The topic of the evening was civic places on the peninsula. Civic places are areas where the public can gather as a community. They bring together
people of all area codes, ages and cultural backgrou
nds — tonight, we celebrated that.
Food and beverages were donated by 5church of Charleston.
The panel discussion topic, in conjunction with the opportunity to tour the newly revitalized 17th century trolley barn, now American College of Building Arts, dew in quite a crowd.
The panel featured some of the peninsula’s most creative thinkers, dedicated to creating ideal civic places and spaces for residents on the coast.
Jason Kronsberg, Cathryn Zommer, Michael Smith, Bill Eubanks, Seamon Whiteside, Ted Landsmark, and Julie Hensley were tonight’s panelists.
Each panelist has their own unique story, and offers something new and innovative to the peninsula.
Featured Panelists:
Jason Kronsberg is a landscape architect and the Director of Parks for the City of Charleston. The Department of Parks is responsible for the design, construction, maintenance, and repairs of the city’s new and existing parks, playgrounds, green spaces, facilities, and buildings
Fun fact: The City currently owns and is responsible for 120 parks which consist of approximately 1,809 acres of parks and open space.
Julie Hensley is the Director of Planning and Resource Management of t
he Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission, South Carolina. Julie is responsible for all aspects of park master planning, long-range planning, land acquisition, facility design and land resource management.
Theodore “Ted” Carlisle Landsmark is President Emeritus of Boston Architectural College (BAC) where he served from 1997 to 2014 and is currently the Vice President of Academic Affairs at the American College of the Building Arts. Ted is also a Board member of the Boston Planning and Redevelopment Agency.
Michael Smith is the Executive Director of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Michael’s passion is to advance the art form of orchestral music to be a sustainable and integral part of modern society by holding onto traditions while blending in new traditions that reflect the times we live in. Michael was principal trumpet of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO) from 2009 
to 2013. He began his tenure with the CSO in 2006 as second trumpet.
Bill Eubanks is the Creative Director at Seamon Whiteside (SW+) and is a founding member of the urban edge studio. His practice focuses on urban design and the charrette process. He became a Fellow of the ASLA in 2007 and a LEED Accredited Professional in 2009. Bill is President of the Ashley Bridge District Board, serves on the 10,000 Trees Committee, is on the board of the East Cooper Land Trust, and is a member of the ASLA Board of Trustees.
Meet Cathryn Zommer, Executive Director of Enough Pie. Enough Pie is a nonprofit that uses creativity to connect and empower our community in Charleston Upper Peninsula. Through artistic collaborations, creative placemaking, dynamic partnerships and civic engagement, EnoughPie stimulates relationships through creativity by focusing on the process of collaborative creation.
This UPI gathering was sponsored by Bryan McElveen of Charleston EcoRelator.
The Upper Peninsula Initiative is a public-private planning effort managed by the City of Charleston and the backbone organization, The Sustainability Institute.
For more information, please visit CharlestonUp.com or email info@charlestonUP.com.
Photos by Stan Foxworthy Foxworthy Studios.
