[T]he competition to design a sustainable Montpelier for 2030 has begun.
Net Zero Vermont, a nonprofit dedicated to sustainability in Vermont, launched the competition after the Montpelier City Council voted in 2014 to wean the city off fossil fuels by 2030, said Debra Sachs, co-CEO of the organization.
The grand prize is $10,000.
The competition is to create a vision and concept for Montpelier as a low-carbon small city, according to a news release.
The organization’s other co-CEO, Dan Jones, said this is to fight the 70-year silent invasion by automobiles. Sixty percent of Montpelier’s downtown is reserved for parking, according to Net Zero Vermont’s map.
Most people think of Montpelier as a commuter city, according to Jones, and he said getting people to accept change to their current environment is difficult.
“We hope to create a vision of Montpelier that breaks from the status quo,” he said.
The competition seeks designs for redeveloping land currently in off-street parking lots downtown. Among the goals are an increase of 1,000 to 1,500 dwelling units; green space and pedestrian access to the riverfront; and opportunities for pedestrians, bicycles and pedestrian streets.
The competition is open to the public, particularly to teams with many types of design expertise in sustainable urban systems. Registration is open until Aug. 19, according to the news release.
The contestants will then submit their Phase 1 design boards by Sept. 8, and during the following week all the design boards will be on display downtown, according to the competition schedule. The contest includes opportunities for public voting and a professional design review panel.
Once the five finalists are announced Sept. 19, they will expand their initial concepts with narratives to be submitted for community review in November. The winner will be announced Nov. 21. A phase of citizen engagement and implementation will then begin over the winter.
The competition is Net Zero Vermont’s first project, Jones said.
The chair of the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee, Kate Stephenson, said members are excited to see the designs that will emerge and that the new ideas and solutions will help the city meet its 2030 goal. The city committed to reduce its use of fossil fuels and offset the carbon-based energy it does use by producing an equivalent amount of surplus renewable energy.
Others said Montpelier can inspire cities to follow suit.
The future is full of net zero cities, said Andy Barker, social mission strategy and policy manager at Ben & Jerry’s, one of the competition’s sponsors.
“When we think of Montpelier as a small city, we forget how small ripples can effect change,” Barker said.
“We need to reinvent our small cities and towns to be livable and sustainable,” said David Blittersdorf, president and CEO of AllEarth Renewables, another sponsor. “Net Zero Vermont is leading this critical change with a grand vision for Montpelier to be the shining star.”
The competition can be registered for online, and there is a $50 processing fee.
