Community Design as a Problem-Solving Tool
• Richmond, VT, a case study in process
• Small group exercises on Defining Elements for a Sustainable Community
• Large group discussion on Guiding Principles, Values and Physical Realities
• Assignment to create an image or diagram exhibiting one's own town identity
• Work sessions on design and planning issues facing one's town

Pine Street Enterprise Zone Charrette, Burlington, Vermont, Spring 2001
The Pine Street area identified as an Enterprise Zone by the City was selected for a community design charrette in March of 2001 in order to facilitate the conversation about its function and future in the fabric of the region. This was a two-day event with a guest speaker, David Beach from EcoCity Cleveland, on Friday evening, and the charrette activities all-day Saturday.
Julie Campoli started the day with a Visual Assessment Preference Survey. Teams were formed based on five areas of concern (or perhaps layers of urban fabric). These layers and their team leaders were:

• Barge Canal and Large Industrial Mix: John Anderson, Marc Companion
• Pine Street Connector and Corridor: Steve Libby, Michael Oman, Darina Mernicky, Mike Mitchell, Troy Osborn
• Open/Green Space: Andrea Morgante, Kathleen Ryan
• Battery Street Extension: Michael Wisniewski, Katja Ackerman
• Neighborhood Density: Lisa Williams, Robert Mantho, Betsy Rosenbluth

The neighborhood Ward had developed the following mission statement that was useful as a guiding principle:
The enterprise zone will be clean, green, and attractive: and take advantage of its abutment to the lake for recreation, transportation, economics, and aesthetics. It will be a pedestrian and bicycle friendly place that is a blend of mixed uses: industry, incubation space fro business and industry, parks, residences, and businesses that cater to the enterprise zone and surrounding communities. Its development, operation, and maintenance will emphasize enhancing and maintaining a high quality environment that is aesthetically pleasing, and minimally invasive regarding all forms of pollution. The enterprise zone will be a model of how government, planning experts, citizens, and business and industry owners can cooperatively create and maintain a community that wisely balances environmental, aesthetic, cultural, and economic forces.

A final report is now available from Owiso Makuku, CEDO, City Hall, Burlington, Vermont, tel. 802-865-7144

Mini-Charrette, Norwich University, June 1999
The Vermont Design Institute held its first mini-charrette June 5th, 1999 at Norwich University in Northfield, hosted by the Division for Architecture and Art. The event was a half-day design and planning strategy workshop with Ms. Marcy Harding, chair of the Environmental Board, as keynote speaker. Ms. Harding talked about the role of planning and local involvement.

Towns and non-profits from around the state were invited to participate by bringing a project to the charrette. The five projects we worked on that day represented a variety of design issues and each project was linked with its own consulting team. Each team met separately to work on their design and strategic thinking. The projects teams were:

Barton/Crystal Lake Restoration: Nat Goodhue, Susan Bulmer, Avis Harper, John Brown, Peter Proginy, Denise Valley
Bike/Ped Bridge Crossing over the Winooski: Rob Bast, Jeff McDonald, Jeanine McCrumb, Chapin Spencer
Gihon Valley Grange Restoration, North Hyde Park: Diane Gayer, Steve Libby, Brickett Bailey, Michele Bailey
Leland and Gray High School Theater Space, Townshend: Jane Petrillo, Sandy Vitzthum, Ann Landenberger, Matt Martyn, Frank Rucker, Patty Amirault
Essex Junction Shopping Center Redesign: Bob White, Jeff Schultz, Michael Hoffman

Contact: Diane Gayer, Vermont Design Institute, vermontdesign@aol.com