Sunday, August 23, 2009

SMASH Sustainability Conference in San Miguel de Allende





My husband Mark and I were invited to participate in a conference, known as SMASH, the first week of August. The brainchild of our friend Federico Vidargas, the conference brought together a variety of professionals (architects, planners, economists, historians, journalists, engineers, environmentalists, etc) to brainstorm solutions to SMA's urban problems and to propose a possible sustainable master plan. I participated as president of Partners of the Americas - Illinois/Sao Paulo chapter and as a professional in the field. It was an intensive, three-day conference where we were all fully engaged and produced a number of practical potential solutions to issues, such as water management, congestion, urban development and land use, architectural preservation and economic development. To learn more, see our 6-minute slideshow on the conference at http://smash2009conference.webng.com. We'll share more when the conference report becomes available.

The conference was a real SMASH, and I hope we can replicate a similar experience in Sao Paulo, Brazil soon.