KATE DIDECHLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO• 2015

Landscape designer. Urban planner. Municipal and public interest attorney. I am a creative problem-solver trained in design thinking. I analyze complex statutory regimes with gusto, and I strongly believe in making them comprehensible to the people they directly impact. I think well-designed streets, parks, and open spaces greatly contribute to quality of life, and that a visualization is worth many, many words. I believe in access to recreation, walkable communities, and equitable development. Iterating. Advocating. The intelligent use of technology. I want to leverage my diverse skill set to improve people’s day-to-day experiences.

KATE DIDECH • OAKLAND • CA • WWW.KATEDIDECH.COM INTRODUCTION

UC Berkeley extensionProfessional Certificate Program In Landscape Architecture, Conferred With Distinction, May 2014

GEORGETOWN UNIvERSITy LAW CENTERJuris Doctor, Magna Cum Laude, May 2004

STANFORD UNIvERSITyBachelor Of Arts In English And Psychology, Conferred With Honors, June 2000

The State Bar Of California, 2005

UC Berkeley Accreditation Gallery, March 2013Yerba Buena Art Walk, June 2013

Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, PhotoshopSketchUpAutoCADGIS

Kate Didech, Flux Metro: A Better Way To Visualize Development Code, CodeX: The Stanford Ctr for Legal Informatics, Mar. 5, 2015, http://goo.gl/ZcBw0c.

Ann Miller Ravel & Kate L. Didech, Local Government Lawyers as Agents of Social Change: Litigating for the Public Interest, The Public Lawyer, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Winter 2009).

The Extension of Disparate Impact Theory to White Men: What the Civil Rights Act of 1991 Plainly Does Not Mean, 10 Tex. J. on C.L. & C.R. 55 (Winter 2004).

Next City Vanguard Class, 2015

EDUCATION

GALLERY SHOWS

SKILLS REGISTRATION

PUBLICATIONS

HONORS

KATE DIDECHOAKLAND • CA • WWW.KATEDIDECH.COM • KDIDECH@GMAIL.COM

URbAN PLANNING CONSULTANT, FLUx FACTORy, INC.San Francisco, CA | 2014—2015Assisted in the development and launch of Flux Metro, an online application that provides 3D visualizations of the maximum buildout potential under the zoning ordinance. Researched and developed means of scaling the application. Facilitated the onboarding of new cities and zoning districts. Analyzed zoning regulations of municipalities, advised engineers and designers of their meaning, and translated them into source code. Demonstrated the application to stakeholders. Fostered partnerships with public and private entities.

ASSISTANT PLANNER, SAN FRANCISCO RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT San Francisco, CA | 2011—2014Planned for the $5.8 Million park renovation, from the planning to the close-out stages by organizing community meetings; drafting presentations to government agencies and community groups; communicating with stakeholders; performing outreach; drafting ordinances and permit applications; preparing for hearings before the Board of Appeal; and reviewing the contract and expenditures. Managed the Department’s response to applications for the placement of personal wireless facilities and surface mounted facilities near parks. Successfully applied for categorical exemptions from CEQA. Drafted major revocable encroachment permits and MOUs. Reviewed EIRs and analyze projects’ potential impacts on parks.

IMMIGRANT RIGHTS FELLOW, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF THE bAy AREA Oakland , CA | 2010—2011Provided counsel to and applied for U visa and adjustment of status applications on behalf of undocumented immigrants who were victims of serious crimes, most often sexual assault, domestic violence, and incest.

DEPUTy COUNTy COUNSEL, SANTA CLARA COUNTy COUNSEL’S OFFICE San Jose, CA | 2008—2009Developed and brought impact litigation to ensure social and economic justice for County residents. Developed litigation against major bank for predatory lending and proposed policy to assist community members impacted by the foreclosure crisis. Managed litigation against pharmaceutical companies that allegedly breached contracts to sell drugs to the County at discounted prices. Acted as general counsel to the District Attorney. Advised clients on labor and employment matters. Argued cases in civil and criminal court and before the Personnel Board. Team-taught Stanford Law School class on Social Change Through Local Government.

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEy, HOWARD RICE NEMEROvSKI FALK & RAbKIN, PC San Francisco, CA | 2005—2007Defended clients in state and federal courts against a variety of claims. Successfully defended a law school before the Ninth Circuit against claims that it violated the First Amendment rights of a student organization that admittedly discriminated against non-Christian and LGBT students. Successfully represented detained, undocumented alien before the Ninth Circuit through the Ninth Circuit Pro Bono Program.

JUDICIAL CLERK, HON. SIDNEy R. THOMAS, UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT Billings, MT | 2004—2005Drafted bench memoranda, analyzing litigants’ arguments and recommending how cases should be decided, for three-judge panels. Drafted judicial opinions. Prepared for oral arguments.

EXPERIENCE

Flux was spun out of Google[x] in 2012 with a mission to improve the accessibility of design tools in order to help meet the world’s demand for durable, sustainable buildings.

The first tool released by Flux, Flux Metro, furthers this mission by making it quick and easy for stakeholders to understand how existing zoning impacts the development of their city. Metro does this by providing users a three-dimensional visualization of the maximum buildout permitted under local zoning codes. Metro automatically analyzes the multitude of regulations imposed by base and overlay zones, watersheds, park buffers, tree ordinances, and the like, instantly providing users key metrics like maximum building height and minimum setbacks. In short, Metro makes it simple to determine if a property’s development potential suits one’s needs, warranting further due diligence.

I was brought on to help scale Metro, assist with product development, translate zoning ordinances into source code, and bring Metro into market.

Images of Flux Metro are provided by Flux.

OVERVIEW

image credit: Google

wORlD pOpUlATION2014

7.2 BIllION

10 BIllION

50%URBAN

70%URBAN

2050

FlUX METROURbAN PLANNING CONSULTANT • FLUx • FLUx.IO/METRO • 2014 - 2015 • PRODUCT MANAGER: CHRIS LAROSA

lOCATION

CONCEpT

1 2 3A fUlly INTERACTIvE 3D MODEL GIvES stAkeholders An UnderstAnding OF WHAT IS ALLOWED UNDERthe zoning CODE.

KEy DEvELOPMENT restriCtions Are AUTOMATICALLyINTERPRETED FROM the zoning Code, speeding Up reseArCh And REDUCING ROOM FOR ERROR.

BUildoUt highlights link direCtlyto the Code seCtion RELEvANTto the PROPOSED SITE.

3D MODEls BUIlDOUT HIgHlIgHTs

CODE TEXT

This site, which stretches along 22nd Street in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood, has 3 distinct zones. First, the noisy, rushed, below-grade Caltrain station. Second, the street level, where several modes of transportation interact. Third, the missing link, an underutilized green space with steep topography and breathtaking views of the Bay. My design contemplates these zones as corresponding to the three distinct parts of the human personality according to Sigmund Freud — the id, the ego, and the superego. Unifying elements such as art installations, innovative lighting, habitat creation, and safe, multi-modal access are woven throughout to create a cohesive design.

• vERDANT, PEACEFUL PLACE• OPPORTUNITy TO REFLECT AND ENJOy vIEWS OF THE CITy AND bAy• PROvIDE WILDLIFE HAbITAT AND ART INSTALLATIONS

• seeks instAnt grAtifiCAtion of desires• CONTAINS THE bODy’S INSTINCTUAL DRIvES• “THE GREAT RESERvOIR OF LIbIDO”

• A DARK, CAvERNOUS, UNDERGROUND STATION • A bUSTLING MARKETPLACE, WHERE COMMUTERS CAN MAKE IMPULSIvE

PURCHASES ON THE WAy TO + FROM THEIR DESTINATION• A PLACE TO ENJOy MUSIC + STREET ART

• DELAyS GRATIFICATION TO FUNCTION EFFECTIvELy IN THE REAL WORLD• the orgAnized pArt of the personAlity strUCtUre• REPRESENTS bALANCE, REASON + COMMON SENSE

• PROvIDES SAFE, WELCOMING ACCESSIbLE STREET TO ALL USERS• MANAGEMENT OF STORMWATER ON-SITE• ACTIvATES THE SPACE UNDERNEATH THE I-280 OvERPASS

• AIMS FOR PERFECTION• oUr ConsCienCe• THE INTERNALIzATION OF SPIRITUAL GOALS + SOCIETAL RULES

image credit: Stamen Design

SUPEREGOmissing link

streetscape

caltrain station

EGOID

ID CALTRAIN STATION

STREETSCAPE

MISSING LINK

EGO

SUPEREGO

OVERVIEW

THE pERsONAlITY OF 22ND sTREETSTUDIO L3: ADvANCED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN • SPRING 2013 • INSTRUCTORS CHRIS HARDy + JEN NG

CONCEpT

lOCATION

ConN.

MissoUri

texAs

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penN.

sUpEREgO IDEgO

indiAnA

GREEN SPACE HABITATVIEws

sEATINgART BUlB OUTs

RAINgARDENsFOOD TRUCKS

sHIppINg

CONTAINER

MUsICSTREET

ART

ARTISTICLIGHTING

MArket

MIssINg lINK/sUpEREgO sTREETsCApE/EgO

CAlTRAIN sTATION/ID

FUNCTIONAl DIAgRAM

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TERRACED SEATING + GARDEN

PATH TERMINATING IN ILLUMINATED bENCH

ELEvATOR

SLOPING SIDE OF STATION WITH STREET ART, ILLUMINATED PANELS + PLANTING

The design turns the underground, cavernous Caltrain Station into a vibrant market, constructed out of shipping containers, where neighbors and commuters can enjoy street art, live music, and a rotating selection of vendors.

22nd Street is transformed from a car-centric, poorly lit thoroughfare into a complete street that is safe, convenient, and inviting for all users. Key features include landscaping, seating, a large-scale art installation, an attractively lit underpass, and traffic calming measures.

A vacant lot becomes a peaceful, verdant place to reflect and enjoy the views of the San Francisco Bay.

ILLUMINATED MAIN STAIRWAy WITH PLANTINGS IN CENTER

SECONDARy PATHWAy

HAbITAT ART + SCULPTURE

LANDSCAPED MEDIAN

ILLUMINATED ART WALL + ExTENDED bULb-OUT WITH SEATING

Bike pArking

bULb-OUT

ExTENDED bULb-OUT WITH SEATING

STREET TREES + UNDERSTORy lAndsCAping

food trUCk pArking

ILLUMINATED UNDERPASS

PLAzA WITH MOvEAbLE SEATS

shipping ContAiners to hoUse ARTISANS, vENDORS, + bIKE vALET

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SITE PLANCAlTRAIN sTATION/ID

A pERspECTIVE OF MIssINg lINK/sUpEREgO

PERSPECTIVE

sECTIONs + ElEVATIONs

sUpEREgO/MIssINg lINK

ID/CAlTRAIN sTATION

EgO/sTREETsCApE

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SECTION-ELEVATIONS

sUpEREgO/MIssINg lINKE

image credit: Stamen Design

This master plan for an industrial site along San Francisco’s Central Waterfront contemplates a sea change via the following two initiatives.

OVERVIEW

Historically, the site has been an industrial job center, able to adapt to changing economic conditions. The site also has a tough, industrious and free spirit, home to independent businesses and individuals living in recreational vehicles. The master plan facilitates the mixing of industrial past with the off-beat, artistic present in a large-scale hackerspace, a neighborhood in which engineers, technologists, inventors, and artists can easily collaborate. The site plan is walkable and transit-oriented, inviting interaction between the members of the surrounding disparate communities. It also features public spaces of varying scales, in which people can meet, work, and display the fruits of their labor.

Second, the master plan minimizes the impacts of sea level rise by managing retreat from the shoreline to the extent possible while still providing the requested square footage of housing, commercial, and industrial development under the existing height restrictions. CONCEpT

EXIsTINg CONDITIONs

CREATE HACKERspACE

ADApT TO sEA lEVEl RIsE

lOCATION

sEA CHANgE: pIER 80STUDIO L4: ENvIRONMENTAL ANALySIS • FALL 2013 • INSTRUCTOR SAM MATHAU

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$98,000 $120,000MEDIAN INCOME

FAMIlIEsECONOMICAllY DIsADVANTAgED

UNMARRIED

wHITE COllAR

WHITE

HOME OwNERs

COLLEGE-EDUCATED

high sChool edUCAtion

renters

pEOplE OF COlOR

12,111pOpUlATION

BlUe CollAr

839

POPULATION: 35,890

pUBlIC TRANsIT TRAVEl TIME

sEA lEVEl RIsE

DEMOgRApHICs

MAX HEIgHT UNDER EXIsTINg zONINg

CUrrent risk AreA

45 MIN.

80’

15 MIN.

40’

30 MIN.

58’

lighter Colors indiCAte AREAS AT RISK IN 2100

portrero hill

CENTRAL WATERFRONT

bAyvIEW

dogpAtCh

SITE ANALYSIS

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AMPHITHEATER

vERTICAL FARM

SWIMMING POOL

soCCer field

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reCreAtion Center

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SITE PLAN

SECTION-ELEVATIONS

OVERVIEWThis mixed-use development is firmly situated within the fabric of Mission Bay, a San Francisco neighborhood undergoing significant growth and development, particularly in the biotechnology sector. The landscape’s form is modeled on an image of a deconstructed solar system, a nod to the innovation occurring in the area. The design is connected to the surrounding street, and features sustainable technology, as well as areas to play and socialize.

SITE PLAN

ORBIT MIssION BAYSTUDIO L1: ENvIRONMENTAL DESIGN • FALL 2011 • INSTRUCTOR vERA GATES

image credit: Stamen DesignlOCATION

PERSPECTIVES

Lapu-Lapu Street is a one-block-long street in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, fronted by senior housing, a community garden, office space, and a stunning mural paying tribute to the Filipino community that settled in the area decades ago. For this studio project, I envisioned the transformation of the street into a plaza from conceptual design to construction documents. The resulting plaza is modern and industrial in flavor. It is easily navigated by those with mobility issues. And, it manages all of its stormwater on-site by rain gardens inspired by the shape of the Philippine Islands, highlighted by a custom lighting element.

WATER-WISE FLOWERING SHRUBS + GRASSES

LED LIGHT COLUMNS

MOVABLE SEATING

RAIN GARDENSFlEXIBlE, MUlTI-UsE spACEs

resilienCe

FOOD TRUCK

FARMERS MARKET

plANTs REClAIMINg THE sTREET

OVERVIEW

EXIsTINg CONDITIONs

A TREE gROws IN lApU-lApU sTREETSTUDIO L5: SITE PLANNING PRACTICUM • SPRING 2014 • INSTRUCTOR JUSTIN WINTERS

CONCEpT

image credit: Stamen DesignlOCATION

PERSPECTIVE

Farmers’ market MOVEABlE sEATs lIgHTINg ElEMENT RAIN gARDEN BENCHEs

AA

B

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SITE PLAN

sECTION

sECTION

A

B

SECTION-ELEVATIONS

BOARD FORMED CONCRETE BENCHEs

CUsTOM lIgHT FOOTINg CURB RAMp sECTION

CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS

In my spare time, I scour garage sales, flea markets, and craigslist for inexpensive wood furniture in need of rehabilitation. I sand it down, make any necessary repairs, and then completely change its appearance. My tools include acrylic paint, paper scraps, glue, resin, shellac, and wood stain. Much of my furniture is for children, and thus is decorated with expressive animals.

BEFOREIN-pROgREssAFTER

OVERVIEWPERSONAL DESIGN PROJECT • 2010 TO PRESENT

FURNITURE UpCYClINg

As an Assistant Planner with the Capital and Planning Division of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, my main project was the $5.8 Million renovation of Glen Canyon Park, from planning to close-out. My primary responsibilities and tasks are outlined below.

OVERVIEW PROJECT TEAM

plAn And fACilitAte TWO COMMUNITy MEETINGS

PLAN BY DPW

PLAN AND FACILITATE COMMUNITy MEETING

DRAFT PRESENTATION GIvEN AT COMMUNITy MEETING REGARDING TREE REMOvALS

RESEARCH AND PROvIDE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING CONTRACTUAL PROvISIONS

DRAFT ORDINANCE, LEGISLATIvE digest, And deClArAtion of RESTRICTIONS FOR DROP-OFF zONE

ATTEND CONSTRUCTION TEAM MEETINGS

drAft stAff report And presentAtion for reCreAtion AND PARK COMMISSION

drAft notifiCAtion of lAke OR STREAMbED ALTERATION

PERFORM RESEARCH, DRAFT PORTION OF Brief, And prepAre exhiBits in opposition TO COMMUNITy MEMbER’S APPEAL OF THE bUILDING PERMIT

WORK WITH APIARISTS TO PLAN FOR NATIvE bEES IN HAzARDOUS TREE IN ConstrUCtion zone

prepAre generAl plAn referrAl

WRT

20132011 2012

glEN CANYON pARKSAN FRANCISCO RECREATION AND PARK DEPARTMENT • PLANNING DIvISION • 2011 — 2014 • SUPERvISOR: KAREN MAUNEy-bRODEK

respond to inQUiries And REQUESTS FROM STAKEHOLDERS

DRAFT FLyERS, SIGNS, EMAIL bLASTS, Blog posts, And Assorted OUTREACH MATERIALS

prepAre reQUisitions And UpdAte Cost Control reports

PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE TAKEN BY JAMIE HOPPER

ATTEND CONSTRUCTION TEAM MEETINGS

ASSIST WITH RIbbON CUTTING

2014

THROUgHOUT

image credit: Jaime Hopper