Why You Should Attend

Real Estate Professional

At first glance—it's a no-brainer. It's easier to sell houses in attractive communities. But real estate agents, the ultimate salespeople of smart growth, often find they have to deal with more than homebuyers in an industry that is under pressure to do more for affordable housing, transportation and revitalizing older communities. In addition, how do you sell a new kind of community that breaks away from the housing patterns that most people understand? We have pulled together conference sessions to help you understand how smart growth communities are planned, built, and how they stand the test of time. The program will address topics such as:

  • In-depth information on American’s preferences for smart growth
  • Preparing for a changing America by providing workforce housing, housing for the missing middle, affordable housing, and housing for aging Americans
  • Growing wealthier: the prosperity benefits of transit and smart growth
  • Understanding transit oriented development and development oriented transit
  • Siting neighborhood schools that are walkable and equitable
  • The importance of open space, urban parks, edible gardens and urban forests
  • Transforming suburbs into sustainable communities
  • The importance of energy efficiency and planning for climate change
  • Linking jobs, housing and transit for economic development
  • Restoring America’s legacy cities
  • Appropriate infill and mixed-use developments
  • Active living by design

The New Partners conference has been vital in fostering a dialogue between real estate professionals and smart growth proponents and practitioners. Our participation in the conference has brought more Realtors into the smart growth discussion, and has helped educate local officials and planners about the opportunities for working with real estate interests as well as the business realties that can make smart growth development so challenging.

—Joseph Molinaro, Managing Director, Smart Growth and Housing Opportunity, National Association of Realtors