9th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth

This daylong workshop will explore the connections between smart growth, environmental justice and equitable development and the issues that have made integrating these often-complementary efforts difficult and challenging. Meeting participants will hear from community leaders on how they have forged successful partnerships between smart growth, equitable development, and environmental justice, and will explore why integrating these efforts is critical and necessary to right past wrongs; revitalize Americas disadvantaged communities; grow the economy; and create healthy and sustainable urban, suburban, and rural communities. This workshop will be held a day before the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference, and will complement the Equitable Development track sessions to be held during the Conference.

Lisa Garcia, Senior Advisor to the Administrator on Environmental Justice, U.S. EPA
Vernice Miller Travis, Vice Chair, Maryland State Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities

Deeohn Ferris, J.D., President, Sustainable Communities Development Group, Inc.

• Moderator: Vernice Miller Travis, Vice Chair Maryland State Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities
• Anita Maltbia, Director, Kansas City Green Impact Zone Initiative
• Ray Williams, Swinomish Tribe and Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development
• Yolana Sinde, Advising Committee, Community Coalition for Environmental Justice
• Reverend Vien The Nguyen, Pastor, Mary Queen of Viet Nam Church

• Moderator: Victor Rubin, Vice President for Research, PolicyLink
• Marc Draisen, Executive Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Boston)
• Cecil Mark Corbin, Deputy Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice
• Tony To, Executive Director, HomeSight CDC
• Laura Barrett, National Policy Director, Gamaliel/Transportation Equity Network

Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. U.S. EPA

• Moderator: Julia Seward, Director of State Policy, Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• Emily Moos, Senior Community Development Planner, Capital Region Council of Governments
• Tom Phillips, Senior Development Manager, Seattle Housing Authority
• Michael Pyatok, Principal, Pyatok Architects, Inc.

• Moderator: Clark Henry, Brownfield Program, City of Portland, OR
• De'Sean Quinn, Councilmember, City of Tukwila, WA
• Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director, United Puerto Rican Association of Sunset Park
• Jeremy Cantor, Program Manager, The Prevention Institute

Opportunity for federal officials that are attending the workshop to respond to issues raised during the day.

• Moderator: Don Chen, Community Development Program Officer, Ford Foundation
• Charles Lee, Director, Office of Environmental Justice, U.S. EPA
• Dr. Jamilla Rashid, PhD, MPH, HHS, Office of Minority Health, Department of Health and Human Services
• John Frece, Director, Smart Growth Program, U.S. EPA
• Regina C. Gray, Ph.D, Policy Analyst, Division of Affordable Housing Research and Technology, Office of Policy Development and Research. US Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Therese McMillian, Deputy Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
• Mario Villanueva, Washington State Director, USDA Rural Development

Discussion of next steps that would support further collaboration and partnership between the smart growth and environmental justice community.

• Moderator: Don Chen, Community Development Program Officer, The Ford Foundation
• Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator. Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. U.S. EPA
• Vernice Miller Travis, Vice Chair Maryland State Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities
• Deeohn Ferris, President, Sustainable Communities Development Group

This session is geared towards first-time attendees to the conference or for participants who are new to the practice of implementing smart growth solutions. The session will cover general topics, such as the ten principles of smart growth, the basics of planning and zoning for smart growth and how Smart Growth is being implemented at the state, regional and local level. The goal of the session is to provide a good working background on smart growth and prepare participants for more in-depth sessions during the main conference.

Speakers

• Paul Zykofsky, AICP, Director, Land Use and Transportation Programs. Local Government Commission
• John Frece, Director, Office of Smart Growth, U.S. EPA

View Zykofsky PDF (21.6 MB)
View Zykofsky/Frece PDF (5.9 MB)

The federal government's commitment to high-speed rail gives state and local governments the opportunity to think proactively about how passenger rail service can foster transit-oriented development (TOD) and smart growth. A unique partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia and local planners provides one noteworthy example of state and local governments collaborating to achieve these goals. The Commonwealth has worked with local planners to create TOD plans for existing and new passenger rail stations along Virginia's I-95/I-64 corridor. The plans—which focus on stations in a diverse range of jurisdictions, from cities and suburbs to historic towns and rural counties—considered land use, local economic impacts and funding mechanisms for station area development. Representatives of Virginia's Department of Rail and Public Transportation and its consultant team will discuss the planning process, components of the plans, and strategies for encouraging state and local collaboration on TOD. Session participants are encouraged to bring their own questions and experiences for discussion.

• Amy Inman, M.S., Planning and Project Manager, Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Rail and Public Transportation
• Chad Edison, Senior Consulting Manager, AECOM Transportation
• Deana Rhodeside, PhD, Director, Rhodeside & Harwell
• Meredith Judy, AICP, LEED-AP, Transportation Planner, AECOM Transportation
• Eric Feldman, AICP, Associate, Rhodeside & Harwell

View Event PDF (14 MB)

How can Uncle Sam (creatively or unwittingly!) support smart growth projects? A growing number of smart growth projects are creatively integrating federal tax incentives into their financing strategies. This session will explore four incentives with key potential as smart growth project financing partners — historic rehabilitation tax credits, New Markets tax credits, low income housing tax credits, and energy efficient construction incentives. This panel — featuring speakers who have analyzed and advised communities on a range of financing strategies for a diverse set of infill and community benefit uses — will offer critical, fundamental information on what these incentives are, how they work, and how they might be creatively applied in a smart growth context.

Speakers

• Charlie Bartsch, Vice President for Social Programs and Strategic Communications, ICF International
• Toby Rittner, EDFP, President & CEO, Council of Development Finance Agencies

View Bartsch PDF (1.7 MB)
View Rittner PDF (508 KB)

There is an increasing recognition of the synergy between smart growth principles and public health, especially as related to physical activity and obesity. City and transportation planners, pedestrian and bicycle advocates, and government officials are looking for evidence-based strategies that can lead to multiple positive outcomes. This session will feature presentations on the latest scientific findings on the connections among land use, transportation investments and public health outcomes. Evidence-based policy recommendations for creating more active and healthier communities will be discussed. This session can enhance the ability of urban planners and public health practitioners to work together in improving environmental health for a variety of populations, especially lower-income and underserved communities.

Speakers

• Jim Sallis, Professor, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University; Director, Active Living Research
• Anne Vernez Moudon, Sc.D.,Professor of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design and Planning; Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology and Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington
• Brian E. Saelens, PhD, Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Seattle's Children's Hospital Research Institute and the University of Washington
• Jennifer Dill, PhD, Associate Professor, Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University; Director, Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium

View Sallis PDF (360 KB)
View Moudon PDF (5.1 MB)
View Saelens PDF (8.6 MB)
View Dill PDF (1.3 MB)

As the effects that the built environment has upon climate become more apparent, smart planning has a prime role to play in adapting to this changing world and minimizing additional climactic changes. Land use and transportation are two of the areas where climate-positive planning can place communities on the path toward achieving carbon neutrality across the Transect. This session will introduce efforts that have taken place in Miami-Dade County and the Lake Tahoe Basin to formulate greenhouse gas mitigation strategies on a regional scale. Reducing GHG emissions is a shared responsibility requiring a collaborative effort on the part of government agencies and private sector entities. The presenters will address some of the challenges and opportunities that have arisen as these two action plans were developed and provide conference participants with tools and strategies that they can use to develop climate response plans for their own communities.

Speakers

• Darin Dinsmore, Principal, Darin Dinsmore & Associates
• Andrew Georgiadis, LEED-AP, Project Director, Dover, Kohl & Partners
• Christopher Podstawski, Project Director, Dover, Kohl & Partners

View Dinsmore PDF (5.7 MB)
View Podstawski PDF (5.8 MB)
View Podstawski 2 PDF (5.8 MB)

The smart growth movement has, of course, encouraged new investment in urban core neighborhoods and downtowns. The most intensive remakes of central cities, whether driven by the private market or pushed through public redevelopment plans, have often brought new higher-income, predominantly white residents into areas whose existing lower income people of color can be threatened with the loss of their homes and communities. This familiar pattern has provoked questions about the racial consequences of smart growth, and has generated new forms of activism to prevent displacement and define what a diverse, socially just city would look like. Where do these issues, and these movements, stand at this time? What is the current dialogue about smart growth, neighborhood change, and racial equity? This session will draw upon the experiences of advocates and researchers from around the country who have worked on these issues for many years.

Speakers

• Dwayne Marsh, Senior Director for Policy Engagement, PolicyLink
• Maya Wiley, Founder and Director, Center for Social Inclusion
• Professor john powell, Executive Director, The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, Ohio State University Law School
• Marcelo Bonta, Center for Environmental Diversity
• Badili Jones, Leadership & Development Coordinator, Miami Workers’ Center

This session will be an exploration of building types with small footprints, both ecologically and physically: 1. Physically these types illustrate a superior method for achieving densities by blending smaller building types such as duplexes, fourplexes, bungalow courts and mansion apartments into walkable neighborhoods rather than large, undesirable car port apartments in isolated locations; and, 2. By blending these building types into new and existing neighborhoods it allows them to reach the unit count/density thresholds to make transit and local, commercial services within Neighborhood Main Streets feasible.

As demographics shift and the market for walkable urbanism grows, these building types can play a critical role in enabling your communities to respond to this shift. Why are these types illegal in almost every city in the country? What can your city do (big or small) to reintroduce these types into the repair and creation of your neighborhoods? Why is it necessary that you do this?

Speakers

• Daniel Parolek, Principal, Opticos Design, Inc.
• Chris Leinberger, Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institute; President, LOCUS; Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors
• Linda Pruitt, President, Cottage Company

View Event PDF (5.4 MB)

There is skepticism that affordable housing projects can "go green" and still deliver on their promised economic, environmental, health, and community benefits. High Point and Highlands' Garden Village represent two of the most successful and irrefutable examples that all of these benefits can be achieved. Representatives of Seattle's High Point will detail the health benefits and utility cost savings of their project, as well as describe some of the special challenges they faced related to the natural drainage system, road width, and permitting this 120-acre green community. The developer of Denver's Highlands' Garden Village will describe how the project was planned, financed, and developed to achieve not only the environmental and community benefits it promised, but also create a new market edge for green development in the region. He will also describe how the project's use of green infrastructure techniques delivers both environmental and "quality of life" enhancements. Come prepared to be convinced!

Speakers

• Danielle Arigoni, AICP, Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Daniel Hernandez, Director of Planning, Jonathan Rose Companies
• Tom Phillips, Senior Development Manager, Seattle Housing Authority
• Peg Staeheli, Principal, SvR Design Company

View Arigoni PDF (496 KB)
View Hernandez PDF (46.8 MB)
View Staeheli/Phillips PDF (2.8 MB)

The most common measure of travel volume is VMT — vehicle miles of travel. Annual VMT has grown steadily since 1950 with only a couple of dips. We are so accustomed to inexorable increases in VMT that our planning systems assume endless growth. However, VMT has actually been declining since 2006. This reversal is rooted in demographic and economic trends as well as in changes in urban structure. Meanwhile, state governments are regarding VMT as a performance measure for use in climate change and energy policies. Presenters will cover economic and demographic trends driving the VMT curve, including new data from the 2008 National Household Transportation Survey. The VMT bill passed by the Washington Legislature will be described. And the implications of travel trends and the use of VMT as a policy tool will be examined in light of smart growth programs and policies, including regional urban structure and strategic infrastructure investment.

Speakers

• James Charlier, AICP, President, Charlier Associates
• Steven Polzin, Transit Research Program Director, Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida
• Brian Smith, Director of Strategic Planning and Development, Washington State Department of Transportation

View Charlier PDF (5 MB)
View Polzin PDF (1.9 MB)
View Smith PDF (512 KB)

Small towns and rural communities face unique challenges to implementing smart growth. Some small towns are faced with pressure to accommodate growth from nearby metro areas or job centers, while other rural communities have lost their traditional economic base and are actively seeking growth to improve economic conditions. This session will highlight a framework that can help small towns and rural communities to achieve the development patterns they want, by supporting the rural landscape, helping existing towns to thrive, and building great new places. Participants will learn about a set of tools that rural communities can use to implement smart growth and will hear from local planners and elected officials who have successfully incorporated smart growth principles into their vision for future growth.

Speakers

• Stephanie Bertaina, Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• John MacLean, City Manager, City of Keene, NH
• Kathy Rinaldi, County Commissioner, Teton County, ID
• Erick Aune, Director, Planning Department, La Plata County Colorado

View Bertaina PDF (940 KB)
View MacLean PDF (3.6 MB)
View Rinaldi PDF (32.2 MB)
View Aune PDF (2.3 MB)

The Philadelphia region is trying to leverage its old, transit oriented infrastructure and neighborhoods to become a model of post-industrial transformation to a green and sustainable city and region. This is occuring through multiple partnerships between and among local governments, the private sector, non-profits, universities, foundations and the local media. Learn how Philadelphia is transforming itself through key civic partnerships that are fostering government collaboration and leadership, non-profit partnerships and advocacy, a new public education process through local media and a new organizing concept to encourage regional cooperation for energy management.

Speakers

• Sandy Shea, Editorial Page Director, Philadelphia Daily News
• Harris M. Steinberg, FAIA, Executive Director, PennPraxis; School of Design University of Pennsylvania
• Shawn McCaney, Program Officer, William Penn Foundation
• Blaine Bonham, Executive Vice President, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
• Laurie Actman, Mayor's Liaison, Metropolitan Caucus, Mayor's Office, City of Philadelphia

View Event PDF (16 MB)

Think you know all there is to rural policy and ways communities are embracing smart growth strategies? Think again. From Main Street communities to small villages, rural America is developing strategies that retain the best of their past while also embracing heritage-based economic development and tourism. Hear how innovative approaches are being used at the local level to incorporate sustainable practices while retaining small-town America's unique community character. Learn about national public policies and innovative agency initiatives at HUD, EPA and DOT that will be promoted through the new livable communities program. And find out the latest updates on federal rural policies and programs that impact smart growth.

Speakers

• Adrian Scott Fine, Director, Center for State and Local Policy, National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Mathew Dalbey, PhD, AICP, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Don Stuart, Pacific Northwest States Director, American Farmland Trust

View Dalbey PDF (1.2 MB)
View Stuart PDF (15.6 MB)
View Stuart 2 PDF (440 KB)

A child star and a young adult prodigy, the baby boom finds itself aging in dilapidated suburbs facing auto dependence and isolation. Can good planning revive its act? Come learn how the Atlanta Regional Commission's Life Long Communities Charrette—with costars Duany, Plater-Zyberk & Co. and Zimmerman Volk Associates—has designed a second act for aging boomers in five suburban communities in the Atlanta area.

Speakers

• Brett Van Akkeren, Program Analyst, Aging Initiative, U.S. EPA
• Laurie Volk, Co-Managing Director, Zimmerman/Volk Associates, Inc.
• Scott Ball, DPZ | Architects and Town Planners

View Volk PDF (140 MB)

Local governments will have the burden of responding to the effects that climate change could have on their residents. With the range of potential impacts —- including drought, heat waves, sea-level rise, and more and stronger storms —- varying by region, cities across the country also have the challenge of sorting through national-level data and modeling to figure out local impacts. Some cities have taken the lead in creating strategies to adapt to climate change impacts. This session will present policies and actions that metropolitan areas can use to strengthen their communities against the impacts of a changing climate. Particular attention will be given to strategies that also reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help mitigate climate change as well as adapt to it, and to strategies that protect the most vulnerable populations, including the elderly, low-income people, and people with health problems.

Speakers

• Megan Susman, Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Matt Kuharic, Program Manager, Climate Change Initiatives, King County's Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director's Office
• Joyce Coffee, LEED AP, Director of Project Development - Policy and Research, City of Chicago Department of Environment

View Susman PDF (540 KB)
View Kuharic PDF (2.3 MB)
View Coffee PDF (4.8 PDF)

The City of Seattle is updating plans in three neighborhoods that were chosen because each has a station on Seattle's newly opened light rail. These neighborhoods are primarily comprised of one-story commercial buildings and single-family homes. They are also home to communities with rich cultural, ethnic and economic diversity. The international flavor of the residential community and the commercial districts in these neighborhoods are major assets and contribute to each area's defining character. This session explores the City's pro-active efforts to support the local residents and businesses as it works to transform the areas into vibrant transit-oriented communities. They include an extraordinary outreach and engagement effort, and the incorporation of the City's Race and Social Justice best practices. This workshop will engage participants through an interactive exercise to learn how to involve previously under-represented populations. Finally there will be a discussion of the political and social impacts of these efforts.

Speakers

• Nora Liu, Neighborhood Planning Senior Policy Advisor, Department of Planning and Development, City of Seattle, WA
• Councilmember Sally Clark, City of Seattle, WA
• Glenn Harris, Race and Social Justice Initiative Manager, Seattle Office of Civil Rights
• Sebhat Tenna, Outreach Strategic Advisor, Department of Neighborhoods, City of Seattle, WA
• Janice Kong, Community Leader, Seattle, WA

View Event PDF (12.3 MB)

Making the Puget Sound region's cities and towns more complete, compact and connected is a key strategy of Cascade Land Conservancy (CLC). Cities in our region have strong support for comprehensive plans that advance smart growth principles, but commonly find community resistance accompanies development projects that alignment with that vision. Likewise, taking transformative development projects from vision to reality is a long and complex process.

CLC partners with more than fifteen cities in the region and launched a new initiative to build broad community support for smart growth policies and projects last year. The Community Stewards program is creating a network of well-informed, organized volunteers who are ready to participate in decisions about the future growth of their communities.

This session will highlight challenges faced by two cities and provide an overview of CLC's innovative smart growth vision, the Cascade Agenda. A panel discussion will follow on how community engagement programs and smart growth strategies can address real challenges faced in cities.

Speakers

• Alison Van Gorp, Manager, Cascade Agenda City Program, Cascade Land Conservancy
• Dave Ramsay, City Manager, City of Kirkland, WA
• Scott Greenberg, AICP, Community Development Director, City of Burien, WA; President, American Planning Association, Washington Chapter

View Van Gorp PDF (3.3 MB)
View Ramsay PDF (1.7 MB)
View Greenberg PDF (3.1 MB)

Sustainable City and Neighborhood design is a high priority for addressing climate change and quality of life. While we have some success stories, recent new models may provide further inspiration for transforming our communities. There will be a presentation and discussion on understanding and applying planning and sustainability innovations. Principles and practices for implementation will be studied including the City of Vancouver Ecodensity model and the new Portland Eco-district concept, and the Whistler 2020 sustainability plan.

We will present leading examples at city, community and neighborhood scales, and engage with a lively discussion and debate on the challenge of moving communities to the next level of sustainability. Participants will emerge from this presentation with valuable tools and strategies for facilitating sustainable and cost saving practices in their cities and communities, setting the green bar high and creating a sustainable legacy for future generations.

Speakers

• Darin Dinsmore, Principal, Darin Dinsmore & Associates
• Rob Bennett, Executive Director, Portland+Oregon Sustainability Institute

View Dinsmore PDF (12 MB)
View Bennett PDF (3.4 MB)

Five years after federal legislation funded Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs nationwide, what have we learned and what is needed to make it better? This session will look at SRTS programs from multiple perspectives with the goal of answering those questions. The National Center for SRTS, the clearinghouse for the federal program, will provide a status overview, the latest findings from parent surveys and mode share data, and early benefits to children's health, the environment and larger community issues. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership, a network of more than 400 organizations, will discuss how state and local policies and networks can build supportive environments for SRTS programs, and how new legislation and policies could propel, grow and sustain these programs. The session will also include the perspective of the Washington State SRTS coordinator who is charged with implementing the federal legislation and working directly with communities.

Speakers

• Lauren Marchetti, Director, National Center for Safe Routes to School
• Deb Hubsmith, Director, Safe Routes to School National Partnership
• Robert Ping, State Network Director, Safe Routes to School National Partnership
• Charlotte Claybrooke, Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Washington State Department of Transportation

View Marchetti PDF (3.8 MB)
View Ping PDF (9.1 MB)
View Claybrooke PDF (2.9 MB)

Several state and regional transportation agencies have been thinking broadly about sustainability for many years. However, new legislation, fiscal constraints and a growing public demand for new approaches have combined to push such efforts to a fundamentally different level. In some states the push has come from efforts to address climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, while in other places the mandates are tied more broadly to state growth management policies or comprehensive planning initiatives. The speakers in this session will address four efforts in California and Washington State that reflect different approaches to moving toward sustainability: implementation of a statewide VMT reduction target, a negotiated process to set appropriate regional greenhouse gas emission targets, an effort to integrate place types and location efficiency into transportation planning, and a planning approach that connects regional transportation plans to state mandated growth management plans.

Speakers

• John Thomas, PhD, Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Ellen Greenberg. AICP, Greenberg Consulting
• Jerry Walters, Principal, Fehr & Peers
• Charlie Howard, Transportation Planning Director, Puget Sound Regional Council
• Brian Smith, Director of Strategic Planning and Development, Washington State Department of Transportation

View Greenberg PDF (2.3 MB)
View Walters PDF (2.7 MB)
View Howard PDF (888 KB)
View Smith PDF (372 KB)

Join this session to look at transportation from the neighborhood up. Practitioners from four diverse cities will discuss successful on-the-ground work to build targeted local transportation initiatives — inter-sector collaboration; effective messaging in low income and city neighborhoods; policies that rebuild livable places; connections between local efforts and state and national initiatives. This highly interactive session will look at best practices that can be replicated in other communities, lessons learned about effective results, and emerging opportunities and challenges.

Speakers

• Julia Seward, Director of State Policy, Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• Gretchen Nicholls, Program Officer, Twin Cities LISC
• Drew Digby, Chair, Active Learning Committee, FitCityDuluth
• Robin Holzer, Chair, Citizens' Transportation Coalition (CTC)
• Teresa Brice, Executive Director, LISC Phoenix

View Holzer PDF (5.3 MB)
View Brice PDF (1.4 MB)

With the current economic downturn and falling revenues at every level of government, the ability to finance critical transportation investments is under unprecedented strain. In the light of the declining state of the nation's infrastructure, especially transportation, the search for innovative finance mechanism is receiving new attention.

A recent study will explore proposed Value Capture Financing options for the H Street Streetcar in Washington, DC. The Brookings Institution study, funded by the Downtown DC BID, explores the idea of using the proposed public and private sector (sponsoring agency) increases in property and property tax value through a public/private limited partnership. The sponsoring agency ownership is structured so that any cash flow (recapitalization, sale or annual cash flow) would only come from the increased value achieved by each property that exceeds current cash flows and appraised value. The study results show that all capital and partial operating costs could be covered.

Speakers

• David Taylor, Senior Vice President, HDR, Inc.
• Chris Leinberger, Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institute; President, LOCUS; Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors
• Shyam Kannan, LEED® AP, Vice President-Director of Research and Development, Robert Charles Lesser & Company

View Kannan PDF (500 KB)
View Event PDF (3.9 MB)

The Puget Sound region is a national leader in Transferable Development Rights programs. Many cities and all counties in the region have such programs, and recently Governor Christine Gregoire signed legislation to implement a four-county regional program — the largest TDR program ever created in terms of geographical area.

Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) is a fast growing policy tool in the Puget Sound region for conserving rural landscapes. TDR is a voluntary market-based tool that advances the goals of protecting local farms, forests, and natural areas while respecting property rights and encouraging economic revitalization in urban areas. In May 2009, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed legislation aiming to greatly expand TDR within the central Puget Sound region, covering four of the state's most populous counties. To advance these regional goals, the Conservancy partnered with multiple stakeholders representing the state, counties, cities, and local residents to create a state-regional TDR marketplace that supports the local implementation of TDR programs. This panel will explore emerging TDR trends in the four-county Puget Sound region and how the regional program will likely affect the TDR landscape in the region.

Speakers

• William Fulton, President, Solimar Research Group; Councilmember, City of Ventura
• Skip Swenson, Managing Director of Policy, Cascade Land Conservancy
• Darren Greve, Transfer of Development Rights Program Manager, King County
• Ivan Miller, Principal Planner, Puget Sound Regional Council

View Swenson/Greve/Miller PDF (18.3 MB)

The interagency partnership among DOT, HUD and EPA to coordinate federal transportation, housing, and environmental quality identified principles and opportunities to help American families gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs. This session features facilitated discussion among practitioners on strategies for advancing livability and sustainability within a regional planning context.

The session includes a complimentary box-lunch for up to 50 people, and features a discussion of: Opportunities to leverage resources to secure policy and financial support for implementing Smart Growth and transit-oriented development; Steps land use, housing, environmental, and transportation planners can take to better align their programs regionally to serve common goals; and Programs of technical assistance and training that are available to help you plan and implement Smart Growth and TOD in regional settings.

An interdisciplinary panel of regional planners will describe experiences in working collaboratively across transportation, land use, housing, and environmental programs to raise awareness, area-wide policy support, and resource commitment - regionally - for smart growth and TOD.

Speakers

• Therese McMillan, Deputy Administrator, Federal Transit Administration
• Jeff Price, Community Planner, Office of Systems Planning, Federal Transit Administration
• Richard Weaver, Senior Program Manager, Planning and Programs, American Public Transit Association
• Catherine Cox Blair, Program Director, Reconnecting America and the Center for Transit-Oriented Development
• Sam Zimbabwe, Technical Assistance Director, Reconnecting America

Promoting access to healthy foods has become a hot topic in communities across the country. Many cities and towns are looking to create or expand grocery stores, community gardens, farmers' markets and other sources of healthy food. Or, they may be concerned about limiting mobile vending, fast food, and convenience stores in neighborhoods that are already overburdened with unhealthy choices.

However, there are plenty of planning and legal challenges associated with these strategies. This session will dig into innovations in planning tools (such as zoning, economic development, and environment impact statements) that are being used to support healthy food access. Panelists represent different perspectives and different places, including efforts in New York City, Cleveland, and Minneapolis.

Speakers

• Heather Wooten, Senior Planning and Policy Associate, Planning for Healthy Places, A Project of Public Health Law & Policy
• Cara Letofsky, Policy Aide, Office of Mayor R.T. Rybak, City of Minneapolis, MN
• Nevin Cohen, Assistant Professor, Urban Studies, Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts; Principal, Topology, LLC
• Morgan Taggart, Program Specialist, County Operations, Ohio State University Extension

View Wooten PDF (3.5 MB)
View Letofsky PDF (2 MB)
View Cohen PDF (4.1 MB)
View Taggart PDF (5.3 MB)

Mixed use and compact development patterns, typical of many communities of color, are touted as a model for smart growth, yet new and beneficial public and private investment is lacking for inner cities and declining suburbs. This panel will discuss a vision, framework and a set of tools, policies to promote equitable development outcomes through the lens of civil rights laws, and empowerment strategies.

New strategies can address improved public involvement in land use decisions, stimulus funding, relief for fiscally strained localities, inclusionary development and the need to forge alliances linking environmental conservation with revitalization. The speakers will address new realities and challenges of green development, climate change and smart growth while addressing the relevance of civil rights protections to benefit all communities. They will also address need to make planning, investment and decision-making bodies more responsive to the needs of diverse communities.

Speakers

• Daniel J. Hutch, Economist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Deeohn Ferris, J.D., President, Sustainable Communities Development Group, Inc.
• Professor john powell, Executive Director, The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, Ohio State University Law School
• Stephanie Jones, Executive Director, National Policy Institute, National Urban League
• Heaster Wheeler, Executive Director, Detroit NAACP

View powell PDF (5.7 MB)

The region that will earn the highest returns on its transportation, housing, and commercial investments will be one with a shared, sustainable vision. The new federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities will channel much of its support to communities with diverse and unified leadership that can deliver results in support of the regional plans. Creating this shared vision in your region requires critical local leadership and coalition building among diverse stakeholder groups.

The prize is an alliance of NGO, business and government organizations that can lead public education on what should change and can also provide political cover for elected officials implementing the region's smart growth vision "on-the-ground."

Drawing from practical experience, leaders from three regional alliances across the US will share how they built their respective alliance, what has worked and what hasn't. Attendees will find "take-home knowledge" that helps bridge regional silos and warring factions to deliver a smart growth regional vision for all.

Speakers

• William H. Kreager, FAIA, LEED®AP, Managing Principal, Mithun
• Patrick Callahan, Chair, Quality Growth Alliance, Seattle, WA; CEO, Urban Renaissance Group, LLC
• Sam Black, Chair; Washington Smart Growth Alliance, Washington D.C.; Senior Counsel, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, L.L.P.
• Karen Walz, Project Manager, Vision North Texas; Principal, Strategic Community Solutions, Dallas, TX

View Event PDF (1.8 MB)

Can Walk Score help planners calibrate their goals for each neighborhood? Can Walk Score encourage consumers to live in more walkable neighborhoods? Harriet Tregoning, Director of the Office of Planning of the District of Columbia will discuss how the District is using Walk Score to inform their plans to improve the walkability of their neighborhoods. Christopher Leinberger, visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, will describe Walk Score and trends in walkable real estate. Matt Lerner from Front Seat will discuss the new and improved Walk Score and how it can be a more effective tool for planners and the general public.

Speakers

• Benjamin de la Peña, Associate Director, The Rockefeller Foundation
• Matt Lerner, Chief Technical Officer, Front Seat
• Harriet Tregoning, Director, Office of Planning, Government of the District of Columbia
• Chris Leinberger, Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institute; President, LOCUS; Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors

Traditional regulatory and planning mechanisms in the Puget Sound region, such as Washington State's Growth Management Act and Shoreline Management Act, provide some protection of important resources but are neither coordinated nor well structured to restore, at a watershed scale, our complex, interdependent natural systems. Furthermore, traditional funding sources are inadequate to fully address restoration within an ecosystem context. In response to these challenges, the Puget Sound Partnership and Washington Department of Ecology are conducting Sound-wide watershed assessments that will serve as an integrated framework for innovative market mechanisms such as Transfer of Development Rights, In-Lieu Fees and mitigation markets. Critical to the success of this integrated approach is collaboration among state and local jurisdictions. Presenters will discuss the linkage between watershed assessments and ecosystem markets, and how state and local jurisdictions can best collaborate to make the changes necessary to conserve key resources and focus growth into existing communities.

Speakers

• Dan Stonington, Conservation Policy Director, Cascade Land Conservancy
• Paul Roberts, Councilmember, City of Everett, WA
• Stephen Stanley, Wetland Specialist, Washington State Department of Ecology

Smart growth and transportation advocates have been gaining ground in integrating land use and transportation planning in cities and metro-regions, but the connection has been more difficult in smaller towns and rural regions. This session will explore challenges to linking land use and transportation planning in small towns and rural areas and present best practices communities are using to overcome those challenges. Speakers will clarify opportunities for policy reform at federal, state and local levels and will examine successful efforts to improve development patterns and create walkable, transit served communities, even in small towns and growing rural areas. Participants will hear about what worked and what didn't and what steps their communities can take to align their land use and transportation planning to shape more sustainable communities.

Speakers

• Clark Anderson, Director of the Western Colorado Legacy Program, The Sonoran Institute
• Tim Davis, Executive Director, Montana Smart Growth Coalition
• Ilana Preuss, Outreach and Field Director, Transportation for America
• James Charlier, AICP, President, Charlier Associates

This year ARRA, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has been a strategic focus for practitioners and advocates across the country. New funding and programs that affect the sustainability of state, regional, and local communities are in play and the results promise either lost opportunities or significant forward steps for smart growth. Join this panel of on-the-ground practitioners and national experts for an interactive review of ARRA. What is the status of funding streams? Where are the opportunities? What are the strategic intersections? What lessons have we learned? This session will specifically focus on how multiple funding streams can be leveraged through long-term collaborative strategies.

Speakers

• Julia Seward, Director of State Policy, Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• Victor Rubin, Vice President of Research, PolicyLink
• Will Schroeer, State Policy Director, Smart Growth America
• Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water, American Rivers
• Jeannie Renne-Malone, National Director, Climate Change and GHG Management Services, HDR Engineering
• Andriana Abariotes, Executive Director, LISC - Twin Cities
• Radhika Fox, Federal Policy Director, PolicyLink
• Larry Cohen, Executive Director, Prevention Institute
• Teresa Brice, Executive Director, LISC Phoenix
• Ryan Callison Dicks, Sustainability Manager, Pierce County
• Michael Mann, Director, Office of Sustainability & Environment, City of Seattle
• Laura Barrett, National Policy Director, Gamaliel/Transportation Equity Network
• Chris Kochtitsky, Acting Deputy Director, Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Brewster Thackeray, Senior Portfolio Advisor, AARP

View Larry Cohen PDF (68 KB)

Schools are one of the most important public elements in neighborhoods, cities, and regions. Families and communities want schools that are learner-centered, sustainable, centers of community, and that enhance all students' achievement. Schools also provide safe, engaging places for children and their families to exercise and play. In this session, we look at K-12 schools in the smart growth context. How do policies and practices support smart growth outcomes? How do smart growth policies support schools? The 3.5 hour session includes a mini "Joint Use Schools Workshop," that addresses the practical and legal concerns schools have about community use of school facilities, a discussion of the important role state policies play, and a small group activity on implementing successful strategies for community centered schools. Come speak with policy experts and state and local leaders about ways to ensure schools are integrated into and viewed as strategic assets in their communities.

Speakers

• Jeff Vincent, PhD, Deputy Director, Center for Cities & Schools, UC Berkeley
• Renee Kuhlman, Director of Special Interests, National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Karla Hampton, Staff Attorney, National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity, a project of Public Health Law & Policy
• Pilar Lorenzana-Campo, Urban Planner, Public Health Law & Policy
• Timothy Gallagher, Superintendent, Seattle Parks and Recreation Department
• Sue Goodwin, Recreation Division Director, Seattle Parks and Recreation Department
• Gordon Beck, Director, School Facilities & Organization, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of Washington
• Constance E. Beaumont, Oregon Transportation & Growth Management Program (TGM), Dept. of Land Conservation and Development

View Kuhlman PDF (4.2 MB)
View Hampton PDF (2.8 MB)
View Lorenzana-Campo PDF (2.4 MB)
View Gallagher PDF (880 KB)
View Event PDF (1.8 MB)

This session will feature representatives from areas that are planning and implementing transit-oriented development who will share their experiences and respond to questions from other presenters and attendees. Speakers will describe their efforts in two sub-sessions: the first a look at local station area TOD implementation; and the second, regional planning for TOD. Topics will focus on approaches to integrating land use, transportation and urban design, but also how strategies for mitigating environmental impacts and greenhouse gas emissions were incorporated, and speakers will call attention to the relative responsibilities of State, regional, and local agencies. A facilitated, interactive discussion will follow both sub-sessions and will be designed to identify similar and contrasting strategies for building popular support, developing innovative policy, designing sustainability strategies, and leveraging public investments to influence the private sector real estate market. The key role of an engaging, information-based planning process in supporting effective TOD will be described across the range of community settings.

Speakers

• David Alumbaugh, Chief of Citywide Planning, City of San Francisco, CA
• Lyle Bicknell, Neighborhood Planning Manager, City of Seattle, WA
• Matt Roewe, AIA, LEED AP, Director of Mixed-Use and Major Projects, VIA Architecture
• Peter J. Kindel, AIA, ASLA, Director of Urban Design, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture LLP
• John Houseal, AICP, Principal, Houseal Lavigne Associates
• Todd Fagen, Vice President, Sam Schwartz Engineering
• Brian O'Malley, AICP, Director of Transportation Policy & Research, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance
• Dr. Seema Iyer, Baltimore City Department of Planning

View Bicknell PDF (5.3 MB)
View Roewe PDF (7.1 MB)
View Kindel PDF (48.1 MB)
View O'Malley PDF (3.3 MB)
View Iyer PDF (2.2 MB)

Your community has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. But how do you find the right tool to measure your community's climate impact? How will you know if your policies are working? This workshop will explain some of your options. In the first half, you will learn about several tools that can measure the greenhouse gas emissions from land use and transportation for communities and regions. Panelists will explain how to choose which tool will best suit your community's needs. The second half will include in-depth demonstrations of site- and building-specific tools. Using real-world examples, the panelists will show what results you can expect from these tools.

Speakers

• Megan Susman, Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Don Samdahl, PE, PTP, Principal, Fehr & Peers
• Joyce Phillips, AICP, Senior Planner, Washington State Department of Commerce, Growth Management Services
• Cole Roberts, Energy & Resources Business Leader, Arup
• Jason Lally, Planning Technology Associate, PlaceMatters
• Kelly McGourty, Program Manager, Puget Sound Regional Council
• Rob Matthews, Planner, Mithun

View Susman PDF (540 KB)
View Samdahl PDF (4.8 MB)
View Roberts PDF (6.5 MB)
View Lally PDF (1.7 MB)
View McGourty PDF (1.7 MB)

Some communities are growing smart or reinventing themselves by providing housing choices that anticipate our changing environment—including the demographics of smaller families and busy lifestyles and the need for sustainable solutions. This session describes key trends and provides a visual overview of typical housing built in the U.S. over time. It demonstrates new approaches, such as cottage housing, being used in the Gulf Coast, the Pacific Northwest, and other areas. You will see examples of newer housing types that have been built or planned to accommodate different family sizes and lifestyles, while creating more walkability and a sense of place within the urban and suburban environment. Notably, you will also learn from this session about techniques that real communities and designers have used to provide for a greater range of housing choices.

Speakers

• Shane Hope, Community and Economic Development Director, City of Mountlake Terrace, WA
• Glen Hiemstra, Futurist.com
• Ross Chapin, Principal, Ross Chapin Architects
• Rob Odle, Planning and Community Development, City of Redmond, WA

View Hope PDF (7.8 MB)
View Chapin PDF (60.3 MB)
View Odle PDF (77.3 MB)

Smart growth projects are often focused around walking and transit — but biking is becoming a popular mode of choice for urban dwellers and developers, with the bike's ability to carry people and hundreds of pounds (of groceries, kids and more) across many miles efficiently, cheaply and enjoyably. Recently, there has been an explosion of cycling-related innovations — in the bikes themselves, adapted buildings and parking structures, and local, regional and national cycling systems — that advance smart growth and transportation. Come learn from the director of North America's largest cycling organization, major grassroots bike/walk groups, the Seattle-based CEO of a top bicycle company (and chairman of the leading bicycle industry trade and advocacy group), and a popular cycling blogger. The session will be interview-based, allowing for lots of information and interaction. There will even be time to discover the optimal bicycles and cycling systems for you, your development and your community!

Speakers

• Jim Sayer, Executive Director, Adventure Cycling Association
• Steve Meineke, CEO, Raleigh America
• Jonathan Maus, Publisher/Editor, bikeportland.org
• Jeff Miller, President/CEO, Alliance for Biking and Walking
• David Hiller, Advocacy Director, Cascade Bicycle Club

View Sayer/Meineke/Miller/Hiller PDF (8.8 MB)

It's time to roll up your sleeves and see for yourself why the Corridor Development Initiative has sparked national acclaim for engaging communities around redevelopment opportunities along transit corridors. This hands-on session will showcase the CDI process that incorporates financial realities into community development goals. The Corridor Development Initiative, coordinated by Twin Cities LISC, has proven to be a highly successful approach for engaging multiple stakeholders around redevelopment opportunity sites in both urban and suburban settings, building consensus for higher density development and affordable housing along transportation corridors. The CDI, originally created in the Twin Cities, won a national award by the APA in 2007, and has been replicated in Madison WI and Chicago IL. Come see how this creative and fun approach can inspire smart growth in your community!

Speakers

• Gretchen Nicholls, Program Officer, Twin Cities LISC
• Alan Arthur, President & CEO, Aeon
• Barbara Raye, Executive Director, Center for Policy Planning and Performance
• Joanna Trotter, Manager, Community Building Initiative, Metropolitan Planning Council

View Nicholls PDF (3.7 MB)
View Trotter PDF (1.7 MB)

Boom or bust, housing in smart growth projects continues to realize price premiums, confirming market acceptance for smart growth. Premiums are also being recognized in green homes as well. This session will discuss how the role of design, location, and smart growth principles create great places that are also viable, long-term real estate assets. Speakers will discuss their findings from dozens of case studies comparing long-term housing values in smart growth communities against conventional suburban communities. This session will explore how the price premium is being used as a strategic real estate investment tool for lenders, developers and builders. In addition, this data serves to confirm to city leadership that smart growth communities provide stable housing choices for homebuyers in your community.

Speakers

• Lee Sobel, Real Estate Development & Finance Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Joe Cortright, President & Economist, Impresa, Inc.
• Mark Eppli, Professor and Bell Chair, Department of Finance, Marquette University
• Shyam Kannan, LEED® AP, Vice President-Director of Research and Development, Robert Charles Lesser & Company
• Joseph Minicozzi, AICP, New Projects Director, Public Interest Projects, Inc.

View Sobel PDF (908 KB)
View Cortright PDF (3.9 MB)
View Eppli PDF (548 KB)
View Kannan PDF (496 KB)
View Kannan/Cartright PDF (8 MB)
View Minicozzi PDF (50.3 MB)

Urbanization pressures create critical new problems. As the Puget Sound region prepares to grow by 1.5 million people in 20 years, there is an urgent need for new approaches to water management, stormwater runoff, and urban development. This panel session will help you to:

• Understand how communities can work within their watershed to implement green infrastructure and Low Impact Development ( LID).
• Learn current LID stormwater management techniques and how they can lessen and control one of the major sources of pollution for urban watersheds.
• See current working examples of successes and failures and understand applications that can be replicated in your area.

Speakers

• Tanyalee Erwin, Research Associate Faculty, Washington State University
• Gary McLean, City Manager, City of Puyallup, WA
• Curtis Hinman, Washington State University Extension Faculty, Watershed Ecologist
• Nate Cormier, Senior Landscape Architect, SvR Design Company

Recent focus on green and sustainable design has lead to increased interest in roadway network and design that incorporate green infrastructure while still achieving the mobility and quality-of-life goals of smart growth. But what exactly makes a street sustainable? And just when is a street "complete"? In this interactive workshop panelists will share, and likely debate, what elements need be present in a street to be truly sustainable, and how those elements can elegantly fit together within a limited right-of-way. Existing metrics established by such efforts as LEED ND, ITE's Context Sensitive Solutions, Complete Streets, and local and state guidelines will be presented, in addition to emerging standards for sustainable construction practices. Finally, city of Seattle staff will share the latest on their experiences in merging their Complete Streets policy with the city's innovative green infrastructure practices.

Speakers

• Clark Wilson, Urban Designer, U.S. EPA
• Tim Bevan, Denior Transportation Consultant, CH2M HILL, Inc.
• Stephan Muench, Ph.D., University of Washington, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Brice Maryman, ASLA, LEED AP, SvR Design Company
• Harrison Rue, Principal, ICF International
• Tracy Tackett, PE, Green Stormwater Infrastructure Program Manager, Seattle Public Utilities
• Darby Watson, AICP, ASLA, LEED AP, Strategic Advisor, Urban Design, Multi-Modal Planning and Policy, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Ellen Greenberg. AICP, Greenberg Consulting

View Muench PDF (2.7 MB)

The collaboration of cities, counties, and towns across political boundaries provides the ingenuity and muscle to tackle the challenges of the 21st century. Regional councils — including metropolitan planning organizations and councils of governments — have the ability to join localities in long-range solutions to interconnected problems. The complexity of these problems coupled with local budget constraints, increases the need for coordinated approaches.

With varying authorities and responsibilities, regional organizations in metropolitan Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and the Puget Sound/Seattle area, have helped to galvanize regional solutions, gaining support of local elected officials, and others. This workshop will highlight the Greater Washington 2050's Compact to measure progress on physical development, social and economic development goals; the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission's (Philadelphia) environmental screening tool for transportation and Food Systems Study; and the Puget Sound Regional Council's process to incorporate Vision 2040's planning provisions in local growth targets, countywide planning policies, and local comprehensive plans.

Speakers

• Naomi Friedman, Deputy Director, National Association of Regional Councils
• Norman Abbott, PhD, AICP, Director, Growth Management Planning, Puget Sound Regional Council
• Karin Morris, AICP, Manager, Office of Smart Growth, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
• Michael Hubner, AICP, Buildable Lands and Land Use Manager, Suburban Cities Association of King County
• Dave Robertson, Executive Director, Metropolitan Washington Council of Government

View Friedman PDF (2.9 MB)
View Morris PDF (44 pages, 32 MB)
View Abbott/Hubner PDF (3.2 MB)
View Robertson PDF (2.4 MB)

• Jake Mackenzie, Councilmember, City of Rohnert Park, CA: LGC Board
• Tom Butt, Councilmember, City of Richmond, CA: LGC Board Chair
• Michelle Pirzadeh, Acting Regional Administrator, U.S. EPA Region 10
• King County Executive Dow Constantine, WA

When President Obama took office, he issued a call for enhanced coordination and leadership among federal agencies on issues related to climate change, energy, transportation, and environmental protection. This new era provides opportunities for federal agencies to partner together to promote development patterns that have positive environmental, economic, and community outcomes. This plenary session highlights how federal agencies are working together to promote sustainable, livable communities and how communities can partner with the federal government to make smart growth happen on the ground.

Speakers

• Facilitator: Harriet Tregoning, Director, Office of Planning, Government of the District of Columbia
• Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Ray LaHood, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
• Shaun Donovan, Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

A truly sustainable economy will not only enhance environmental protection, but can also lift people out of poverty. This plenary articulates how smart growth can foster green jobs, social equity, and affordable housing, as our nation moves towards a more sustainable, green economy.

Speakers

• Angela Glover-Blackwell, President & CEO, PolicyLink
• Majora Carter, President, Majora Carter Group, LLC

Working efficiently with neighboring communities can be vitally important to the success of a regional smart growth strategy. By employing the help of established Regional Development Organizations (RDOs = councils of government, planning commissions, regional development districts, etc.), stakeholders can capitalize on the expertise and cross-jurisdictional networks that these entities provide.

With their experience in transportation planning, water resource management and infrastructure development, RDOs are well positioned to promote and encourage smart growth principles that require the partnership and coordination of several local governments. Oftentimes, these organizations can also provide grant writing and technical assistance at little or no cost. This panel will offer two diverse examples of regional development organizations that have taken the initiative to introduce zoning bylaws, permitting regulations and open space planning concepts to their regions as a means of improving air quality, reducing sprawl and being overall good stewards of the environment.

Speakers

• Rachel Winer, Executive Director, Idaho Smart Growth
• Susan McMahon, Senior Planner, Western Regional Commission
• Tim Brennan, Executive Director, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission

View McMahon PDF (7.8 MB)
View Brennan PDF (6.4 MB)

The Seattle region is building a 52-mile light rail system to help move 1.6 million new people expected in the region by 2040. Addressing the competing pressures of population growth, economic development, affordability and climate change will be a challenge. Will the region choose to build parking lots or create affordable, walkable, livable communities with great transit options?

The panel will discuss a typology of built-out station areas with linkages to anticipated growth and expected greenhouse gas emission reductions. Station areas in Bellevue and Seattle will be highlighted for their innovative station area plans seeking to integrate cutting-edge TOD principles with affordable housing through a variety of incentive and subsidy approaches. Ambitious efforts by Tacoma to update their Mixed Use Centers plan to encourage walkable, bike-friendly development connected by transit will also be highlighted. Summaries of the recent report Envisioning Transit Oriented Communities: a Blueprint for Washington State will be available to session participants.

Speakers

• Dan Stroh, Director of Planning, City of Bellevue, WA
• Anna Markee, Seattle Outreach Director, Housing Development Consortium
• Don Vehige, AIA, Architect/Urban Designer, GGLO Architects, Urban Planning
• Sara Nikolic, Urban Strategies Director, Futurewise
• Peter Huffman, Manager of City Planning, City of Tacoma

View Stroh PDF (8.6 MB)
View Markee PDF (256 KB)
View Event PDF (556 KB)

More than 30 states have adopted climate action plans. Almost all of these recommend reducing vehicle miles traveled, through land use and transportation policies. This session will answer two main questions:

1. How can people work to move these Climate Action Plans from recommendations into action, whether legislative or administrative?
2. What can we learn from states that have begun implementing the transportation and land use portions of their CAPs?

Speakers will propose lessons answers from their in-state experience, and then engage the audience in a spirited discussion of what works, what does not, and how to address concerns and obstacles from across the spectrum. As a result, attendees should 1) Understand the content of state action plans around transportation and land use; 2) Take home policies to target in implementing your state's CAP, and 3) Take home lessons about tactics that work to implement your state's CAP.

Speakers

• Will Schroeer, State Policy Director, Smart Growth America
• John Bailey, Policy Director, 1000 Friends of Minnesota
• James Charlier, AICP, President, Charlier Associates
• Autumn Bernstein, Director, Climate Plan

View Bailey PDF (196 KB)
View Bernstein PDF (168 KB)
View Charlier PDF (4.2 KB)

Indian Country faces some unique challenges when it comes to planning. Many more tribes are seeing new funds coming from casinos and other tribal enterprises, and are recognizing the need, and ability for expanding housing and community services for their members. However, tribes want to make sure that their planning efforts also reflect their tribal identity and traditions. Some are now beginning to realize that they need to rethink the way they have been planning their communities. This session will explore various stages of planning in three tribal communities, and the lessons learned. Not only focusing on intergovernmental relations at the Federal, State and local levels and outreach to non-tribal members, but also on how smart growth principles can be applied while keeping planning efforts culturally relevant.

Speakers

• Tony Leonard, Project Manager, Local Government Commission
• Teressa Lange, Executive Director, Port Gamble S’Klallam Housing Authority
• Lafe Haugen, Executive Director Northern Cheyenne Tribal Housing
• John Breuninger, Planning Department Director, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin

View Haugen PDF (1.2 MB)
View Breuninger PDF (24.1 MB)

The health consequences of policies made by planners, transportation officials, and other decision-makers can be significant. Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) are one tool that can gauge these health implications and help make informed decisions about land-use and development projects. This session will highlight grants awarded by CDC and ASTHO to state health agencies to increase their capacity building for built environment projects and policies, including the understanding of HIA methodology. Through a facilitated panel discussion, project leads from three of the state agencies will share their lessons learned throughout the capacity building process, convey best practices in providing training and technical assistance to agency staff, and discuss partnerships formed with other sectors. Come join the group to discuss community responsiveness to the HIA initiative and brainstorm ways to make HIAs more integrated on all levels of decision-making.

Speakers

• Kerry Williams, MEM, Director, Environmental Health, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
• Andy Dannenberg, MD, MPH, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Marjory Givens, UW Population Health Institute Fellow, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Bureau of Environmental & Occupational Health
• Julie Early-Alberts, Program Manager, Research and Education Services, Oregon Public Health Division
• Kristin Raab, Project Consultant, Minnesota Department of Health

View Givens PDF (4.8 MB)
View Early-Alberts PDF (436 KB)
View Raab PDF (696 KB)

Communities that are impacted by natural disasters have an incredible opportunity to rebuild in a way that moves beyond basic disaster recovery to improve the local economy, environment and quality of life. After any portion of a community has been damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, the local government must begin a process of reconstruction, redevelopment, and renewal. This affords an opportunity to not only recover but to add future investments that enhance existing assets and build upon community character. Transit-oriented development, green infrastructure, affordable housing and other smart growth approaches can help ensure that future growth will benefit environmental, economic, and public health outcomes, but also help these communities become more resilient to future hazards that may occur, including from climate change. This session will discuss several communities in Iowa that received smart growth assistance after flooding and tornadoes in 2008.

Speakers

• Abby Hall, Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Frank Darrah, Councilmember, City of Cedar Falls, IA
• Ronald S. Gaines, P.E., Director of Developmental Services, City of Cedar Falls, IA
• Aaron Todd, Community Planning Specialist, Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO)

Many communities are already struggling with degraded water bodies and failing infrastructure. These water quality impairments exist, in part, because historically stormwater management — and indeed stormwater regulation — has focused primarily on the site scale. But this strategy hasn't been fully effective.

The purpose of this session is to discuss emerging innovative trends in stormwater management. While there has been considerable discussion recently about stormwater regulatory barriers to good development, there has been little discussion on how some of these approaches aren't effective and in fact, may produce worse water quality outcomes. In addition, many communities and states are co-mingling stormwater regulations with local retrofit policies. This scenario plays out all the time — municipalities require any infill or redevelopment project meets the highest stormwater standards — higher even than some greenfield standards. The session will discuss two frameworks: (1) what are the characteristics of an effective stormwater permit, and (2) what are the characteristics of an effective retrofit policy.

Speakers

• Jenny Molloy, Green Infrastructure Coordinator, U.S. EPA
• Lynn Richards, Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Milt Rhodes, Director of Planning, Town of Bluffton, SC

View Richards PDF (3.4 MB)
View Rhodes PDF (1.5 MB)

Seattle has had many years of declining school-age population and shrinking school enrollment. While this trend is beginning to reverse itself in parts of the City, it has led the Seattle School District to consolidate schools and deem surplus many historic school properties in recent years. Rather than see these properties sold on the open market, the Seattle School District, the City of Seattle and the State of Washington have helped long-standing community organizations acquire these properties and convert them into community centers with childcare, senior services, space for the arts and community gathering. Four acquisitions have been completed, with $12M in City and State funding to underwrite the acquisitions in exchange for long-term commitments to provide a range of community services and programs. Panelists will present community perspectives on how this program fills a critical need for services in Seattle's neighborhoods, helps to fund preservation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings, and creates permanent homes for much-loved community organizations.

Speakers

• Catherine Stanford, Principal, CA STANFORD CONSULTING
• Philippa Nye, Managing Developer, Common Ground
• Catherine Weatbrook, Project Manager for the Acquisition of Crown Hill Elementary School
• Ed Medeiros, Executive Director, Phinney Neighborhood Association
• Stephen Antupit, Urban Planner, Mithun; Board member of University Heights Center for the Community Association
• Ron English, Deputy General Counsel, Seattle School District

View Medeiros PDF (3.8 MB)
View Antupit DPF (3.1 MB)

Challenges facing communities are often complex and interwoven, spanning diverse fields and issue areas. Complex problems require innovative and multidisciplinary solutions, particularly for communities in need. There has never been a better time for funders, practitioners and advocates to converge ideas, efforts and resources to improve community conditions. The Convergence Partnership is a collaboration of national funders with the shared goal of changing policies and environments to achieve a common vision of healthy people and healthy places. Since 2006, the Convergence Partnership has worked to support multi-field, equity-focused, collaborative efforts to create healthier policies and environments through federal, state and local initiatives addressing issues from federal transportation policy to food systems to community design. In this session, representatives of national and regional Convergence Partnership collaboratives will share their successes, strategies, and challenges for convergence. Attendees will learn models for collaboration infrastructure, including how to bring together key partners and participants from across diverse fields and sectors.

Speakers

• Judith Bell, President, PolicyLink
• David Fukuzawa, M.Div, MSA, Program Director, Kresge Foundation
• Maren Stewart, JD, APR, President and Chief Executive Officer, LiveWell Colorado
• Terry Johnson, Director, HEAL New Hampshire, Foundation for Healthy Communities

View Event PDF (732 KB)

Policy-makers and decision-makers are showing increasing interest in making objective cases for sustainability based on the triple bottom line — economic, social and environmental. HDR's SROI process helps organizations promote sustainable investment strategies from an objective and transparent perspective.

The SROI process accounts for the entire scope of potential costs and benefits related to sustainability measures and incorporates risk analysis over a project's life-cycle. Typical financial benefits are included, but the breakthrough is the ability to quantify in dollar terms the value of the non-cash social and environmental cost and benefits.

While SROI's key feature is that it monetizes social and environmental impacts it also provides the results of a complete traditional life-cycle cost analysis from a financial perspective.

Speakers

• John Williams, SVP, National Director, Sustainable Development, HDR, Inc..
• Mark Melnik, Deputy Director of Research, Boston Redevelopment Authority
• Stephane Larocque, Principal Economist, HDR, Inc.

View Williams/Larocque PDF (3.5 MB)
View Melnik PDF (724 KB)

This always-popular session is our annual update on the state of funding for smart growth. The facilitated conversation will offer multi-sector perspectives on the changing world of sustainability funding — changes in foundation capacity, new opportunities in the public sector, residual from the economic downturn, direction and trends for the future. This interactive session offers a unique opportunity to hear about the state of funding and engage key stakeholders in considering best practice in the future.

Speakers

• Julia Seward, Director of State Policy, Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• Kim Burnett, Program Officer, Surdna Foundation
• Don Chen, Community Development Program Officer, Ford Foundation
• Amy Solomon, Program Officer, Bullitt Foundation

The U.S. economy has suffered a financial crisis and a wave of foreclosures that left many communities wondering what to do with empty homes and neighborhoods in decline. And yet, a slowing economy also provides an opportunity for communities who were previously overwhelmed with managing rapid growth to now re-evaluate current growth patterns in a period of slower development. Recognizing that the economic crisis has created challenges and opportunities for those hoping to implement smart growth practices in their communities, this plenary explores what the current economic climate means for the future of smart growth. Hear about what the recession means for communities trying to implement smart growth development in their communities, learn about the role of foundations in continuing to support smart growth efforts across the country, and discover the latest market trends that indicate that the economic crisis may provide an opportunity for smart growth to become the status quo.

Speakers

• Congressman Jim McDermott, U.S. House of Representatives, 7th Congressional District, Washington State
• Gadi Kaufmann, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Robert Charles Lesser & Co.
• Doris Koo, CEO, Enterprise Community Partners

View Kaufmann PDF (2 MB)

This year's National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement are being featured in a 20-minute video that provides a direct look at why these four communities, from rural farmland to an urban downtown, make great places to live, work and play. The videos include stunning shots of smart growth in practices, as well as interviews with policy makers and local citizens from each of the four award-winning communities. Visit the EPA sponsor display space for more details on each award winner.

• Abby Hall, Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA

The City of Richmond's recent general plan update includes California's first standalone health element, which envisions the City as a vibrant and sustainable community that promotes wellbeing, and targets the social and environmental roots of health inequities. The next phase involves implementation, focusing on continued collaboration to support healthy planning over the long term. In partnership with Contra Costa County Health Services, PolicyLink and MIG, Inc., the City is developing effective and sustainable practices and policy tools to begin implementation of the HWE and to continue comprehensive development of healthy communities well into the future. Together, the City and its partners are also actively engaging communities in the healthy planning process, piloting neighborhood improvement projects to realize HWE goals, and developing systems for tracking progress. In this session, representatives from the Richmond partnership will describe the inclusive planning framework and collaborative process to integrate smart growth, public health and other community concerns to transform disadvantaged communities into thriving neighborhoods.

Speakers

• Lina Velasco, Senior Planner, City of Richmond, CA
• Tracey Rattray, MPH, MSW, Director, Community Wellness and Prevention Program,Contra Costa County Health Services
• Vikrant Sood, Senior Planner, MIG, Inc.
• Jme McLean, MCP, MPH, Program Associate, PolicyLink

View Event PDF (5.8 MB)

The inadequacies of our food system are more apparent than ever before. The most affordable, accessible, and overeaten foods are dense with calories but poor in nutrients. Many communities, especially low-income, lack access to healthy, affordable food. Waste from large-scale agriculture threatens the environmental quality of our watersheds. The production, processing, packaging, and transportation of food contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Considering these environmental and health challenges—local governments are beginning to address the local food system as an integral part to their sustainability planning efforts. Based on the comprehensive and sustainability planning experiences of Seattle and King County, WA; Marin County, CA; Baltimore, MD; and Vancouver, BC; this session will inform participants about a wide-range of planning strategies to support, enhance and maintain an economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially equitable food system—one that improves the health and safety of food producers, workers, consumers and the environment.

Speakers

• Kimberley Hodgson, Program Development Associate, Planning & Community Health Research Center, American Planning Association
• Erin MacDougall, Healthy Eating and Active Living Program Manager, Public Health — Seattle and King County
• Alex Hinds, Interim Director, Center for Sustainable Communities, Sonoma State University; Former Director, Marin County Community Development Agency
• Carole Christopher, Chair, Vancouver Food Policy Council, City of Vancouver, British Columbia
• Anne Palmer, Program Director, Johns Hopkins University, Center for a Livable Future

View Event PDF (764 KB)

What does your vision of sustainability look like? Based upon a building momentum toward sustainability created through preceding Responsible Growth initiatives, the Capitol Region Council of Governments along with local planners, state and other partners were given the opportunity to envision sustainability through a Smart Growth Implementation Assistance grant from the U.S. EPA. Specifically, this grant enabled the creation of model guidelines for Sustainable Design and Development to be used throughout the Connecticut Capitol Region and beyond. This session will explain the effectiveness of the SGIA grant in implementing smart growth principles, the importance of approaching smart growth implementation collaboratively across all levels of government and policy making, a case study which utilizes the model guidelines to turn a defunct shopping center into an affordable, green, mixed use development and the role that this grant played in launching a regional Sustainable Communities Initiative in the Connecticut Capitol Region.

Speakers

• Danielle Arigoni, AICP, Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Emily Moos, Senior Community Development Planner, Capital Region Council of Governments
• Mark Pellegrini, Director of Planning and Economic Development, Town of Manchester
• Matthew Lister, Project Manager, Planning Practice, Jonathan Rose Companies

View Arigoni/Moos PDF (6.8 MB)
View Pellegrini/Lister PDF (8.8 MB)

This session will highlight the importance of "regional organizing" to provide for regional equity/environmental justice in decisions about land use planning, community development, and economic development. Current development patterns typically disperse jobs more often in the suburbs than the central city. The lack of public transportation to suburban job centers and zoning codes that limit construction of affordable and workforce housing means that city residents, often times minority and low-income, are cut off from economic opportunity. Increasing economic development and access to jobs throughout a metro area, in rural communities and on tribal reservations requires regional solutions and collaboration among local governments, tribal governments, state governments, community-based organizations, non-profit organizations, business and industry, academia, etc. This session will provide information on how regional planning has successfully been used in communities with environmental justice concerns to create a positive change resulting in the improvement of the environment, public health and economy. It will also provide insight into when and how regional organizing has and has not worked, as well as what to consider when seeking to engage in regional organizing to address environmental justice.

Speakers

• Donele Wilkins, Executive Dircetor, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice
• Ray Williams, Swinomish Tribe and Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development
• Kahlila Barnett, Executive Director, Alternatives for Community and Environment
• Martha Matsuoka, Professor, Urban and Environmental Policy Program, Occidental College

View Barnett PDF (48 KB)
View Matsuoka PDF (2 MB)

Coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, shoreline erosion, more severe storms and storm surges, and loss or migration of critical natural resources. Resilience to natural hazards is inextricably linked to the siting and design of coastal development, as well as the built and green infrastructure that supports it. Planning with smart growth principles can meet multiple community goals, but without explicit consideration of natural hazards, including the impacts of climate change, coastal and waterfront growth and development cannot be considered “smart.” While states and local governments have launched initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, coastal communities must also plan to adapt to climate change to become more resilient. This panel will highlight Coastal & Waterfront Smart Growth elements related to climate change and overview state and regional approaches to partnering with coastal communities to plan for and adapt to climate change.

Speakers

• Mathew Dalbey, PhD, AICP, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Kenneth Walker, Program Analyst, NOAA/OCRM
• Laren Woolley, Coastal Shores Specialist, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development
• Brad McCrea, Bay Design Analyst, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission

View Walker PDF (4.4 KB)
View Woolley PDF (7.7 MB)
View McCrea PDF (4.4 KB)

Washington State is a national leader in advancing cutting-edge policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) through improved land use and transportation planning. Transportation is the largest source of GHGs in the state and emissions reductions will require a combination of progressive policies, a regulatory framework and incentive-based approaches. In order to meet legislated GHG reduction targets, the state has committed to reducing per capita vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by 50 percent in 2050. In 2009, the Governor signed an Executive Order directing the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to develop VMT reduction plans in partnership with state's four largest MPOs including the Puget Sound Regional Council. What form will implementation take? Can we create models for other states to adopt?

The panel will explore the development and implementation of Washington States' VMT reduction law and policy opportunities to integrate climate change with transportation and land use planning at the regional, state and national levels.

Speakers

• Katy Taylor, Director, Public Transportation Division, Washington State Department of Transportation
• Sara Nikolic, Urban Strategies Director, Futurewise
• Bill LaBorde, Policy Director,Transportation Choices Coalition
• Charlie Howard, Transportation Planning Director, Puget Sound Regional Council

View Taylor PDF (284 KB)
View Nikolic PDF (1.9 MB)
View Howard PDF (1.2 MB)

Smart growth is more than good design — small towns and big cities alike face many challenges to make smart growth happen. Desired development and redevelopment will only become a reality when adequate infrastructure is in place. But what kind of infrastructure is most important? Who pays for it? How can we be sure it will be adequate to serve future growth? And how can we recognize related opportunities?

Speakers will discuss the significance of investing in capital facilities planning, explore the infrastructure challenges faced by several small cities in Washington State, and introduce an innovative, easy-to-use tool developed and provided by the WA State Dept of Commerce to support and enhance infrastructure planning.

Through these case studies, participants will learn why, when and how to comprehensively plan for needed infrastructure to support smart growth in their communities.

Speakers

• Leonard Bauer, Managing Director, Growth Management Services, Washington Department of Commerce
• Lynn Kohn, Senior Planner, Washington State Department of Commerce
• Julia Gibb, Community Development Coordinator, Grays Harbor Council of Governments
• Patrick Dugan, Principal, Dugan Planning Services

View Bauer PDF (3.9 MB)
View Gibb PDF (4.4 MB)
View Kohn PDF (1.9 MB)
View Dugan PDF (552 KB)

Faced with a broad and evolving mission in an increasingly resource-constrained world, the Department of Defense (DoD) is embracing sustainability in order to protect national security. This emerging emphasis is helping shape the national dialogue on key issues like climate change, renewable energy, and urban sprawl, and holds tremendous implications for sustainability advocates. This session will discuss how the military is addressing sustainability through win-win partnerships with outside stakeholders at dozens of its bases across the country — including nearby Fort Lewis, WA. Particular emphasis will be given to DoD partnership efforts to support sustainable growth and compatible land use efforts. Learn lessons from these innovative efforts, and about how this broadening DoD mission can work for you.

Speakers

• Nancy Natoli, Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI) Coordinator
• Paul Steucke, Chief, Environmental and Natural Resources Division, Fort Lewis, WA
• Lisa Bellefond, Director, Federal Government Relations, The Nature Conservancy of the State of Washington

View Natoli PDF (2.5 MB)
View Steucke PDF (2.7 MB)
View Bellefond PDF (3.8 MB)

Engaging local leaders and residents in the process of developing green initiative and sustainability plans poses special challenges for small towns and suburban communities. These communities typically have fewer resources and staff. Moreover, often the concepts of sustainability, climate change, and energy conservation are distant priorities compared to balancing municipal budgets and providing essential city services. Many European cities have embraced the concept of Small Town Sustainability and have made considerable progress towards implementing sustainability plans over the last decade. This session presents a framework and dissects core ingredients for successful sustainability initiatives in small towns in Europe and the United States. Case studies of good examples of small town sustainability will be presented and tentatively include: Freiburg (Germany), Helsingborg (Sweden), Williamson (North Carolina) and Alexandria (Virginia).

Speakers

• Kevin Fletcher, PhD, Executive Director, Audubon International
• Ralph Buehler, PhD, Assistant Professor in Urban Affairs and Planning, School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech
• Heike Mayer, PhD, Co-Director, The Metropolitan Institute, and Associate Professor in Urban Affairs and Planning, Virginia Tech, Alexandria Center; Professor, Economic Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland

View Buehler PDF (10 MB)
View Fletcher/Buehler/Mayer PDF (36 MB)
View Mayer PDF (7.8 MB)

Smart growth projects, like virtually all real estate transactions, have largely ground to a halt in the current economic climate. What is the larger situation within which they must be structured and implemented, what is needed to jump-start smart growth efforts, and what advantages can be marketed now to enhance their viability? This session, based on practical market research conducted for EPA earlier this year, will explore current market conditions — more conservative lending practices, more stringent bank due diligence policies, rapidly rising commercial, retail, and office vacancy rates, declining state and local tax revenues (needed for public investments) — that affect implementation of local smart growth policies and strategies. After the context-setting presentation based on the EPA research, and observations from the discussant, the session will open up to a moderated audience discussion, in which participants will be encouraged to share success stories and innovative approaches to grapple with current market conditions in a way that promotes smart growth projects and investment.

Speakers

• Charlie Bartsch, Vice President for Social Programs and Strategic Communications, ICF International
• David Koch, RBP, Senior Principal National Sector Leader, Brownfields Services, Terracon
• Mike Bellamente, Program Manager, NADO Research Foundation

View Bartsch PDF (2.2 MB)
View Bellamente PDF (1.6 MB)

Virginia is expected to develop more land in the next 40 years than in the last 400. Sprawled development is putting increased pressure on natural systems that provide drinking water, wildlife habitat, and clean air. This session describes statewide field tests designed to prioritize conservation and development needs. The field tests are spread across Virginia to represent the state's distinct ecoregions — coastal, piedmont, ridge and valley — as well as diverse development patterns from rural to urban to suburban. The project's workshops also bring together government agencies and community groups to identify cross-regional opportunities. These collaborations are finding ways to prevent destructive fragmentation of natural assets while also connecting communities through greenway corridors. The session will highlight the results from the Richmond regional tests, and present a GIS decision-support tool used to map, visualize, and prioritize green infrastructure and smart growth strategies.

Speakers

• Miranda Maupin, Senior Associate, E² Inc.
• Karen Firehock, Executive Director, Green Infrastructure Center
• Sarah Stewart, Senior Planner, Richmond Regional Planning District Commission

View Event PDF (40.9 MB)

The term “green infrastructure” is gaining traction with policymakers and the public, encompassing everything from bike trails to stormwater management. Research and successful projects across the globe are showing that green infrastructure is a key component in making cities livable, attractive, and sustainable. Well-designed green infrastructure enhances quality of life, protects environmental health, ameliorates urban heat island effect, and reduces habitat fragmentation.

This panel will present benefits of green infrastructure and practical “how to” examples, with expertise from research, the private sector, and city government. The presentation will open with recent findings on ecological, social, and economic benefits. Seattle Open Space 2100, a long-range visioning process, will be discussed as an example of citywide green infrastructure planning. Planners will discuss effective standards and policies from Seattle and Denver, including Seattle's innovative landscaping and stormwater requirements. The final panelist will present studies from Oregon and Washington, focusing on public perception.

Speakers

• Dan Staley, Urban Planner, DCS Consulting Services
• Kathleen L. Wolf, University of Washington/ US Forest Service Research; Social Scientist
• Dave LaClergue, Associate ASLA, Department of Planning and Development, City of Seattle, WA
• Nancy Rottle, RLA, ASLA, Associate Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Washington
• Vivek Shandas, Portland State University

View Staley PDF (1.9 MB)
View Wolf PDF (2.9 MB)
View LaClergue PDF (6.9 MB)
View Rottle PDF (10.3 MB)
View Shandas PDF (6.2 MB)
View Event PDF (96 KB)

This implementation session will feature Washington policy experts discussing the latest information on national transportation authorization. During this session we will talk with smart growth advocates about the advocacy efforts and successes of the Transportation for America Campaign, its leading role in a bold, new vision for transportation reform, the key role of equity advocates, and the importance of joining this coalition (www.t4america.org). In the second part of this training session, Jason Jordan will lead an advocacy training that will help advocates on Capitol Hill, as well as inspire them to become more effective advocates for Smart Growth issues at home. Finally, workshop participants will break out into regional groups to brainstorm a strategic plan for smart growth engagement on these national legislative agendas.

Speakers

• Bridget Hennessey, Director of California Office, Advocacy Associates
• Jason Jordan, Principal, Advocacy Associates
• Ilana Preuss, Outreach and Field Director, Transportation for America
• Radhika Fox, Federal Policy Director, PolicyLink
• Andrew Schmid, Public Affairs Specialist, Sound Transit Media Relations, Sound Transit
• Elisa Ortiz, State Campaigns Director, Smart Growth America

View Jordan PDF (1.1 MB)
View Preuss PDF (3.9 MB)
View Schmid PDF (364 KB)

In this workshop, representatives from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Food & Community program will present efforts to create vibrant communities with equitable access to affordable, healthy, locally grown food and opportunities for physical activity and play. Kellogg Foundation Program Officer Linda Jo Doctor will moderate, with presenters from Food & Fitness collaboratives including Holyoke, Oakland and Seattle/King County.

Specific topics will include Oakland's micro-zone community assessment and engagement of adult and youth residents; Holyoke, Massachusetts's development of a multi-sector policy and systems change strategy map; and Seattle/King County's perspective on what it means for public health to include food systems and built environment stakeholders in the conversation.

The workshop will also be a dynamic learning experience. After the panel discussion, participants will have the opportunity to talk about specific challenges and opportunities, as well as discuss their own projects and organizations.

Speakers

• Linda Jo Doctor, MPH, Program Director, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
• Karen Mendrala, Senior Planner, Office of Planning & Development/Holyoke Food & Fitness Policy Council
• Marilyn Santana, Co-Chair, Community Leaders Council & Steering Committee, Holyoke Food & Fitness Policy Council
• Erin MacDougall, PhD, Program Manager, Healthy Eating and Active Living, Prevention Division
• Randy Engstrom, Interim Project Director, King County Food & Fitness Initiative
• Jessie Trang, Student, Avuation High School
• Diana Estrada-Alamo, Student, West Seattle High School
• Grey Kolevzon, Co-Director, Cycles of Change/HOPE Collaborative

View Event PDF (2.2 MB)

To be widely accepted, Smart Growth principles must be applicable to the full range of community types. To be effective, these principles must comprehensively address a broad scope of physical, economic, environmental and social issues. To be successful, the results of Smart Growth planning must be demonstrably better than other approaches, often at little or no additional cost. To be enduring, the application of Smart Growth principles must result in substantive transformation of the status quo and long-term sustainability of communities.

All three of these success-stories implement Smart Growth by using strong public involvement and a whole-systems approach to achieve community transformation:

• Downtown Omaha, Nebraska: 21st Century public involvement and strong public-private collaboration for effective urban redevelopment.
• Garden City, Idaho (Boise suburb): From strip development to smart growth through a bottom-up new Plan and new code made real with innovative mixed use redevelopment.
• Langley, Washington (small town): Minimum lot-size single-use zoning replaced with mixed-use neighborhood districts, land-use budgets, form-based code and TDRs.

Presenters include elected and appointed public officials, private sector consultants, directors of non-profit organizations, and developers. The session will include formal presentations, moderated questions and answers, and open discussion with the audience.

Speakers

• James Moore, PhD, AIA, AICP, LEED AP, Senior Vice President, HDR, Inc.
• Doug Bisson, AICP, Vice President / Community Planning Manager, HDR, Inc.
• Steven N. Jensen, AICP, RLA, Principal, Jensen Consulting
• Diane Kushlan, AICP, President, Planning and Management Services
• Jenah Thornborrow, AICP, Development Service Administrator, City of Garden City, ID
• Rachel Winer, Executive Director, Idaho Smart GrowthWilliam Grimes, AICP, Principal, Studio Cascade, Inc.
• William Grimes, AICP, Principal, Studio Cascade, Inc.
• Robert Gilman, PhD, Mayor Pro Tem, Town of Langley, WA; Founder, Context Institute

View Bisson/Jensen PDF (14.8 MB)
View Kushlan/Thornborrow/Windr PDF (8.3 MB)
View Grimes/Gilman PDF (8.2 MB)

From Little Italy to Chinatown, ethnic neighborhoods have historically played an important economic, social and cultural role in America. Throughout the U.S. many ethnic neighborhoods in cities are undergoing significant changes. Their population is often getting older, less affluent, and less connected to the broader metropolitan economy. At the same time these neighborhoods are increasingly desirable locations for new development and growth. At the intersection of these trends are concerns of neighborhood gentrification, displacement of existing residents, and the loss of neighborhood identity and function. In this session, we will hear from community development practitioners, planners and advocates within that are working with Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities about the development challenges and issues facing these communities, the impact of smart growth policy on API neighborhoods, and strategies that can promote smarter and more equitable development outcomes.

Speakers

• Gen Fujioka Senior Policy Advocate, National Coalition for Asian Pacific America Community Development
• Seema Agnani, Executive Director, Chhaya Community Development Corporation
• Roger Kim, Executive Director, Asian Pacific Environmental Network
• Ken Katahira, Development Director InterIm Community Development Corporation, Seattle, WA
• Jeremy Liu, Executive Director, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, Oakland, CA

View Fujioka PDF (2.5 MB)
View Fujioka 2 PDF (1 MB)
View Kim PDF (1.9 MB)
View Katahira PDF (7.2 MB)
View Liu PDF (6.8 MB)
View Liu 2 PDF (5.1 MB)

Hundreds of communities across the country have been engaged in developing energy and climate action plans. Much has been reported on the process of developing plans, much less on implementation and outcomes. This session reports on experience in energy and climate action planning from both the east and west coasts, emphasizing implementation of action strategies and resulting impacts, especially reduction of GHG emissions per capita. Special attention will be given to strategies for efficient land use, smart growth, and VMT reduction, as well as locality use of DOE Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds for such purposes. Presenters will provide both a national perspective, lessons from U.S. and European cities, and local implementation. Specifically, speakers will address the following:

• Implementation experience from ICLEI's Communities for Climate Protection
• Climate action planning experience in California and Virginia
• GHG emission per capita reduction resulting from energy and climate action strategies in selected U.S. and European cities of various sizes.

Speakers

• John Randolph, Virginia Tech
• Adrienne Greve, Assistant Professor, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
• Jan Hudson, Director, Inland Empire Labor Management Corporation Committee
• Justus Stewart, Program Associate, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, Seattle, WA

The impact of foreclosures on metropolitan sustainability is now readily apparent in growth policies, shrinking budgets, sharply increasing vacant properties, and decreasing quality of life for many citizens. One government solution, NSP foreclosure-remediation funding, is now distributed in all states. So, do we know the impact of funding on overall results? Are there best local practices in re-building regional housing markets? Are current efforts building sustainable communities? Join this panel of national experts and local practitioners to discuss implementation of NSP and emerging data that measures results. This interactive conversation will focus on lessons learned and strategies moving forward.

Speakers

• Julia Seward, Director of State Policy, Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• Paul Joice, MPP, Social Science Analyst, U.S. HUD
• Teresa Brice, Executive Director, LISC Phoenix
• Andy Fraizer, Executive Director, Indiana Association for Community Economic Development
• Dan Gorin, Supervisory Policy Analyst, Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, Federal Reserve Board of Governors

View Joice PDF (1.1 MB)
View Fraizer PDF (3.4 MB)
View Gorin PDF (1.1 MB)

Climate change mitigation, resource efficiency, and improved physical and social health are all elements of sustainable communities achieved through smart growth policies and development. The greatest challenge to implementation may be the attitudes and perceptions of residents and their leaders. As we seek to incorporate sustainability principles and targets in comprehensive plans, climate action plans, and ultimately, affect behavioral shifts, the gap between public sentiment and policy goals becomes evident. Because decision-making occurs at many levels, we must use creative communication strategies and tools to engage a variety of audiences.

Our interactive workshop will explore the key dimensions of effective communication around smart growth and climate change, from framing issues and messaging to fostering partnerships. The second part will involve small group interactions to experience a variety of engagement tools as we address how effective communication can impact decision-making, and build broader community support for smart growth and sustainability initiatives and programs.

Speakers

• Joseph Schilling, Associate Director, Green Regions, Metropolitan Institute, Virginia Tech
• Erin Christensen, Urban Revitalization Planner, CityLab7
• Stephen Antupit, Urban Strategies Advisor, CityLab7
• Steve Coyle, Principal, Town Green
• Ken Snyder, CEO/President, PlaceMatters
• Adi Liberman, Principal, Adi Liberman & Associates

View Christensen/Antupit PDF (324 KB)
View Coyle PDF (1.7 MB)
View Snyder PDF (1.3 MB)
View Liberman PDF (164 KB)

Local governments have embraced walkability. They've set out to transform neighborhoods and make them more pedestrian-friendly: to reinvigorate struggling downtown economies; to reduce traffic and improve air quality; to increase routine activity; and to provide more transportation options. Enlightened leaders also recognize its value as a community-building strategy. Walkability cannot be viewed as a stand-alone public policy. It's foundational, and has become a ‘first response' to the obesity epidemic, global warming, and other environmental, social and economic impacts of increased driving. This workshop makes the case for walkability as a public policy “silver bullet” that supports multiple goals, focusing on small to mid-size cities that face real financial and other hurdles to making it happen. We'll explore their tools and strategies for dealing with funding challenges, state and federal regulatory hurdles, and other obstacles, and participants will take home points they can use to ‘make it happen' despite limited resources.

Speakers

• Dan Burden, Principal & Senior Urban Designer, Glatting Jackson; Co-Founder, Walkable Communities, Inc.
• Harrison Rue, Principal, ICF International
• Dave Ramsay, City Manager, City of Kirkland, WA
• Ben Yazici, City Manager, City of Sammamish, WA
• Steve Sugg, Deputy City Manager, City of University Place, WA

View Rue PDF (20.2 MB)

Retrofitting the suburbs into walkable urbanism is not as easy as putting one foot in front of the other. Before great new places are designed, there are many challenges to address such as land and lot assemblage, restrictive easements and covenants to confront, homeowner association agreements to ratify, issues of clear title, and zoning code changes. This session is designed to help attendees understand the challenges of suburban retrofits, develop approaches for recognizing and changing covenants so they do not interfere with sustainability efforts, and understand basic methods to unlock the value in poorly conceived or underutilized sites. Attendees will obtain useful tools to facilitate successful implementation and retrofit projects. Case studies will include retrofit issues in residential housing subdivisions, commercial corridors, shopping centers and other suburban properties. A specific case study will address auto dealerships and how different levels of government are working to address ideally located auto sector sites to retrofit suburban areas.

Speakers

• Lee Sobel, Real Estate Development & Finance Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Doris Goldstein, Esq., Attorney, Doris S. Goldstein
• Daniel K. Slone, Esq., Partner, McGuireWoods
• Nir Buras, AIA, Principal, Buras Architecture
• Kate Marshall, Practice Area Leader, SRA International, Inc.

View Sobel PDF (2.1 MB)
View Goldstein PDF (4.8 MB)
View Slone PDF (7 MB)
View Buras PDF (18.1 MB)
View Marshall PDF (2.8 MB)

Form-based codes are quickly becoming accepted as standard practice in communities around the country. These codes are being applied in specific neighborhoods, corridor, downtowns and other locations. As the use of form-based codes continues to grow, it is important to take stock of the lessons that have been learned in communities that have grappled with how to apply the principles of form-based codes to their unique situations. This workshop will provide answers to communities that are asking whether they should use form-based codes as well as provoking those communities that currently use form-based code to learn how they can enhance their application of this powerful tool.

Speakers

• Kevin Nelson, AICP, Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Daniel Parolek, Principal, Opticos Design, Inc.
• Laura Hall, Principal, Hall Alminana, Inc.
• Lucia Athens, Senior Sustainable Futures Strategist, CollinsWoerman
• Camille Manning-Broome, Director of Planning, City of Baton Rouge, LA
• Geoffrey Ferrell, Principal, Ferrell Madden Lewis

View Nelson PDF (3 MB)
View Parolek PDF (25.4 MB)
View Hall PDF (13 MB)
View Athens PDF (2.9 MB)
View Manning-Broome PDF (6.7 MB)

This networking session is for anyone who works, lives or plans in a rural area. Do you wonder what other rural communities are doing to implement smart growth? Have you tried some things and want to share your results. Do you have questions about what might work. Come meet other folks from rural areas and share your experiences, frustrations and questions.

Speakers

• Carol Landsman, AICP, Landsman Transportation Planning LLC

Adaptation is one of the most important yet challenging subjects on the local government agenda today. It is also uncharted territory! This open dialogue will provide the rare opportunity for those from across the country who are working at the cutting edge of this issue to learn from and support one another.

Speakers

• Kate Meis, Project Manager, Local Government Commission

This session is for planners and public health professionals to network and discuss responses to the health challenges posed by climate change. How can planners, architects and public health professionals work together to prepare? Come and share your experiences!

Speakers

• Timothy Mayer, Florida Department of Health Division of Environmental Health

All users should benefit when livable community and smart growth priorities are incorporated into transportation planning, but for older Americans and people with disabilities these improvements can have a particularly significant impact. This session is an opportunity to discuss efforts to include Complete Streets, older driver and pedestrian design guidelines, and public transportation and paratransit improvements in the upcoming Federal Transportation Authorization, as well as how to make the case for them on the state and local levels.

Speakers

• Brewster Thackeray, Senior Portfolio Advisor, AARP

Climate change may well prove to be one of the most serious environmental challenges the world has faced. Federal, state, and local governments are proposing and implementing plans to address climate change mitigation, yet these approaches do not always feature smart growth and green building solutions. Given that more than 70 percent of U.S. carbon emissions comes from buildings and transportation combined, it is clear that both how and where we build must be part of the solution to reducing the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. This plenary explores how smart growth and green building are essential to a comprehensive approach to addressing climate change.

Speakers

• Supervisor Paul Kelley, Sonoma County, CA
• James Goldstene, Executive Officer. California Air Resources Board
• Lisa Heinzerling, Associate Administrator, Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Congressman Jay Inslee, U.S. House of Representatives, 1st Congressional District, Washington State

Instead of sprawling, unsafe, high-speed roadways, Complete Streets let residents safely walk and bicycle, so that daily commutes and errands provide healthy exercise, save money, and reduce traffic and pollution. Complete Streets policies are an increasingly essential element in communities that want to fight sprawl. This session will feature leaders from several communities that are organizing to implement Complete Streets; present new lessons from recently completed research and interviews in over thirty places that have adopted Complete Streets policies; and introduce new model Complete Streets policies. The session will discuss frequent barriers to implementation of complete streets, such as concerns around cost, and approaches to overcoming these barriers. Participants will gain an understanding of the benefits of Complete Streets and how to put together a successful campaign to adopt a Complete Streets policy.

Speakers

• Sara Zimmerman, Staff Attorney, National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity, Public Health Law & Policy
• Stefanie Seskin, State & Local Policy Associate, National Complete Streets Coalition
• Lynn Davis, Project Manager, YMCA of the USA Healthier Communities Initiatives/ACHIEVE
• Alice A. Patty, MSH, CHES, ACHIEVE Project Consultant, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
• Mim McKenzie, Executive Director of Community Development, Greater Wichita YMCA
• Greg A. Weitzel, Director, Department of Parks & Recreation, City of Allentown, PA

View Zimmerman PDF (1.4 MB)
View Seskin PDF (12.4 MB)
View Patty PDF (548 KB)
View Davis PDF (560 KB)
View Weitzel PDF (16.9 MB)

More than half of the nation’s poor families now live in the suburbs. This trend raises challenges for meeting the immediate needs of these families and for making their disinvested neighborhoods into communities of opportunity. The urban framework for addressing neighborhood poverty does not necessarily apply, and human services, transportation and community design need to be rethought to be effective in suburban settings. Fortunately, there are some remarkable efforts underway to do just that. This panel will describe the Skyway neighborhood improvement project, part of the King County Equity and Social Justice Initiative, a groundbreaking civic engagement and planning effort in this unincorporated lower income area outside Seattle. There will also be a presentation about mid-Multnomah County, where 1960’s-era suburban tracts, home to many of Portland’s lower income families, are being remade to encourage walkability and bicycling as part of a broader effort to improve health equity and enhance neighborhood viability.

Speakers

• Victor Rubin, Vice President for Research, PolicyLink
• Jeremy Valenta, Program Coordinator, King County Office of Strategic Planning and Performance Management
• Bree Delgadillo, Project Coordinator, Pomegranate Center
• Paul Patu, Community Engagement Specialist, World Vision US Programs
• Barry Manning, East Portland District Planner, Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
• Sonali Balajee, Program Manager, Health Quality Initiative, Multnomah County Health Department

View Valenta/Delgadillo/Patu PDF (8.2 MB)
View Manning/Balajee PDF (16.9 MB)

This joint session will highlight two of the latest innovations in sustainability rating systems. Panelists involved in developing the Sustainable Sites Initiative will discuss this newly released rating system and set of guidelines, including an overview of the recently launched pilot program. They will also present regional case studies of how stormwater, soils, vegetation, and reused/recycled materials can be sustainably integrated within the built landscape. This will be followed by a discussion of how to apply LEED-ND (Neighborhood Development) to existing neighborhoods, based on a methodology implemented in Syracuse, New York’s historic Near Westside neighborhood. While nearly all certified LEED-ND projects to date have been new developments with a single developer, the Near Westside provides a model for using LEED-ND to both guide and certify retrofits of existing neighborhoods. The session will conclude with a discussion of the relationship between LEED-ND and the Sustainable Sites Initiative, and plenty of time for questions.

Speakers

• Aaron Welch, LEED AP, Senior Planner, Raimi + Associates
• Ed Bogucz, Executive Director, Syracuse Center of Excellence
• Tom Liptan, FASLA, RLA, Ecoroof Technical Manager, Sustainable Stormwater Division, Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
• Debra Guenther, ASLA, LEED AP, Principal, Mithun

View Welch/Bogucz PDF (12.6 MB)

It seems these days, everyone supports being green, yet we need to ask, “What does sustainability cost?” These are costs are different for citizens, businesses and for municipalities. City and county leaders are talking sustainability, yet must make decisions based in part upon the cost to their jurisdiction and their constituents. Green community codes set the stage for greater mixed use and infill, mobility through connectivity and transit, alternative energy use, green building codes, urban agriculture, cleaner air, and tree preservation. This session will itemize specific and measurable indicators, benchmarks, and targets for tracking community sustainability and will present cost:benefit data related to smart growth principles of land development patterns, energy efficient buildings, and transit use, among others.

Speakers

• Kevin Nelson, AICP, Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Natalia Komar, Project Manager and Analyst, Constructive Technologies Group Energetics, Inc.
• Daniel Parolek, Principal, Opticos Design, Inc.

View Nelson PDF (996 KB)
View Komar PDF (3.1 MB)
View Parolek PDF (7.1 MB)

The session presents innovative, evidence-based tools to help local jurisdictions achieve climate stabilization through development controls and transportation decisions, using examples from King County and Seattle, Washington – both leaders in climate response. The session will include:

• The background and policy context in King County and in Seattle, their experiences in implementing smart growth and climate policy, and the hurdles these tools help address.
• A discussion of the methods behind the tools developed including the results of research that seeks to answer the question of how much CO2 reduction can be achieved through land use and advances in vehicle and fuel technology.
• A presentation of the I-PLACE3S model and how it was expanded to include health and climate impacts for King County.
• A presentation of King County’s proposed approach for using the State Environmental Policy Act to require disclosure and mitigation of climate pollution for new residential and commercial development, including the emissions from transportation, building energy, and building materials.
• A review of Seattle’s Climate Action Plan and describe how these new tools can be applied to identify if proposed transportation and land use strategies are sufficient to meet the City’s GHG reduction goals.

Speakers

• Karen Wolf, AICP, Manager, Strategic Planning and Policy, King County Office of Strategic Planning & Performance Management
• Lawrence D. Frank, Ph.D., AICP, CIP, ASLA, Bombardier Chairholder, Sustainable Transportation, University of British Columbia; Senior Non-resident Fellow, Brookings Institution
• Jemae Hoffman, Lead for Sustainable Transportation and Climate Change, Seattle Department of Transportation
• Kacey Lizon, Senior Planner, Sacramento Area Council of Governments
• Richard Gelb, Performance Management Lead, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks

View Frank PDF (4.9 MB)
View Lizon PDF (1.3)
View Frank/Lizon PDF (1.3 MB)
View Gelb PDF (6.1 MB)

This session will expose participants to leading edge approaches for creating community engagement in planning initiatives. It will take the form of an interactive, guided workshop where participants will collaborate to create a common vision for a city and its surrounding region. The workshop will demonstrate how the power of simulation modeling and electronic town hall polling can combine to effectively engage and educate the lay public in the understanding of smart growth principles. Participants will explore ‘what if’ scenarios on the fly, measure the benefits and challenges of their choices, and how to apply innovation to their own planning initiatives.

Following the workshop a panel made up of senior individuals from progressive planning agencies and cities that have recently completed extensive community engagement will share experiences and take questions from the participants. These communities vary in size from small cities of under 100,000 to large metropolitan areas.

Speakers

• Erin Aleman, Senior Planner, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
• Robert McKay, “Plan Your City” Manager, City of Lethbridge
• Jill Locantore, AICP, Planning Communications Specialist, Denver Regional Council of Governments
• Dave Biggs, Co-Founder, MetroQuest

Safe, decent affordable rental housing is essential for maintaining diverse, sustainable mixed income communities. By retrofitting existing affordable housing to increase energy efficiency, green jobs are created, low-income residents pay less in utilities, affordable housing owners operating costs are lowered, and healthier homes are created. In addition, preserving and greening transit-connected affordable housing has the multiple benefits of reducing energy consumed through transportation and reducing the environmental impact of the housing stock, while simultaneously promoting diverse neighborhoods and stabilizing transit ridership. This session will provide an overview of the challenges, solutions, and resources available for greening affordable housing from the national, state and local perspective.

Speakers

• Caitlin Uzzell, Public Policy Associate, National Housing Trus
• Allison Brooks, Managing Director, Reconnecting Americat
• Aaron Miripol, President and CEO, Urban Land Conservancy
• Michelle Winters, Affordable Housing Preservation Initiative Program Director, Local Initiatives Support Coalition
• Yianice Hernandez, Senior Program Director, Green Communities, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.

View Uzzell PDF (808 KB)
View Brooks PDF (2.8 MB)
View Miripol PDF (15.6 MB)
View Winters PDF 524 KB)
View Hernandez PDF (12.4 MB)

The traditional economic development strategies employed by state and local governments in the United States - “growth by expansion” - have led to decades of misdirected, resource-depleting, and wasteful investment in our cities and regions. Today, a new model for economic growth is emerging from a broader green movement that focuses on renewable strategic investments in people, buildings and industry.
This session will continue to clarify the emerging model, by discussing:

• People: how green-collar job training programs can build economic and environmental health in families, neighborhoods, and communities
• Buildings and Blocks: how new models for energy efficiency retrofits are saving people money and creating jobs
• Industries: how state and local governments can promote sustainable industry growth in the clean energy sector

Speakers

• Steve Coyle, Principal, Town Green
• Satya Rhodes-Conway, Senior Associate, Center on Wisconsin Strategy
• Steve Gelb, Executive Director of SustainableWorks
• Amanda Woodrum, Researcher, Policy Matters Ohio

View Coyle PDF (15.1 MB)
View Rhodes-Conway PDF (908 KB)
View Gelb PDF (340 KB)
View Woodrum PDF (504 KB)

With the rising tide of foreclosures and company closures gripping the nation, the number of vacant, foreclosed homes and abandoned buildings steadily increases. Vacant properties are no longer exclusively found in the older industrial cities of the Northeast and Midwest. Clusters of foreclosures along with bankrupt subdivisions and vacant auto dealerships now plague suburban communities throughout the West. This interactive implementation workshop will highlight innovative vacant property reclamation strategies, such as land banking and urban greening to code enforcement and housing courts that Sunbelt and Rust Belt communities alike can easily adapt and apply. Participants will work together in teams to identify local barriers and opportunities for the transfer of these innovative practices back to their communities.

Speakers

• Jennifer Leonard, Director, National Vacant Properties Campaign, Smart Growth America
• Joseph Schilling, Associate Director, Green Regions, Metropolitan Institute, Virginia Tech
• Daniel T. Kildee, Presiden, Genesee Institute
• Diane Silva-Martinez, Chief Deputy City Attorney, Code Enforcement Unit, San Diego City Attorney's Office

View Schilling PDF (3.9 MB)
View Kildee PDF (1.4 MB)
View Silva-Martinez PDF (1.8 MB)

More than ever, communities regard parks, trails and other forms of open lands as valuable assets that improve public health and increase an area's economic vitality. This workshop demonstrates how communities can improve the green space-to-resident ratio by creating a “green zone” designation within the official public land use plan. Facilitated by veteran community planner/landscape architect Patrick Moore, the interactive session examines how to map existing assets, how to affordably convert appropriate lands into green space, how to build a case to the community and connect parks to public health and how to propose the change to a local decision-making body. Case studies will illuminate how two cities successfully tackled the issue. Central, Louisiana demonstrates how a municipality at the beginning of the process promoted the issue. Ridgeland, Mississippi shows the end result. The city recently passed a land use plan that makes green space equivalent to commercial space.

Speakers

• Patrick C. Moore, Principal, Moore Planning Group, LLC
• Nathan S. Gaspard, AICP, Director of Planning, Moore Planning Group, LLC
• Mayor Gene F. McGee, CMO, City of Ridgeland, MS
• Alan Hart, Director of Community Development, City of Ridgeland, MS

View Gaspard PDF (9.8 MB)
View Gaspard 2 PDF (6.2 MB)
View Hart PDF (28.2 MB)

Conservation organizations and developers often do not get along. But in the Pacific Northwest, an era of enhanced cooperation between conservationists and developers has led to better environmental outcomes and healthier, more livable communities. This plenary describes the partnership that has emerged between the Cascade Land Conservancy, a land trust whose primary mission is to conserve land, and Quadrant Homes, a real-estate development and home-building firm. These two organizations have recognized that they are better able to achieve their individual missions in partnership with one another. By cooperating, the two organizations have been able to conserve important land and accommodate growth while maintaining a high quality of life in the region.

Speakers

• Peter Orser, President, Quadrant Homes
• Gene Duvernoy, President, Cascade Land Conservancy

Water as a strategic issue at the neighborhood level is a once-novel idea that is coming into its own. Join practitioners and national experts to look at how community developers are integrating context-sensitive water strategies into redevelopment and thinking about neighborhoods as part of larger watersheds. Panelists will discuss components of sustainable water planning and specific examples of best-practice projects that impact low-income communities and individuals. Emphasis will be placed on sufficient time for audience questions and answers.

Speakers

• Julia Seward, Director of State Policy, Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• Mary Jane Jagodzinski, Senior Project Manager, Community Housing Works
• Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water, American Rivers
• Tom Phillips, Senior Development Manager, Seattle Housing Authority

View Jagodzinski PDF (824 KB)
View Baer PDF (3.7 MB)
View Phillips PDF (1.6 MB)

Smart Growth professionals have done an amazing job at creating vibrant communities with context-sensitive transportation options. Some great projects have turned single-purpose high-speed thoroughfares into better functioning streets, meeting a wide variety of community, environmental, and smart growth goals. However, many of these highway solutions have involved changing the basic function of the road. What to do when the roadway needs to serve increasing multimodal travel and freight needs while providing access to walkable compact development? Several communities have completed corridor/network-based approaches to integrate land use and transportation to address these issues. We will show success stories in integrating land use and transportation on major transportation facilities, including Maine's Gateway 1, UnJam2025/Places29 (VA), Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (IL), Envision Utah/Mountain View Corridor EIS, and the NJ Futures In Transportation program. Two speakers from the Maine and New Jersey examples will be present to discuss their experiences.

Speakers

• Kathleen Rooney, Senior Associate, ICF International
• Harrison Rue, Principal, ICF International
• Kelly McGourty, Puget Sound Regional Council
• Gary Toth, Senior Director, Transportation Initiatives, Project for Public Spaces

View Rooney PDF (436 KB)
View Rue PDF (50.7 MB)
View McGourty PDF (1.2 MB)
View Toth PDF (5.9 MB)

How can you leverage smart growth champions for healthy communities? In this session, policy-makers, city planners and advocates will learn about building and sustaining political will to adopt and implement policies that increase opportunities for physical activity and access to healthy foods. Participants will hear from policy-maker champions of smart growth and healthy communities, who will discuss communications, relationship and consensus building, using research and other strategies for creating political will and increasing the likelihood of policy action.

Participants will also have the opportunity to share their own thoughts and experiences in engaging stakeholders to adopt and implement smart growth policies that may help to prevent childhood obesity.

Speakers

• Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, Ph.D., Director, Leadership for Healthy Communities
• Scott Clark, Project Manager, Local Government Commission
• Harriet Tregoning, Director, Office of Planning, Government of the District of Columbia
• Steve Veres, Mayor, City of San Fernando, CA

View Rockeymoore PDF (1.4 MB)
View Clark PDF (1.1 MB)
View Tregoining PDF (3 MB)
View Veres PDF (8.4 MB)

Back by popular demand, this session will highlight the EPA Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program, and feature information about other assistance programs. Local, regional and state leaders should attend to learn about successful projects making smart growth happen across the country, and about best practices to advance smart growth policies. Representatives from some of the assistance recipients as well as federal partners will participate in the session to discuss their successes, challenges, and insights into making smart growth happen. State agencies and communities interested in applying for technical assistance, or regions interested in creating new technical assistance programs, are encouraged to attend.

Speakers

• Kevin Nelson, AICP, Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Stephen Cerny, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of General Counsel, Assisted Housing and Civil Rights Litigation Division
• Subrata Basu, AIA, AICP, Assistant Director, Miami-Dade County Department of Planning and Zoning
• Joanne Waszczak, Transportation Program Specialist, Federal Transit Administration

View Nelson PDF (404 KB)

Older industrial cities face great challenges in maintaining the viability of neighborhoods and shopping districts when there has been significant population decline and disinvestment. This can happen over decades, as in regions where the automobile or steel industries have shut down, or it can be precipitated overnight, due to a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina. The proliferation of vacant properties, decline of the tax base, and loss of good jobs can create a grim forecast for these cities. However, some of the most creative and effective responses to neighborhood decline have emerged in precisely these places, and their paths toward sustainability and equity provide some of the most important and inspiring lessons for revitalization. What does it mean to equitably “right-size” a community, and to restructure land uses and services to lay the groundwork for shared prosperity? The session will feature leaders from several cities that are working their way back.

Speakers

• Don Chen, Community Development Program Officer, Ford Foundation
• Greta Harris, Program Vice President & Interim Executive Director, Richmond LISC
• Flozell Daniels Jr., President and CEO, President and CEO, Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation
• Deborah Younger, Executive Director, Detroit LISC
• Mayor Jay Williams, City of Youngstown, OH

View Harris PDF (4.1 MB)
View Younger PDF (3.6 MB)
View Williams PDF (1.9 MB)

While many local, state and national leaders discuss and begin to implement climate change policies, various interests have expressed concern that reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be too costly and pose great economic risks to our economy. In truth, the bigger economic risk is continuing the inefficient transportation and land use policies that are bankrupting households, local governments, and businesses. This session will discuss how greenhouse gas reductions can be achieved through smart growth, improved transportation choices, and smart transportation pricing with significant positive economic benefits, through savings in avoided infrastructure costs, overall household savings, health care costs, and projected tax revenue growth from high value economic development.

Speakers

• Kate Meis, Project Manager, Local Government Commission
• Stuart Cohen, Executive Director, TransForm
• Charles Kooshian, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Clean Air Policy
• Nadine Fogarty, Principal, Strategic Economics

What does it take to create a sustainable metropolitan region? How can federal and state agencies support strategic, coordinated planning to achieve that goal? Using the San Francisco Bay Area as a case study, three groups present strategies for creating a sustainable and equitable twenty-first-century metropolis. Each of these projects creates a clear, research-based vision for what a sustainable region looks like, which can help planners, government agencies, and advocates measure progress and work strategically toward that goal. The moderators will discuss emerging state and federal efforts to foster regional and cross-agency planning. Then, the panelists and moderators will lead an audience discussion about how to create sustainable metropolitan regions in this new era of local, regional, state, and federal collaboration.

Speakers

• Jeremy Madsen, Executive Director, Greenbelt Alliance
• Megan Susman, Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA
• Bob Allen, Director of Transportation Program, Urban Habitat
• Julia Lave Johnston, Deputy Director, Planning Policy, Governor's Office of Planning and Research
• Nancy Schaefer, Consulting Project Manager, Land Conservation Services

View Madsen PDF (2.3 MB)
View Johnston PDF (1 MB)

Though the public sector is critical to stimulating quality of life and development in our urban areas, it is the private sector that builds the majority of the capital assets. Smart development is typically delivered by the private sector, often through partnerships with the public sector. What do developers need and what can the public sector do to help complex redevelopment projects achieve smart growth principles? Successful partnerships start with an understanding of the economics of private development.

Speakers at this session will (1) share examples of what a successful public/private partnership looks like, (2) describe key steps local government agencies can take to increase the likelihood of successful partnerships (3) share specific examples that illustrate how to use partnerships to overcome redevelopment challenges and advance smart growth principles.

Speakers

• Terry Moore, FAICP, Vice President and Project Manager, ECONorthwest
• Jill Sherman, Vice President, Gerding Edlen Development Company LLC
• Cheryl Twete, Interim General Manager, Metropolitain Exposition Recreation Commission
• Tom Fitzsimmons, COO, Lorig Associates

View Event PDF (1.9 MB)

This session will introduce participants to tools that rural communities can utilize to identify and protect their critical lands and restore ecosystem service functions. Rural communities are facing pressures from development and climate change with increasing effects on ecosystem services, wildlife habitat, recreation, and cultural heritage resources. Fire, insect and disease outbreaks, and loss of traditional natural resource economies are also impacting communities and working lands. The US Forest Service Cooperative Forestry programs work with partners and stakeholders to strategically identify and conserve critical landscapes. Panelists will demonstrate through case studies how these programs support a diverse group of stakeholders to conserve open space across the landscape to support local economies and help communities adapt to climate change. Case study presentations will be followed by a brainstorming session with the audience on additional tools that local planners need to support open space conservation.

Speakers

• Karl Dalla Rosa, Forest Stewardship Program Manager, USDA Forest Service
• Susan Stein, Forests on the Edge Project Manager, USDA Forest Sevice
• Steve Frisch, President, Sierra Business Council
• Bob Cannon, Forest Legacy Project Manager, Washington State Department of Natural Resources
• John Floberg, Vice President of Stewardship and Conservation Policy,Cascade Land Conservancy

View Dalla Rosa/Stein PDF (1.3 MB)
View Frisch PDF (7.7 MB)
View Cannon PDF (3.5 MB)
View Floberg PDF (1.8 MB)

Brownfields can serve as the lynchpin of successful community revitalization efforts and generate environmental and social benefits beyond the basics of cleaned up contaminants and redeveloped vacant parcels of land. Reusing vacant land for urban agriculture does require consideration of environmental risks, but generates significant beneficial social aspects of neighborhood stabilization. The placement of green infrastructure in challenged urban neighborhoods to reduce stormwater volumes and associated pollutant loadings can help strengthen neighborhoods environmentally and socio-economically. Finally, affordable, transit-oriented housing addresses the costs not only of housing, but also of transportation, bringing a new level of economic sustainability to residents.

Speakers

• Stacy Swartwood, Biologist, Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program, U.S. EPA
• Aimee Storm, Land Revitalization Staff, U.S. EPA Region 5
• Brooke Furio, Sustainable Local Government Lead, MBA, U.S. EPA Region 5 Brownfields & NPL Reuse Section
• Patricia Beard, Redevelopment Manager, City of National City, CA

Anyone who has worked to implement smart growth principles in their community knows that it requires creativity, persistence, and above all, the ability to partner with others to make change happen. Partnerships of all types are essential to the success of any smart growth project — whether public-private partnerships, collaboration between the non-profit community and local governments, or coordination across levels of government. Ron Sims will share stories from the trenches of smart growth implementation in King County where he protected open space, supported public transit and affordable housing, and led the County's efforts to combat climate change and clean up the Puget Sound. He will also share his perspective from his new role, by sharing his most recent efforts to change federal policies to build truly sustainable, equitable housing for all. Sims will emphasize the important role that partnerships have played in his work, will reflect on his perspectives moving from leadership at the county to the federal government level, and will inspire us to think about how we can build lasting, effective partnerships to help bring smart growth to scale in communities across the country.

Speaker

• Ron Sims, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Former King County Executive