Out-Bagby, Bagby!: Developing the Next Generation of High-Performance Green Streets - 1.0 PDH (LA CES/HSW)

Bagby Street, a national precedent for sustainable streetscape design, yields countless benefits that continue to foster growth and development for Midtown Houston. A decade later, the Midtown Redevelopment Authority and design team partner to transform Bagby's sister street, Brazos, taking urban-design-oriented landscape performance benefits to a new level.

Learning objectives:

Articulate how strategic urban planning and a catalyst project can revitalize a struggling community.
Recognize a process that fosters neighborhood change and how landscape architects can use low-impact development and green infrastructure to help communities benefit from reinvestment and growth.
Identify lessons learned as well as best practices obtained from a precedent project and its subsequential case study investigations.
Understand a design process for designing innovative green streets that addresses use, adaptability, and circulation but places landscape performance at the forefront of design.

Gaylan D. Williams, ASLA, PLA, LEED AP

Assistant Professor

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Gaylan Williams is a skilled landscape architect with extensive experience in climate adaptation and hazard mitigation projects. He recently received a PhD in urban forestry. Williams' research focuses on utilizing blue-green infrastructure to combat climate change's adverse effects by quantifying the ecological services of trees to facilitate sustainable design decisions. Gaylan is currently completing a postdoctoral research fellowship with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Alex Ramirez, ASLA

Office Director | Principal

Design Workshop

Alex is a Principal with Design Workshop and the office director of the Houston studio. A background in residential design combined with his diverse experience developing landmark projects in the public realm has shaped Alex’s perspective on balancing detailed design with complex design problems. With more than a decade of experience, Alex takes great pride in his ability to deliver the highest quality of work to our clients by successfully implementing innovative design solutions for plazas, streetscapes, parks, and open spaces. Alex is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Design Management from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Marlon Marshall

Director, Engineering & Construction

Midtown Redevelopment Authority

Marlon Marshall is the Director of Engineering & Construction for Midtown Redevelopment Authority (MRA) in Houston, TX. He is responsible for planning and implementation of MRA's Capital Improvement Program to encourage economic development in the Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ). As an advocate for sustainable design, Marlon has managed multiple complete streetscape and green infrastructure projects. He is a member of the American Planning Association (APA), International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI), and National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Marlon holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Louisiana State University and Georgia Institute of Technology, respectively.