May 14, 2010: The Harvard Press, by Joe Hutchinson
Development must be sustainable, which means achieving a balance of economic, social, and environmental needs, while maintaining and enhancing the natural resource base. That’s the high bar set by Devens planner Peter Lowitt of Acton as he took over planning redevelopment of the former Army fort in 1999. Last month at a ceremony in New Orleans, the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) inducted Lowitt as an elite member of its College of Fellows.
The AICP press release says, “Election to the Fellowship may be granted to planners who have been longtime members of AICP and have demonstrated excellence, whether in professional practice, teaching and mentoring, research, or community service and leadership,” explaining that all certified AICP planners may use the letters “AICP” after their names, but that only Fellows may use the designation “FAICP.” Currently there are about 16,000 practicing urban and rural planners in North America and elsewhere with AICP certification. Of those, approximately 400 are Fellows.
As director at the Devens Enterprise Commission and town planner for Londonderry, N.H., Lowitt has been at the forefront of sustainable development planning for nearly a quarter century, applying the principles of sustainable community to his work at Devens. The Devens Ecostar branding and achievement program, for example, is internationally recognized and award-winning, with environmental officials from across the world (Ireland, Scotland, and the UK, Thailand, Korea, and Germany) visiting to study the program, Lowitt reported in an interview with the Press.
Lowitt said that “breathing new life into the [Devens] Reuse Plan with a focus on sustainable development [balancing environmental protection, economic development, and social equity]” was one of the significant accomplishments in his career. “Before I came to the DEC, they were playing catch-up … They spent the first three years writing regulations and then hired me to refocus on sustainable development as the overall mission at Devens.” Lowitt introduced the concept of an “eco-industrial park,” in which firms act collaboratively, share resources, and where one firm’s waste stream could be the source of another firm’s raw materials. “For example,” Lowitt said, “Parker Aircraft receives jet engine parts that come packed in styrofoam peanuts, while Waiteco Machine, a small machine shop, has to buy peanuts to pack their products. We deployed a 96-gallon ‘toter’ recycler that saves both firms money, improves the environment, and eliminates the peanuts from the waste flow.”
As examples of the social benefits of the sustainable development equation, Lowitt cited the Guild of St. Agnes, where day-care slots are reserved for local working parents, and One Jackson Place, which has been redeveloped as a campus for Mount Wachusett Community College, providing the community with training in the biopharma industries.
Lowitt founded and currently chairs both the Eco-Industrial Development Council of North America and the Industrial Symbiosis Section of the International Society of Industrial Ecology. He has written and spoken about green roofs and was chairman of the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities board from 2005 to 2009. And as a board member and past president of the Massachusetts chapter of American Planning Associates (APA), he has been a strong proponent of modernizing planning laws in the commonwealth.
© Copyright 2010 The Harvard Press.
