Placemaking

Schedule a Presentation

If you are interested in hosting a presentation (even if you live outside of Portland) send us an email at michael@cityrepair.org.  To get an idea of what these folks are all about, please read their bios.

Tom Costello holds a multi-disciplinary degree from Harvard University, where he studied the literature, traditional crafts, and religious practices of various cultures. After many careers as a teacher, builder, and tree farmer Tom has settled down a bit and is the Sanctuaries Director and Caretaker for the Audubon Society of Portland. When not working, Tom spends most of his time with his awesome family and walking an incredibly round-about path towards spiritual enlightenment. Tom started volunteering with City Repair in 2002 by helping to build stone foundations for cob structures. Over the years he has truly taken to City Repair’s mission of community building and thinks natural building is even better than sliced bread.

jane Jane Gray the Magnanimous has already shown incredible skill in her organizational and inspirational capabilities. She fell in love with City Repair through an internship at Autopoiesis LLC, a company specializing in eco-cultural restoration and sustainable design/architecture. Jane is a member of the CR council, is key to the development of the ReWare center, and acts as both coordinator of educational workshops and organizer of the public speaking program.


michaelMichael Cook has a Bachelors of Science in Sustainable Living from Maharishi University of Management in Iowa, and completed his degree with a certification in Permaculture design. Throughout his educational career he was a member of a world-champion team which competed in team-based creative problem-solving competitions. Upon moving to Portland, Michael Co-coordinated the T-Horse, a mobile tea house, and spearheaded the placemaking process of 21 sites for the Village Building Convergence 2009, City Repair’s annual ten-day placemaking event. He has been traveling around working with communities to empower people to make stronger connections with each other and the places where they live through public art, natural building, permaculture, and celebration!


Frances Michaelson hoped that something like City Repair existed in the world and can’t stand how lucky she is to have found it. She doesn’t have much in the way of fancy degrees of qualifications, but considers herself a bonafide City Repair historian, and enthused storyteller. She has worked towards the fund raising efforts for this year’s 2009 Village Building Convergence and has had the blessings to marry her passion for City Repair’s community work with that of her passion for art.


sebastianSebastian Collet studied green architecture at the University of Oregon and supplemented his studies with courses in  permaculture, natural building, and ecovillage design. He moved to Portland in 2006 and began his own firm, Sebastian Collet design, which is located at the City Repair headquarters. Sebastian began participating with City Repair through the Village Building Convergence as a place-making coordinator, working to facilitate the design and construction of their projects, and has been an active part of the City Repair community ever since.


hindi Hindi Iserhott is a native of Iowa, though now feels fully transplanted in Portland, OR. She has her Bachelors of Science in Social Science, a combination of Anthropology, Geology, and Education. Hindi fell in love with CR after walking in to the end of a VBC meeting, and has since been involved in all levels of the organization, from project coordination to volunteer management to cat herding. She is currently Board president, co-coordinator of Depave, and the Placemaking program.


mark-l.thumbnail Mark Lakeman is a creative, urban place-maker in his commitment to the emergence of a thriving and sustainable cultural landscape. He seeks to make every design project one which will further the development of a community vision, whether it involves urban design and place making, ecological building, encourages community interaction, or assists those who typically do not have access to design services. Mark’s leadership in The City Repair Project, has benefited communities across the North American continent. The number of places Mark has visited to speak cannot be counted on 15 hands, and he’s a crazy awesome fella.