July 23-27, 2023
"Sustainable Cities" - Moldova
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This IVLP group of city planners, architects, and accessibility advocates from Moldova explored numerous aspects of building and managing sustainable cities. Their journey began outside Fort Myers at Babcock Ranch with Ms. Lisa Hall, who spearheaded media and community relations that resulted in the creation of the Babcock Ranch Preserve in Southwest Florida. They toured the neighborhood parks, community gardens, and expansive trails for alternative transportation that provide ways for residents to connect with their neighbors and their environment. Through these sustainability efforts, Babcock Ranch provides residents with a greener way of life, and builds upon the Babcock family’s careful stewardship of the land and surrounding preserve areas.
Back in St. Pete, Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev toured the new St. Petersburg Police Department headquarters, was designed and constructed within Green Globes protocols and certified to 3 out of 4 Green Globes and is a sustainable facility for City operations and management for the life of the buildings. Kovacsev oversaw the sustainability and green design, and construction of the headquarters. St. Petersburg Public Works Administrator Claude Tankersley and Allison Mihalich, City Sustainability & Resilience Officer, held a roundtable discussion on how the city implements its Integrated Sustainability Action Plan (ISAP) with ambitious climate action goals, including a transition to 100% Clean Energy, environmental stewardship, resiliency, accessibility, and racial justice, while growing smart to sustain a thriving economy and quality of life for the residents of St. Pete. Then on to the St. Pete Innovation District, the professional home to thousands of scientists, doctors, educators and entrepreneurs working together to make life better. Executive Director Alison Barlow explained the origins of the district, and took the group on a tour of its high tech, medical, and scientific facilities. The University of South Florida's internationally-recognized Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) hosted a roundtable discussion focused on The Tampa Bay Smart Cities Alliance, and creating and managing large-scale public-private partnerships for the use of technology in regional planning. The roundtable was led by Mr. Philip L. Winters, Director, TDM Program, Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida, and included presentations by Dr. Sisinnio Concas, Program Director, Autonomous-Connected Mobility Evaluation (ACME), Autonomous-Connected Mobility Evaluation (ACME) and Ms. Sara Hendricks, Senior Research Associate, Transportation Demand Management. |
Babcock Ranch Community
SPPD Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev with the Moldovan group
St. Petersburg Public Works Administrator Claude Tankersley and Allison Mihalich, Sustainability & Resilience Officer, sharing a light moment with the Moldovan visitors
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