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Community Corner

Meet Patrizia Materassi

This land use consultant and Scotts Valley resident loves her garden and the Brazilian samba.

Scotts Valley Patch recently caught up with Patrizia Materassi, a Brazilian-born Scotts Valley resident who works on sustainable development projects, her garden, raising two sons and dancing the samba.

Scotts Valley Patch: What is your occupation?

Patrizia Materassi: I am a retired planning director, now in the development services field, working as a land use consultant after 20 years in city governments. My first job was in the city of Beverly Hills for the planning/land use/zoning department back in 1984.

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Patch: Where were you born?

Materassi: I was born in Brazil, in the state of Parana, which is close to Sao Paulo state.

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Patch: Where were you educated?

Materassi: I graduated from architecture school in Rio de Janeiro in 1979 and advanced to candidacy for a master’s degree in urban and regional planning at UCLA in 1984.

Patch: How long have you lived in Scotts Valley?

Materassi: Almost nine years.

Patch: What is something you are known for?

Materassi: I enjoy dancing the Brazilian samba, and listening to nice, loving Hawaiian music. I also want to be an instrument of sustainability and live in line with what is best for the earth.

Patch: What is your latest project?

Materassi: To buy a house and move in before summer is over.

Patch: Book you last read?

Materassi: Living Buddha/Living Christ, by Thick Nhat Hanh.

Patch: Newspaper or magazines you read regularly?

Materassi: Discovery, National Geographic, Sunset, Time, the Sentinel and the Banner.

Patch: Movie you could watch again and again? 

Materassi: So Dear to My Heart, a kid’s video directed by John Tucker Battle, written by Harold D. Schuster. I would not need to watch the Titanic again; I still have the images in my mind.

Patch: What is your greatest indulgence?

Materassi: Eating decadent chocolate.

Patch: Favorite thing to do in your spare time?

Materassi: I love to garden. Every year I work on my garden and take care of three boxes of red worms that produce fertilizer to improve the soil, making plenty of vegetables and flowers.

Patch: One of your most gratifying accomplishments?

Materassi: In my private practice, I focus on sustainable development and “green” projects. I have developed a template, a Simple Sustainability Template (SST), to aid my clients in sustainable decision making for planning, and zoning. The SST is adaptable to evaluate any enterprise, not just development projects.

Patch: What was one of your most memorable vacations?

Materassi: I loved seeing Washington, D.C., covered with snow. I do love Hawaii and would like to spend a week there every year!

Patch: What is a goal you are chasing after?

Materassi: I’d like to develop a property following my own sustainability principles as an example for my business. I see my business diversifying into the non-development-related applications of my template and being recognized in the sustainability field.

Patch: What do you like most about life in Scotts Valley?

Materassi: My husband, our two sons, and I love Scotts Valley for its great sense of community, good schools, weather, beautiful valley views, low crime rate, proximity to beaches and Santa Cruz cultural venues.

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