Rick Abelson

Rick Abelson is a Director at Online Land Planning, LLC.

Member for
17 years 8 months

Contributed 11 posts

Full Bio

Rick Abelson is a recognized leader in creating culturally significant land planning developments worldwide. His peers regard him as an original thinker and an internationally respected designer of destination attractions, mixed-use town centers, urban infill and new communities. In many cases, Rick’s projects have become the catalyst for civic revitalization and his early participation and strategic forward-thinking adds immediate financial value to properties seeking optimum land definition. Rick is a regularly featured speaker and panelist at national conferences and has published many articles and blog entries on land planning and urban design issues.

Rick received his Masters of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Bachelors of Landscape Architecture from the University of Oregon where he awarded the Pennell Architecture Prize. His professional affliations include the Milken Institute, National Association of Home Builders, Forum on Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development, The Urban Land Institute Commercial & Retail Development Council, Lambda Alpha International, Business Week Exchange, Harvard Graduate School of Design Alumni Council and the California Marine Parks & Harbors Association.

Prior to joining Online Land Planning, Rick was Vice President of Aperion Companies, a land development company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was a Design Director and Firmwide Practice Area Leader of Planning & Urban Design at Gensler and Director of Landscape Architecture at Gruen Associates in Los Angeles, California.

Rick is a licensed Landscape Architect and CLARB certified. Each spring, Rick teaches a popular advanced design course at UCLA Extension Department of Landscape Architecture entitled, 'The Recovery and Transformation of Man-Made Sites'.

Portland: A Rose By Any Other Name

Every real estate developer and urban planner knows that Portland, Oregon rocks. It is probably our best civic example in the United States of defining a comprehensive growth strategy for its citizens and staying true to the vision. The result is an authentic, creative, smart, home grown, artsy, sustainable, eco-friendly, colorful, self sufficient, vibrant, athletic, outdoorsy, walking, biking, multi-generational and experimental lifestyle downtown community where buildings, transit, waterfront festivals, park blocks, fountains, theaters, bookstores, galleries, music, crafts, food, wine, beer, coffee and people all blend together perfectly. It really works here. But one thing was never done properly and needs to be changed to capture this spirit – the name of the city.

Potential Energy & Renewable Resource Mapping - PERRM™

One important planning approach for sustainable living is how to locate and integrate the natural and man-made attributes of the land to configure a low-carbon site for large scale development.

The Hornery Institute and Inner-Urban Suburbs

On a recent business trip to Australia, I had the opportunity to visit with an interesting group of social planners called <a href="http://www.horneryinstitute.com/hornery/home/Default.aspx">The Hornery Institute</a>. Specifically, their charter is “to assist communities in becoming better places to live, learn, work and play.” The Hornery Institute was established in November 2000, in recognition of Lend Lease’s Chairman, Stuart Hornery and his commitment to community and people. To mark his retirement, the shareholders and employees of this great company <a href="http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/money/story/0,26860,24379922-5015795,00.htm">formed a not-for-profit organization</a> that allowed Hornery and his dedicated, hand-picked staff to continue working on independent projects to make communities more fulfilling.

Architecture's Big Bang

Architecture is certainly headed for its own version of the Big Bang. A density of firms are simmering with scarce backlog, delinquent collections, looming layoffs, high overhead, low morale as weakened management relies on a foggy stimulus package to forestall an explosion of great magnitude. After the inevitable, our profession will reconstitute based on a new chemistry.

In Planning Terms - Size Matters

Usually planners get involved in the allocation and details of creating both public and private spaces for groups of people engaged in a wide range of variety of activities.