The main Conference Program will span three full days with optional pre-conference events scheduled for Wednesday, February 10, and Sunday, February 14. The main program will kick off on Thursday morning at 10:00 am with a dynamic kick-off plenary (Feb. 11). The program will continue through Saturday afternoon.
Download the Conference Program (as of February 11, 2016)
The schedule includes a dynamic mix of plenaries, breakouts, implementation workshops, focused trainings, experiential learning activities, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and coordinated networking activities. It will also feature exciting tours of local model projects in the greater Portland region.
Highlights from the January 2015 New Partners Conference in Baltimore, MD
Thursday | |
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8 AM – 6 PM | Conference Registration / Morning Coffee |
8:30 AM – 9:45 AM | Optional Early Morning Sessions Smart Growth 101
Location: Skyline II Level: Beginner Accredited by:CM 1.25 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 session will provide a good working background for a multi-disciplinary audience on smart growth and prepare participants for more in-depth sessions during the conference. How the Work of Growing Resilient, Sustainable Food Systems Can Nourish Smart-Growth Initiatives
Location: Broadway III-IV ModeratorLauren Gwin, Associate Director, Small Farms and Community Food Systems, Oregon State University SpeakersKatrina Van Dis, Program Administrator, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council; Boardmember, High Desert Food and Farm Alliance Sarah Sullivan, Executive Director, Gorge Grown Food Network Greg Holmes, Food Systems Program Director, 1000 Friends of Oregon; Chair, Rogue Valley Food System Network Presentations → Whether or not you attended the preconference food-systems workshop, you’re invited to grab your coffee and join this bonus session featuring representatives of collaborative networks working to grow accessible, economically viable and healthy food systems for communities across Oregon. You’ll hear from networks operating at different scales and in different stages of development, each with their own unique intentions, strengths and challenges. Consider how their lessons learned around organizing frameworks, community engagement and measurement strategies may be applicable to smart-growth initiatives in other contexts. |
10 AM – 11:30 AM | Kick-off Plenary Outliers: The Story of Equitable Development Success
Location: Grand Ballroom Accredited by:CM 1.5 KeynoteRon Sims, Civic Volunteer Active in Health, Education, Environmental and Social Equity Issues Response Panel ModeratorRukaiyah Adams, Chief Investment Officer, Meyer Memorial Trust SpeakersGlenn Harris, President, Center for Social Inclusion Chris Benner, Ph.D., Professor, Environmental Studies and Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz Presentations → The methods for making our communities sustainable are expansive and include approaches like equitable development. Today, equitable development embodies the ongoing commitment to encourage fairness in planning and development practice to ensure everyone has a safe and healthy environment in which to live, work and play. Although conversations about social equity in the context of the built environment seemed elusive in years past, this dynamic plenary will feature a dialogue about equitable development through a ‘Golden Age’ of community place-making where experts are realizing that good redevelopment and meeting the needs of underserved communities can no longer afford to be mutually exclusive. |
11:30 AM – 1 PM | Hosted Keynote Lunch |
12:20 PM – 1 PM | Resilient Recovery and Sustainable Redevelopment: Making the Connections, Making Progress Resilient Recovery and Sustainable Redevelopment: Making the Connections, Making Progress
Location: Grand Ballroom IntroductionsNeil McFarlane, TriMet General ManagerSpeakersMathy Stanislaus, Associate Administrator, US EPA, Office of Land and Emergency Management Michelle Pirzadeh, Deputy Regional Administrator, US EPA, Region 10 Danielle Arigoni, Acting Director, Office of Economic Resilience, HUD Presentations → The federal government is changing the way it works with communities. Coordinating diverse resources in specific places will leverage resources and make it easier for locals to have meaningful input. More federal aid is also being allocated through competitions. Learn how you can take advantage of these trends to improve your communities. Three federal programs illustrate this new approach to supporting smart growth and sustainability. The ongoing evolution of EPA’s Brownfields program and the new “Making a Visible Difference in Communities Strategy” are re-aligning the EPA’s programs to better meet the needs of underserved communities and achieve equitable outcomes. At the same time, HUD is working to transform the way local partners use disaster-recovery funds. Discover innovative approaches that their National Disaster Resilience Competition grantees are using to connect unmet recovery needs with larger environmental and equity challenges. |
1 PM – 1:30 PM | Afternoon Break |
1:30 PM – 3 PM | Concurrent Afternoon Breakouts Community-Gathered Data as Resiliency: DIY Research for Better Land Use Decision Making
Location: Skyline I Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorCraig Martinez, Program Officer, The California Endowment SpeakersChristine Barker, Consultant, Fresno Metro Ministry Presentations → Often in planning, community engagement is seen as a step in ratifying decisions that have already been made. After a priority is identified, local governments use outside experts to provide technical assistance and analyze the lived experiences of residents. The panelists prioritize participatory research methods to build a community agenda first, rather than engaging community as means to oppose or react to land-use decisions in their final stages. In the conservative political environment of the San Joaquin Valley, community gathered data has impacted local land use and planning decisions. The speakers will offer concrete tools that organizers and community members can use to co-create their own systematic data to inform their engagement in land-use decisions with the goal of promoting community health. Take Aways Working with others to generate data is a powerful community-building activity. Participatory data-gathering eliminates some of the expert/novice dichotomy. Three different aspects of participatory data collection: Photography, monitoring logs and maps. Equitable Development and Smart Growth at an Impasse?
Location: Galleria North Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH 1.5 ModeratorFrank Woodruff, Executive Director, National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations SpeakersBeth McConnell, Policy Director, Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations Cat Goughnour, Equity Consultant, Radix Consulting Group Elisa Harrigan, Affordable Housing Initiative Program Officer, Meyer Memorial Trust Marla Newman, Executive Director, Louisiana Housing Alliance Presentations → The three-legged stool of practitioners, funders and advocates is needed for equitable development to evolve from a goal to a plan, and then to action and impact. A similar stool exists for smart growth. But what happens to these actors when the impact of one strategy comes at the expense of the other? This session will bring out voices from each leg of the stool. Presenters from three regions – Portland, Philadelphia and the Gulf Coast – are embarking on their region’s equitable-development efforts. And while each area’s effort is unique and distinct, the speakers will engage participants on common threads, shared goals and common challenges. Take Aways Reconciliation. Overlaying the key principles of smart growth and equitable development to demonstrate their interconnectedness and the need to “marry” the two in building strong regional economies. Inspiration. Real, practical implementation ideas for your region’s equitable development plan. Equity Imperative. Learn from other parts of the country and history to gain best practices for managing and preventing gentrification and displacement, while still driving investment and growing regional economies. Where’s the Money: 2016 Smart Growth and Philanthropy
Location: Grand Ballroom II Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorTom Woiwode, Director, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan SpeakersJill Fuglister, Program Director, Healthy Environments, Meyer Memorial Trust Scot Spencer, Associate Director for Advocacy and Influence, Annie E. Casey Foundation Neelima Shah, Program Director, Bullitt Foundation Presentations → Glimpse inside the world of philanthropy. This always-popular session will offer multiple perspectives on the changing world of funding – shifts in foundation capacity, current priorities and evolving future trends. The interactive, facilitated conversation has become an annual New Partners tradition, so come early to get a seat! The panelists will provide an opportunity to hear directly about their work and engage in face-to-face conversations about various aspects of funding for smart growth and sustainability. They will engage in questions and answers that can help frame smart-growth strategies moving forward. Take Aways Better understanding of philanthropic roles in smart growth. More knowledge about current funder trends and partnerships in building sustainable places. Opportunity to engage funders in first hand conversation about smart growth challenges and opportunities at the national, regional, and local levels. Comprehensive Planning & Smart Growth: Integrating Sustainability into Your Community’s Comprehensive Plan
Location: Broadway III-IV Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorAnna Read, AICP, Senior Program Development and Research Associate, American Planning Association SpeakersDavid Rouse, AICP, ASLA, Managing Director of Research and Advisory Services, American Planning Association Aaron Lande, Member Relations Manager, STAR Communities Patrice Carroll, Senior Planner, Department of Planning and Development, City of Seattle, WA John Zeanah, AICP, Administrator, Office of Sustainability, Memphis-Shelby County, TN Presentations → Comprehensive plans are the leading policy document or tool for creating sustainable outcomes for communities of all sizes and communities across the country are increasingly looking to incorporate sustainability principles and practices into their comprehensive plans. This session will look at two specific tools that communities can use towards addressing sustainability and implementing smart growth goals: APA’s Comprehensive Plan Standards for Sustaining Places and the STAR Community Rating System. Drawing on the experiences of Plano, TX, Seattle, WA (the nation’s most sustainable city and a 5-STAR Community), and Memphis-Shelby County, TN (a 4-STAR Community), participants will learn how these tools can complement each other and how they can be used to shape local planning outcomes, actions, and metrics. Presentations will be followed by an engaging question-and-answer discussion, which incorporates demonstrations of the Comprehensive Plan Standards and the STAR Community Rating System. Take Aways Discuss the role of the comprehensive plan in addressing sustainability and how to assess sustainability in the comprehensive plan. Develop a better understanding of these tools and how to use them to shape local planning outcomes, actions and metrics. Learn how the two tools complement each other, drawing on the experiences of Seattle, Memphis-Shelby County and Plano, TX, incorporating these sustainability tools into their planning processes. Re-envisioning Bio-Diversity: Integrating Pollinator Habitat into Existing Urban and Rural Frameworks
Location: Salon II-III Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorMark Cason, Government Affairs Manager, American Society of Landscape Architects SpeakersHeather Holm, Executive Director, Pollination Press LLC; Holm Design and Consulting LLC Danielle Bilot, Associate ASLA, Sustainability Coordinator, Master Planned Communities, Kudela & Weinheimer Dwane Jones, Ph.D., Director, Sustainable Development, College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences, University of the District of Columbia Presentations → Bees and other native pollinators, both wild and managed, are vital to sustaining diverse ecosystems and maintaining our food supply, but their populations states of health are dwindling. Landscape architects, planners, other design professionals and policymakers, are at the front lines of the pollinator health battle and are actively developing creative new ways to promote pollinator health and habitat in the public and private realms. This session explores plans and practices aimed at integrating pollinator habitats into existing urban and rural frameworks across the United States. The panelists will discuss reasons for pollinator population declines and the consequences, how design professionals and communities design and incorporate pollinator habitats and best practices, as well as case studies from Houston and Washington, DC. Participants will also receive an update on how the American Society of Landscape Architects is working with the federal government to create pollinator friendly policies. Take Aways Participants will learn about pollination issues and proposed treatments to the problem as it relates to planning, urban design and policy. Participants will identify tangible local perspective examples of how pollinator health and habitat issues are being solved in different sized communities. Learn about advancements and partnerships addressing within the urban and rural design community and how landscape architects and design professionals can play an active role in local and national policy-making. Crowdfunding the Future: New Opportunities for Collaborative Community Building
Location: Galleria South Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorLisa Nisenson, CEO and Co-Founder, GreaterPlaces SpeakersErin Barnes, Executive Director and Co-Founder, IOBY Kristin Wolff, Associate, Social Policy Research Associates, Hatch Innovation Stuart Phillips, Director of Sales and Marketing, Red Wagon Creamery Presentations → Crowdfunding may be best known for turning small donations into documentary films, new inventions, card games and entrepreneurial ventures. But can this approach also build cities and towns? This session will look at the growing use of crowdvesting in three areas: buildings, infrastructure and bonds, and Main Street businesses. The speakers will give an overview of each field, and then break into smaller groups to focus on regulatory and legal requirements, building successful campaigns, and partnerships needed to grow vibrant local economies in communities large and small. Take Aways How to develop successful campaigns for crowdfunding and crowdvesting cities and towns, with a focus on buildings, infrastructure and small businesses. How to choose and align projects with existing regulatory, planning and zoning requirements. A literal takeaway: We will develop rack cards for each session as a helpful, enduring summary of lessons learned. Unlikely Allies for More Livable Communities
Location: Parlor Level: Beginner Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH 1.5 ModeratorHolly Moskerintz, Community Program Outreach Manager, National Association of REALTORS® SpeakersGeorgia Meacham, Realtor and Boise City Fair Housing Task Force Member, Georgia Meacham & Company Connie Saldana, Senior and Disability Services Planner, Rogue Valley Council of Governments, OR Colleen Swain, Assistant Director, Center City Development and Operations, City of San Antonio, TX Presentations → Everyone knows the usual “go-to” sources of funding and resources to plan and implement community enhancement projects. But are you aware that organizations like AARP, the National Association of REALTORS® and Southwest Airlines may be able to help your organization or city create more livable, sustainable, walkable and healthier communities? Each of these organizations has developed signature programs on smart growth, placemaking, affordable housing or livability to assist communities in becoming better places to live and work. Learn more about these organizations; what programs and resources they offer; and some projects they were involved in. Hear from local recipients who took advantage of their programs to develop a universal design housing project; create vibrant public places for the community to gather; and revitalize a city park, which included efforts to mitigate negative impacts to the environment. Come find out how these unlikely partners help create stronger communities for all. Take Aways Discovery of new partners who are committed to investing and engaging in communities to make them better places to live and work. Understanding of how policies and programs supported by seemingly disparate organizations can improve community health and contribute to broader community engagement. Awareness of placemaking activities, both small and large, that have demonstrated their catalytic impact for the revitalization and strengthening of communities. The Investment Areas Story: Integrated Regional Growth Strategy Implementation
Location: Pavilion East Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorElissa Gertler, Director, Planning and Development, Metro Oregon SpeakersMalu Wilkinson, Manager, Investment Areas, Metro Oregon Alan Lehto, Director of Planning and Policy, TriMet Denver Igarta, Senior Transportation Planner, Bureau of Transportation, City of Portland, OR Craig Dirksen, Councilor, Metro Council District 3 Presentations → Metro, Portland’s regional planning agency, is known for pioneering efforts in growth management, sustainable development and transit planning. Such success has required an evolving approach, responding to new environments and past shortcomings…for instance, realizing that desired infill development does not always automatically follow transit investments, and that the benefits of transit investments are not fairly distributed, sometimes causing displacement. This session will address this back-story and Metro\\\'s current mindset in how best to achieve smart growth in light of current development, economic, and political trends. This new approach – “Investment Areas” – will better respond to local partner needs, develop a regional strategy for equitable housing and community-oriented investment, and keep Metro involved in implementation after the planning stops. The panelists will explain how the Investment Areas approach will complement and catalyze privately financed redevelopment, using examples from current planning projects: the Powell-Division BRT line and the Southwest Corridor transit line. Take Aways Learn the Portland region’s latest approaches for catalyzing smart growth with – or even before – new transit investments. Reflect on whether changing organizational structure changes planning process and outcomes. Weigh in on who benefits and who loses in traditional approaches to new transit investments. New Tool for Engaging Community Stakeholders in Smart School Siting Decisions
Location: Broadway I-II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorRegina Langton, Senior Policy Analyst, Office of Sustainable Communities, U.S. EPA SpeakersKatherine Moore, Sustainable Growth Program Director, Georgia Conservancy Nick Salmon, Associate, Education Facility Planner, CTA Architects Engineers Bill Michaud, Senior Technical Advisor, Sustainability Programs, SRA International Inc. Rebecca Stuecker, Architect, Dull Olson Weeks Architects Presentations → School location matters. Whether a school is renovated, rebuilt, or constructed on a new site, its location can impact community identity, social and economic vitality, environmental quality, and health. Well-sited schools encourage healthy walking and biking, serve diverse community needs, anchor neighborhoods, reduce traffic congestion, and reinforce broader community goals and plans. EPA’s Smart School Siting Tool helps communities gather information and engage broad community perspectives in a way that weighs these outcomes in a thoughtful siting process. This interactive breakout will demonstrate the Smart School Siting Tool by engaging participants in a site selection process that draws from our experience working with communities on school siting issues. The breakout will demonstrate this practical implementation tool with interactive exercises and group discussions that lead participants through the process of setting priorities, assessing sites, and evaluating siting alternatives. Take Aways A brand new online tool to help communities implement Smart School Siting. Increased understanding of how school siting decisions impact social, environmental, health and economic outcomes in a community. Increased understanding of the relationship between successful school siting and smart growth. Mayors’ Challenge for Safer People, Safer Streets
Location: Pavilion West Level: Beginner Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH 1.5 ModeratorAnthony Burton, Policy Analyst, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation SpeakersRick Kriseman, Mayor, City of St. Petersburg, FL Mark Kleinschmidt, Mayor, City of Chapel Hill, NC Rod Sinks, Mayor, City of Cupertino, CA Presentations → In January 2014, U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx challenged city leaders to raise the bar for bicyclist and pedestrian safety by joining a year-long “Mayors’ Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets” effort. The Mayors’ Challenge is a call to action for mayors and local elected officials of any political jurisdiction whether town, city, county, tribal lands, territory or state to take significant action to improve safety for bike riders and pedestrians of all ages and abilities over the next year. Join a conversation of three mayors as they discuss the progress their cities have made in advancing bicycle and pedestrian safety and accessibility. Take Aways Participants can expect to learn the importance of advancing bicycle-and-pedestrian safety and accessibility. Participants will understand the specific strategies that are being undertaken in three cities to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety for all users. Participants will leave ready to engage in advancing bicycle-and-pedestrian safety and accessibility. Green Infrastructure Strategies for Community Resilience: Planning, Maintenance, & Workforce Development
Location: Skyline II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorPhillip Rodbell, Program Leader, Urban and Community Forestry, U.S. Forest Service SpeakersSara Lamback, Senior Program Manager, Jobs for the Future Jenifer Kaminsky, Director of Planning and Community Development, PUSH Buffalo Sandra Albro, Director of Research, Cleveland Botanical Gardens Eve Pytel, Director of Strategic Priorities, Delta Institute Presentations → Increasing storm events and antiquated public infrastructure have created an urgent need for communities to implement innovative strategies for stormwater management. In many cases, the political will and funding are available, but local skills and capacity to do the work are under-developed. Cities often lack resources for training and local hiring to install green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) that could potentially lift residents – especially those in low-income, minority communities that experience a disproportionate impact from inadequate stormwater control – out of poverty. In this session, we will discuss the status and potential for GSI workforce development, share efforts underway to spur local action in vulnerable communities, illustrate successful models with associated resiliency dividends, and provide tools and strategies for integrating GSI into local planning and operations in the public and private sectors. The session will introduce rapid assessment tools and provoke dialogue while collecting data for an ongoing study. Take Aways The potential for green-infrastructure investment to promote workforce development. The models, skill sets, costs, opportunities and co-benefits for training. Strategies for achievable green-infrastructure installation and maintenance in weak market communities. |
1:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Afternoon Concurrent Optional Tours of Local Model Projects |
3 PM – 3:30 PM | Coffee Break |
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Concurrent Afternoon Workshops Planning WITH People: Using Creative Placemaking to Engage, Celebrate, Design
Location: Pavilion East Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorJames Corless, Director, Transportation for America SpeakersAnastasia Brewster, Active Transportation Coordinator, City Heights Community Development Corporation Michelle Snitgen, Active Communities Coordinator, Michigan Fitness Foundation Mayra Alejandra Cervantes, Marketing and Community Engagement Coordinator, Conexión Américas Horatio Hun-Yan Law, Assistant Professor in Intermedia, Photography, Pacific Northwest College of Art Linda Wysong, Associate Professor in Liberal Arts, Pacific Northwest College of Art Presentations → Our community-based organizations are employing creative placemaking strategies – integrating arts and culture for deeper public participation in community revitalization – into transportation planning. Nashville, San Diego and Portland are planning or have recently started transformative rapid-bus and complete-streets projects in our cities’ most racially and ethnically diverse areas. In the Detroit region, organizers are creatively engaging community members to help map frequent destinations and cultural assets as part of a project to increase access to essential destinations for underserved populations. To provide information and specific instruction on creative placemaking, this session will provide information on and lessons learned from our four regions working in this emerging field. We will also draw from Transportation for America’s new guide on creative placemaking to apply concepts to specific efforts and challenges underway by members of the audience. Take Aways Participants will understand the benefits and challenges of using creative placemaking to plan, design and build transportation projects, especially innovative techniques to engage the public with public art. Participants will learn about lessons learned from organizations a year into integrating creative placemaking into transportation planning in underserved communities in the regions of Portland, Detroit, San Diego and Nashville. Participants will explore creative placemaking tools and resources, including T4America’s new detailed guidebook for transportation agencies and local governments and learn how to apply lessons learned from case studies. From Trickle to Torrent: Resilient Strategies for an Uncertain Water Future
Location: Broadway I-II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorDanielle Dolan, Water Program Manager, Local Government Commission SpeakersMatthew Naud, Environmental Coordinator, City of Ann Arbor, MI Jim Reid, Public Services Director, El Paso County, CO Nicole Woodman, Acting Public Works Director and Sustainability Manager, Sustainability and Environmental Management Section, City of Flagstaff, AZ Tim O’Halloran, General Manager, Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, CA Presentations → How can we proactively prepare when we don’t know what the future holds? Climate projections anticipate heavier, more frequent, and less predictable storm events, as well as prolonged and extreme periods of drought. Other climate change-related impacts to our water system – such as saltwater intrusion, devastating forest fires and extreme heat events – place greater demand on our limited water supply and increased stress on the natural systems that support those water resources. Land-use practitioners and resource managers must work together, and move beyond emergency mitigation to pragmatic planning. Come to this interactive workshop to learn innovative strategies for cross-sector collaboration and planning that will protect our communities and our water resources in the face of highly variable conditions. Take Aways Participants will learn strategies used by other innovative communities to successfully implement comprehensive, cross-sector, integrated water-resources management. Participants will learn how to build in large-scale water resilience and plan for changing impacts, using existing tools to ensure collaboration across sectors and holistic planning for all future water conditions (e.g., flood, drought, water quality, etc.). Participants will work together, applying their newly acquired tools and strategies to their specific scenarios, and problem-solving through cross-sector dialogue. Ethics, Equity and Sustainable Communities
Location: Skyline II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2 ModeratorMichael Lauer, Michael Lauer Planning, LLC SpeakersNicole Bennett, AICP, WSP, Senior Supervising Planner, Parsons Brickerhoff Nora Liu, Community Development Manager, Department of Planning and Development, City of Seattle, WA Sergio Palleroni, AIA, Professor, Director, Center for Public Interest Design, School of Architecture, Portland State University Presentations → Results are important. However, the means to getting there is just as important as the end. The future of sustainability in the U.S. requires being transparent about the impacts of well-meaning policies/activities on underserved populations or vulnerable groups. This session explores the priorities and values of stewards of the built environment who are giving sustainability the proper push it deserves for encouraging outcomes that are more equitable. Seasoned practitioners will escort the audience through a discussion that focuses on navigating dilemmas that are sometimes experienced individually but may not be discussed communally. The session is an opportunity for learning among peers that transcends professional discipline. Attendees will learn how a common set of ethics is necessary for achieving optimal results. Attendees will learn how to break out of the silos that stifle individuals and organizations from advancing creative solutions when working with the public on sustainability. Take Aways Participants will learn ethical encounters are opportunities for growth and innovation. Participants will learn about the meaningful strategies that have been applied by practitioners in order to constructively give voice to the unspoken or encourage the alteration of policies. Participants will leave with an understanding that ethics is extremely important due to the cross-cutting nature of sustainable community programs. Transportation Health Tool: A New Tool to Drive Policy Decisions
Location: Skyline I Level: Beginner Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorKate Robb, MSPH, Policy Analyst, American Public Health Association SpeakersAnn Steedly, PE, Chief Operations Officer, Planning Communities, LLC Ed Christopher, Associate, MKC Associates Joseph Marek, PE, PTOE, Traffic Engineering Supervisor and Director, Clackamas County Safe Communities, Clackamas County Department of Transportation and Development, OR Philip Mason, Senior Policy Analyst, Clackamas County Public Health Division, OR Presentations → Everyone benefits from using roadways, streets, sidewalks, trails and public transit for everyday needs. For a long time, public-health impacts and benefits were glossed over in transportation policy, program and funding decisions. That is beginning to change. The connections between transportation and public health are increasingly recognized in both fields, whether it is the importance of seat-belt use or the need for safe, intuitive connections for people to walk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Transportation partnered to develop an online Transportation and Health Tool (THT) allowing transportation decision-makers to understand how their metropolitan area or state scores in terms of key health and transportation indicators. For this session, the newly released THT will be discussed, demonstrated and explored. Participants will have the opportunity to use this new tool to access transportation and health data and to provide strategies to improve health outcomes. Take Aways Participants will learn what the Transportation Health Tool is and how to apply health and transportation indicators to local decisions. Participants will receive resources to help them compare and assess an area’s performance on several health and transportation indicators. Participants will apply the knowledge gained from the session by providing three strategies, interventions or policies to improve health outcomes. Maximizing Health Care Investments in Your Community: Creating Health Oriented Neighborhoods (HONs)
Location: Pavilion West Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorBrett Van Akkeren, Senior Policy Analyst, Office of Sustainable Communities, U.S. EPA SpeakersDougal Hewitt, Chief Mission and External Affairs Officer, Presence Health Network Gil Muñoz, MPA, Chief Executive Officer, Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center Matt Lambert, Partner, DPZ Partners, LLC Scot Deily, Community Engagement Specialist, The Write Choice Network Monica Neiss, Owner, Write Choice Network Presentations → With the advent of the Affordable Care Act, healthcare providers are building new small neighborhood facilities to meet the demand created by the large increase in the insured population. Whether the new medical center ends up filling a hole in a dying strip mall or transforming a community into a Health Oriented Neighborhood (HON) depends on what the community demands. This session will look at how medical facilities have created HONs in the East End in Richmond and in Portland’s suburbs. We will discuss what design features make HONs work and policies that will help you create one in your community. Participants will be given a case study to design a HON in the workshop. We will provide base material on a conventional medical facility you will identify opportunities for strategies to transform the facility and its location into a Health Oriented Neighborhood. Take Aways Understand the opportunities offered by the Affordable Care Act to enhance health and well-being in neighborhoods related to medical facilities. Recognize and assess effective design features to support a Health Oriented Neighborhood (HON). Identify policies that will support the enhancements necessary to achieve a Health Oriented Neighborhood (HON). Tools for Achieving Jobs-Housing Fit and Avoiding Displacement in Smart Growth Areas
Location: Broadway III-IV Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 2 ModeratorPilar Lorenzana-Campo, Policy Director, SV@Home SpeakersWayne Chen, Acting Division Manager, Department of Housing, City of San Jose, CA Chris Benner, Ph.D., Professor, Environmental Studies and Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz Belen Seara, Program Coordinator, San Mateo County Union Community Alliance Vikrant Sood, Senior Planner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission Presentations → Over the last three years, more than 50 local and sub-regional pilot projects were funded through the Regional Prosperity Initiative to find solutions to three critical challenges to implementing smart growth: achieving jobs-housing fit by income category to create mixed-income and integrated communities; building and preserving adequate number of affordable units and protecting tenants that are at risk of displacement due to rising rents and redevelopment efforts; and funding and financing infrastructure improvements through innovative local and regional mechanisms. Lessons from these projects are now being considered for replication in other parts of the region. Specific tools include a methodology for measuring jobs-housing fit by income category; a methodology for measuring the risk of displacement; and a funding/financing toolkit for affordable housing production and preservation. The session will walk you through the tools and engage participants in exploring applicability to their regions and jurisdictions. Take Aways Learn about three analysis and policy tools developed through a multi-stakeholder, collaborative process in the Bay Area. Understand where and how the tools and resources can be applied, at what scale and for what purpose. Identify key stakeholders and sectors that should be involved in the process. We’re Talking Tactics: Fast Installations to make Community Spaces
Location: Grand Ballroom II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2 ModeratorJosh Meyer, Director of Community Planning, Local Government Commission SpeakersJames Rojas, Founder, Place It Ken Snyder, CEO, PlaceMatters Michele Reeves, Principal, Civilis Consultants Ridhi D’Cruz, Associate Director, The City Repair Project Kirk Rea, Board Vice President, The City Repair Project Presentations → This session will provide examples and instruction on short-term, flexible changes in the built environment to achieve long-term goals. A lighting round of speakers will present tools and strategies for direct community participation in visioning, design and construction of street, sidewalk, park, vacant lot and underutilized space conversions that generate momentum for community-building and investment. Examples range from locally sourced art, temporary street furnishings, bike lanes and racks, to conversion of parking and vacant spaces into flexible places for outdoor eating, community-based vendors and small business start-ups. Interactive breakouts will follow where participants discuss ideas for short-term installations, potential obstacles, and goals for change. Join us to learn techniques for organizing and implementing tactical urbanism, including finding and mobilizing partners, initial visioning, setting goals, coordinating with public agencies, budgeting and funding, and next steps for advancing long-term solutions. Take Aways Participants will gain expanded knowledge of the types and uses of temporary and low-cost installations and toolkits for implementation. Participants will learn tools for directly engaging the public in planning, design and implementation of changes in their communities. Participants will learn short-term tactics to attract further interest, engagement and investments. Small Area Planning: How to Assure Responsive and Equitable Redevelopment Outcomes
Location: Parlor Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2 ModeratorKate O’Brien, Director of Capacity Building, Groundwork USA SpeakersTangier Barnes, Manager of Land and Water Programs, Groundwork USA Samantha Robins, Youth Leader and Community Member, Groundwork Hudson Valley Clark Henry, Principal, CIII Associates Jacqueline Omotalade, Director, Blue Greenway, San Francisco Parks Alliance Nicole Avril, Project Director, Capital Partnerships, San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department Presentations → Resources for creating small area plans are scarce. Too many communities are reduced to having a generalized set of goals within a citywide comprehensive plan that lacks cohesive vision or community buy-in, and/or are left without a plan at all. As we know, without a vision, community revitalization is a struggle, and investment attempts can occur in a haphazard rather than strategic fashion. This session will discuss the use of EPA Brownfield Assessment grants to conduct small area plans; provide an overview of five best practices and principles of successful and emblematic brownfields, small-area, planning projects and highlight case studies from New York and California that exemplify the use of those best practices and principles. This session will also provide an interactive exercise designed to help attendees create a framework for their own future brownfields, small-area planning project, even in the absence of the EPA brownfields funding. Take Aways Clearly defined list of principles & practices, and types of partnerships/relationships needed that make for successful and emblematic brownfields, small-area projects. A framework for your own future, brownfields, small-area planning project. This will include developing a rationale for pursuing brownfields small-area planning regardless of having an AWP/Assessment or other EPA grants. Participants will be able to visualize their community needs and begin to see that the issue of brownfields crosses many sectors: parks, public works, industry, commerce. An understanding of the various types of resources that may be available to support this kind of process. Livable Neighborhood Super Tools for Disadvantaged Communities
Location: Salon II-III Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorVernice Miller-Travis, Senior Associate, Community Planning and Design, Skeo Solutions SpeakersMelissa Friedland, Program Manager, Superfund Redevelopment, U.S. EPA Sarah Malpass, Associate Planner, Skeo Solution Ronnie Bush, Councilmember, City of Freeport, IL Vivian Starks, President, Collegeville Neighborhood Association; Spokesperson, Northern Birmingham Community Coalition Presentations → The EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Initiative has recently developed a set of tools to support neighborhood priorities for disadvantaged communities. This session will review two case studies to highlight how these new tools have supported community goals for health care, flood management and pedestrian amenities. The Integrated Reuse Planning Process and Cultural Competence Training tools helped the East Side Neighborhood of Freeport, IL, work through strained relationships with civic leadership and diminished access to community amenities stemming from the legacy of residential segregation. Together, city staff and residents developed a framework to address flooding, prioritize land cleanup and identify needed neighborhood amenities. In Jacksonville, FL, residents used the Integrated Health Assessment community guidance to advocate for a federally funded health clinic in their community. The guidance provides a step-by-step approach to evaluate gaps and to assess the suitability of contaminated sites to support health-based amenities after cleanup. Take Aways Learn about three tools to support reuse planning and neighborhood revitalization in disadvantaged communities. Participants will engage with community leaders, as well as technical staff, to gain a deeper understanding of the applicability of these tools and opportunities for replication. Learn how cleanup and reuse planning for contaminated and abandoned properties can open the door to addressing multiple community needs and furnishing new amenities. Strategies for Diversifying Economies of Small and Mid-sized Communities
Location: Galleria North Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2 ModeratorMelissa Kramer, Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA SpeakersDena Belzer, President, Strategic Economics Melissa Taylor, Planning Manager, Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments, WA Steve Taylor, City Manager, City of Kelso, WA Casey Woods, Executive Director, Emporia Main Street Presentations → This session will provide examples and practical advice for small and mid-sized communities that are struggling after major shifts in their economic base. The session will feature a new tool to help communities rethink how to address economic development challenges with small, manageable solutions. Two small towns illustrate this approach. Kelso, WA, and the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments are working together to address disinvestment and neglect in one of Kelso’s oldest residential neighborhoods, while Emporia, KS, has successfully revitalized downtown, generating $33 in private investment for every public dollar spent. The session will feature an interactive mapping exercise where participants will consider a hypothetical community to identify strategies that could promote economic development while achieving other community goals. Afterwards, we will come together to discuss each group’s decisions, what the expected outcomes would be, and real-world examples of results. Take Aways To learn about several successful tactics small communities can use to spur the local economy. To gain practical understanding of how smart growth can help a community’s economic development efforts. To learn about new resources that can help a small community create an asset-based economic development strategy. Whose Streets? Our Streets!
Location: Galleria South Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorKari Schlosshauer, Regional Policy Manager, Safe Routes to School National Partnership SpeakersHannah Kapell, Associate, Alta Planning + Design Elaine Strang, Volunteer, Elders in Action, AARP Inna Levin, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, Oregon Walks Paul Zykofsky, Associate Director, Local Government Commission Robert Ping, Executive Director, Walkable and Livable Communities Institute Presentations → Whose streets? OUR streets! How jurisdictions assess and build our streets is changing based on user input, and already it‘s creating communities accessible to people from ages 8 to 80. This session will explore how diverse communities of all ages are making their voices heard, the impact it is having on planning processes and outcomes, and look at how community-led and -based input is increasingly being incorporated for smarter growth and community design. We’ll hear about youth-led initiatives in schools and family-oriented travel planning; neighborhood-based visioning and increasing direct involvement of traditionally unrepresented groups; and what tools city planners are using to incorporate the needs of older adults. Using core principles of tactical urbanism plus community-led change techniques, attendees will work in small groups to assess a project “from the eyes of a 10-year-old,” to decide how they would implement low-cost, temporary changes to improve local neighborhoods and gathering places. Take Aways Strategies for communities to lead on equity by augmenting traditional tools, prioritizing needs, and clarifying input for projects. Identify tools to support people-friendly community design that are available to everyone & increasingly welcomed by city planners. Hands-on use of tools from the panel and discussion, to redesign a real-life project “from the eyes of a 10-year-old“. |
5:30 PM – 7 PM | Hosted Networking Reception |
7 PM | Dinner – Participants on their Own |
Friday | |
7 AM – 8:30 AM | Conference Registration / Breakfast Networking Activities |
7:15 AM – 8:30 AM | Friday Morning Networking Sessions Age Friendly Communities
Location: Pavilion East What do older adults and young families have in common when it comes to sustainable communities? They both want an age-friendly community in which to live. We invite you to contribute your research, ideas, experience and knowledge regarding age-friendly communities. Let’s discuss potential areas for collaboration in 2016 and 2017 on this vital topic. Can a Tool Enable Change? A Conversation About Community Information (with Real Place demos!)
Location: Pavilion West The best decisions depend on complete, accurate and place-based information. EPA strives to make this information readily available, and your input can help shape the tools so they serve you best. In this session, you’ll hear how web-based tools and citizen partnerships helped two communities explore solutions related to their environment and human health, and hear about other useful EPA tools. You will learn how these can help with questions such as:
Mobilizing Diverse Partnerships for Equitable Solutions
Location: Galleria North Grab your breakfast and take advantage of this engaging opportunity to network with other conference participants working on social equity and environmental justice issues across the country. You will have the opportunity to hear briefly from a couple of members from the Moving Forward Network on the work they are doing to improve the frieght transportation system in the areas of environmental justice and public health and how they are mobilizing their communities to take action. This will be a facilitated round-table discussion, so come with your questions and examples of how we can move forward with creating equitable communities! Smart Growth in Rural Communities and Small Towns: A Marketplace of Ideas
Location: Galleria South Rural communities and small towns across the country are implementing approaches that help their communities strengthen their economies, protect the environment, and enhance quality of life. Do you already work on smart growth issues in a rural region or small town, and want to know what others are doing? Are you interested in learning more about implementing smart growth in your town? Are you an urban dweller interested in rural towns near your city and the role rural places play in your urban economy? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then this networking session is for you! The session will be a “marketplace of ideas,” with small group discussions on economic diversification, demographic change, rural-urban connections, and will build on the themes discussed in many of the rural/small town sessions taking place during the conference. Please join us to contribute and learn from these rich conversations, and to connect with others working in small town and rural contexts. |
8:30 AM – 9:45 AM | Morning Plenary America‘s Grand Strategy Starts With Community Leadership
Location: Grand Ballroom Accredited by:CM 1.25 SpeakerMark “Puck” Mykleby, Retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel; Co-founder, Strategic Innovation Lab, Case Western University Presentations → The Pentagon and the Department of Defense have called Climate Change a top security threat. Retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Mark “Puck” Mykleby has co-authored “A National Strategic Narrative” that calls for a new US grand strategy with sustainability as the central foundation for developing a more prosperous and secure nation. This new grand strategy calls for community leadership to advance walkability, smart-growth housing, regenerative and organic agriculture, and a productivity revolution focused on reducing resource intensity. Mykleby will discuss the national imperative behind these community initiatives and strategies for public and private partnerships to advance America‘s next Grand Strategy. |
9:30 AM – 3:30 PM | Interactive Technology Fair |
9:45 AM – 10:15 AM | Morning Break |
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM | Concurrent Morning Breakouts Community Power and City Action: Solar Farming in the Refinery’s Backyard
Location: Pavilion East Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorTom Butt, Mayor, City of Richmond, CA SpeakersDawn Weisz, Chief Executive Officer, Marin Clean Energy Adam Lenz, Environmental Manager, City of Richmond, CA Sal Vaca, Director, Department of Employment and Training, City of Richmond, CA Presentations → The First Law of Thermodynamics is that energy can be neither created nor destroyed – it can only be transformed. Richmond, California’s story of community power has led to a paramount transformation of the City’s electricity supply. What started as a City policy decision to provide customers with a public greener electricity option with California’s first Community Choice Aggregator, MCE, has now led to the development of the largest urban solar installation in the San Francisco Bay Area. Discover how Richmond combined its land-use authority and public energy partnership with MCE to negotiate a land lease and develop a 10.5-megawatt, 60-acre, solar farm at the Chevron Refinery as part of an environmental mitigation measure. The solar-farm development has among the strictest local-hire requirements imposed, and will generate enough electricity to power 3,400 homes. It’s a true transformation built by the environmental-justice community in which it resides. Take Aways Community Choice Aggregation can be used a policy tool to create a public, greener, locally governed electricity options for customers. Cities can combine land-use authority and innovative partnerships with Community Choice Aggregators to encourage local energy development, or require renewable-energy mitigation measures for projects seeking entitlement. Locally governed energy programs have the ability to be more creative and generate more community co-benefits than conventional utility programs. Citizens Ingenuity and Impact Assessment
Location: Skyline II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorTraceé Strum-Gilliam, AICP, National Market Lead, Environmental Justice, Senior Professional Associate, Senior Supervising Environmental Engineer, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff SpeakersChancee Martorell, Executive Director, Thai Community Development Center Robert García, Founding Director and Counsel, The City Project Wannetta Mallette, Owner and Principal, Mallette Consulting LLC Presentations → Sustainable solutions are environmentally friendly, economically profitable, and socially responsible. Productive harmony requires meeting all three conditions. Treating social impacts as inconsequential may fail to alleviate vulnerability and hinders outcomes that are fully sustainable. Impact assessments are useful for assessing, appraising, or estimating, in advance, the consequences that may follow from proposed actions. Although the public has become accustomed to messaging about impact assessments framed in the context of slowing down development, the instrument is a necessary tool which can encourage thoughtful discussion about subtle issues and potentially injurious actions that could easily be overlooked or at times may be difficult to describe or express. Experts will disclose how they have risen above skeptical views about impact assessments and are using them to ensure critical issues are fully described and analyzed. Attendees will learn how assessments can help communities and agencies plan for social change resulting from a proposed action. Take Aways Participants will understand how impact assessment brings local knowledge to the decision process. Participants will identify how impact assessments improve transparency for the benefit of making a visible difference in communities. Participants will leave with tips for better addressing the social and cultural consequences of planned and unplanned actions. Financing Smart Rural Places: Wealth Building Tools to Propel Economic Transition
Location: Pavilion West Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH 1.5 ModeratorFarah Ahmad, Program Manager, Community Economic Development, USDA SpeakersInes Polonius, Chief Executive Officer, Communities Unlimited Nancy Straw, Director, Community and Economic Development, The Ford Family Foundation Daniel Wallace, Program Developer, Coastal Enterprises Inc. David Lipsetz, Chief of Staff, USDA Rural Housing Service Maggie Kirby, Development Manager, Craft3 Presentations → Rural America continues to shrink in population, and rural economies struggle to find a post-extraction economic foothold. Smart-growth leaders recognize the potential with targeting rural investments to the old town rural centers as one path for economic revival. If the place is not attractive and alluring, if infrastructure (e.g., telecom) is inadequate, if there are no civic amenities, and if there is no commerce, people will not want to visit or relocate their homes and businesses to rural places. One challenge for small towns is the relative shortage of public and private financing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s community-development bank assists where it can, and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) can also play a powerful role in shaping investments in rural town centers. We will learn about ways in which USDA and CDFIs provide important financing tools to assist rural communities with their main-street revitalization efforts. Take Aways Participants will learn about USDA’s rural development bank that finances nearly $30 billion each year for rural infrastructure, including water and wastewater, affordable housing, business, renewable energy, community facilities, electricity and telecommunications. Learn about some of the challenges Community Development Finance Institutions face in working in high-poverty rural communities and will explore some of the potential remedies. Participants will learn about how smart growth with a rural main-street focus can be aided by financing and grants that are available but too often not deployed strategically. Leveraging the Approval Process to Get the Development You Want
Location: Grand Ballroom II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorDrake Butsch, Vice President of Builder Services, First American Title SpeakersBrian Blaesser, Partner, Robinson & Cole LLP Debbie Bassert, Assistant Vice President, Land Use and Design, National Association of Home Builders Bob Kaufman, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Maryland Building Industry Association Presentations → The development review and approval process has become increasingly lengthy and complex in recent years, often taking years instead of months, even in non-metro areas. The uncertainty and costs associated with that affect everyone involved, from the developer’s and builder’s ability to finance projects over such a long span of time to the administrative costs incurred by local government, adding to the costs and even feasibility of building new homes and communities. The panelists will explore where the process often breaks down and recent efforts by communities across the country to make it work better for both the public and the private sectors. A new research report on process efficiency by the National Association of Home Builders will be provided to all participants. Take Aways Learn where the development approval process typically bogs down in most communities today. Understand the impacts of a lengthy and unwieldy process on all involved, including potential renters and home buyers as well as the very types of projects that can be built. Hear from seasoned practitioners about recent efforts across the country to improve process efficiency in order to facilitate desired development. Innovative Approaches to Support Agricultural Landscapes in Healthy Metropolises
Location: Galleria South Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorJulia Freedgood, Assistant Vice President of Programs, American Farmland Trust SpeakersJeremy Madsen, CEO, Greenbelt Alliance Greg Holmes, Food Systems Program Director, 1000 Friends of Oregon Kathy Macpherson, Vice President, Research and Policy, Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation Presentations → Agricultural lands are a key component of a healthy metropolis. In addition to providing fresh, healthy food to residents, farms and ranches also provide wildlife habitat, sequester carbon, and contribute to the aesthetics of the region. Sadly, agricultural landowners often feel compelled to sell to developers, who then advocate for the conversion of agricultural land to sprawling subdivisions. This pressure is due in part to the myriad of business challenges farmers and ranchers face, including high land costs, inadequate processing and distribution infrastructure, and difficulty in accessing capital. One way to protect agricultural land is to help farms and ranches be more economically successful. This session will provide specific examples of innovative policy and funding tools and strategies to support agricultural enterprise and preserve working landscapes that local government decision-makers and advocates can take back and implement in their communities. Take Aways Learn about specific examples of replicable, innovative local government policies that both protect the landscape and encourage the agricultural economic viability. Learn about specific examples of replicable, innovative government-funded projects that can help local farmers and ranchers become more economically successful. Learn about best practices for engaging and working with the agricultural community, including farmers and ranchers, to pursue shared goals. Urban New Entrepreneurial Economy: Livable Communities Attract Millennials to Boomers
Location: Galleria North Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorNate K. Johnson, ABR, CRS, GRI, President, Real Estate Solutions SpeakersEric Friedman, Chairman, Missouri Coalition for Historic Preservation and Economic Development; President and Coach, Friedman Group, Ltd. Realtors & Friedman Development, Ltd.; Managing Member, BroadbandCollaborative.com Robert Lewis, AICP, CEcD, Principal and President, Development Strategies Dana Gray, Community Outreach Coordinator, Tower Grove Neighborhoods, Community Development Corp. Presentations → One-hundred buildings renovated, 5,000 new residents in the CBD alone, 43,000 jobs in nine years, according to the Wall Street Journal. Popular Mechanics named this the best startup city in America. Business incubators, Accelerators, coworking spaces, seed capital and seed grants. Participants will learn how a foundation was laid for rebuilding a place where young and old, knowledge workers, innovators and makers want to live, work and play. The Missouri Historic Tax Credit, a 25% fully transferable tax credit for revitalization of historic property, reconciled two existing conditions – low housing-cost and high construction-cost markets. The startups cluster in areas of density, commercial and social gravity. The Arch Grants program awards $50,000 grants to startups, over $3.5 million to date with companies relocating from outside the U.S. Coalitions also formed to pass a light-rail sales tax and PACE in Missouri. Take Aways Historic preservation is one means to economic revitalization, not the ends. Learn the simultaneous actions and partnerships that need to accompany historic preservation and can help in order to assure economic success. There is never only one way! Above normal economic impacts that result from investment in and occupancy of historic structures. How to incorporate historic tax credits into a renovation pro forma. Understanding the improved return-on-investment. Who could and who did compose the coalition to seek, advocate for, protect and promote historic preservation tax credits. The reality of how it really worked. Tent Encampments and Tiny Houses: A Crisis Response to Homelessness
Location: Broadway I-II Level: Beginner Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorSharon Lee, Executive Director, Low Income Housing Institute SpeakersKshama Sawant, Councilmember, City of Seattle, WA Javis Capucion, Board Member, SHARE; Former Resident, SHARE/WHEEL’s Tent City 3 Presentations → This session will show that “yes” is the answer to the question of whether cities can use their land for tent encampments and tiny house villages, and that those are an appropriate crisis response to homelessness. This session will focus on Seattle as a national model for using city-owned land for homeless encampments. In 2013-14, LIHI, Nickelsville and the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church spent a successful year in partnership hosting and managing a tent city concentrating on the needs of unsheltered families with children in Seattle. In 2015, the City of Seattle passed ground-breaking legislation authorizing the use of city land for tent encampments. This session will detail how homeless people, nonprofits, churches and local governments can partner to operate safe encampments for homeless families and individuals. It will also cover best practices for crisis response, encampment legislation, case management, encampment rules, self-management and community engagement. Take Aways How cities, churches, non-profits and private owners can partner in hosting tent cities and tiny house villages as a low-cost crisis solution to homelessness. Types of encampment ordinances that cities and counties should adopt. How nonprofit housing and human service organizations can effectively move homeless families and individuals from encampments to permanent housing, including how to make an effective linkage with coordinated entry. Detroit Revisited: How Are We Doing?
Location: Broadway III-IV Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorTom Woiwode, Director, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan SpeakersConan Smith, Executive Director, Metro Matters; Commissioner, Washtenaw County Commissioner, MI Diana Flora, Kresge Mayor’s Fellow, Director of Strategy Development, Detroit Police Department Presentations → At the 2015 New Partners conference, the audience heard about “Rethinking Detroit,” a strategy for Detroit’s revitalization. It’s a year later, and the landscape has changed significantly. Come and learn about how the most aggressive blight-removal program in the country has evolved into rebuilding neighborhoods; how the city is working with community leaders at the neighborhood level; how a new regional transportation plan will transform the way we move around the city, and how we relate to neighboring communities; and how technology is changing the way we stay in touch, the way we talk to and learn from each other. So how are we doing? Is Detroit growing after 60 years of population loss? Are neighborhoods rebuilding? Are sections of the city gentrifying? Join the conversation about how persistent commitment is turning a worst-case scenario into a melting pot of cutting-edge ideas for building resilient communities. Take Aways Participants will learn about how public programs and resources, particularly federal, can be layered in creative ways for meaningful on-the-ground change. Participants will learn about innovative ways of engaging the public, including the use of technology in reaching out to underserved constituencies. Participants will learn about innovative public/private partnerships that helping to define the city’s future. Getting to Zero: Navigating Implementation of Zero-Emissions Technology in Projects and Planning
Location: Skyline I Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorAngelo Logan, Campaign Director, Moving Forward Network, Urban and Environmental Policy, Occidental College SpeakersDon Anair, Research and Deputy Director, Clean Vehicles Program, Union of Concerned Scientist Fernando Losada, Collective Bargaining Director, National Organizing Committee, National Nurses United Yudith Nieto, Youth Organizer, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services Presentations → Join a conversation of experts in zero-emissions technology, health and land use who will share their experiences and perspectives on how to overcome the challenges of implementing zero-emissions technology for use in the transportation sector through regulatory, policy, planning and community organizing strategies. With a focus on ports and the freight transportation sector, each of the panelists will discuss the challenges of implementing technologies such as shore power, electric drayage trucks and marine emissions controls. They will share resources and strategies for how to make case for zero-emissions technology application and improve implementation strategies in cities across the country. Take Aways Participants will learn about specific policies and planning opportunities to advance the use of zero-emissions technology in transportation projects. Participants will learn about the policy, planning, regulatory and technological challenges of advancing the use of zero-emissions technology in transportation projects. Participants will learn about the challenges and strategies for building coalitions for advancing zero-emissions policy and implementation. The Bike Accessible Transit Agency: Implementation Tools and Stories
Location: Salon II-III Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorEvan Corey, Senior Associate, Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates SpeakersKamala Rao, Senior Transportation Planner, TransLink Jeff Owen, Active Transportation Planner, TriMet Jon Nouchi, Deputy Director of Planning and Environment, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation Presentations → Building an accessible transit system is one of the key determinants of encouraging people to use transit. While bicycle-transit integration is a widely regarded strategy to developing a smarter, more cost-effective transportation system, implementing bicycle-transit improvements can be challenging. Multi-jurisdiction partners, competing investment needs, spatial constraints within the right-of-way and on transit facilities, and institutional barriers are just some of the challenges agencies face to improve bicycle infrastructure on or near transit facilities. However, transit agencies and their partners are using new tools, technologies and implementation mechanisms to support bike-transit trips. In this session, participants will learn how to prioritize and implement these investments from real-world examples, site facilities on and near transit facilities, explore the effectiveness of bike-transit integration strategies, establish equitable prioritization processes, integrate bike access into new transit investments, and convey business case messages that can sway decision-makers. Take Aways Learn about new ideas, tools and technologies (particularly low-cost retrofits) that help to overcome barriers to biking to transit. Learn two approaches to prioritizing bicycle investments (strategy effectiveness and multi-criteria methods) and the data needed to carry them out. Identify the steps and investments needed to make new transit investments “bike accessible” before shovels hit the ground. What Water Agencies Are Afraid to Tell Land-Use Decision-Makers
Location: Parlor Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorJudy Corbett, Founder, Local Government Commission SpeakersTodd Gartner, Senior Associate; Manager, Natural Infrastructure for Water, World Resources Institute Celeste Cantu, General Manager, Santa Ana Watershed Authority Matt Hollon, Environmental/Conservation Program Manager, City of Austin, TX Presentations → Undisturbed, nature has a unique ability to provide us with clean water. Lands with the proper type of soil (called recharge areas) absorb water, filter and clean it, and send it to a deep aquifer where it can be safely stored. Unknowingly, land development in many communities has destroyed this process, covering precious groundwater recharge areas with impermeable materials. Generally, water agencies are in charge of providing the water supply and cities and counties are in charge of land use. The two live in different silos and avoid one another’s territory. This has prevented critical conflicts between land use and water from being addressed. This session will address the extent of the loss of groundwater to urban sprawl, provide a model for bringing water and land use professionals together, and feature a city that has adopted ordinances that protect the groundwater recharge areas in their jurisdiction. Take Aways Participants learn about groundwater recharge and the economic and social impacts that occur when critical recharge areas are paved over. Participants take away ideas for bridging the gulf between water agencies and those with land use powers. Participants take away models for permanently protecting the lands that recharge the groundwater. |
11:45 AM – 1:30 PM | Lunch Break – Participants on own Networking Opportunities |
12 PM – 1:15 PM | Networking Lunch for Health Professionals Description
Location: Forum Come meet your colleagues working on health and built environment issues around the country!
Download the Flyer PDF |
1:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Afternoon Concurrent Optional Tours of Local Model Projects |
1:30 PM – 3 PM | Concurrent Afternoon Breakouts Engaging Farmers of Color Pioneering Climate-Change Mitigation
Location: Galleria South Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorJanaki Jagannath, Coordinator, Marigold Society SpeakersMily Trevino-Sauceda, Co-Founder, Lideres Campesinas Michael Harris, Chair, Black Agriculture Working Group, Sacramento, CA Chukou Thao, Executive Director, National Hmong American Farmers, Inc. Presentations → As climate science has progressed, biodiverse, small-scale agriculture has been uncovered as a key element of a resilient food system. From rural to urban settings, small-scale farming and gardening improve soil carbon, bring down local temperatures, and sink storm-water while creating a local source of fresh fruits and vegetables. In the most socioeconomically burdened areas of the country, against the odds of climate change and environmental degradation, refugees and recent immigrants as well as historically disenfranchised farmers of color are leading the charge in small-scale biodiverse agriculture, protecting precious land and regionalizing food production. Join our panel of practitioners to discuss how to meet your local farmers, unpack the historic barriers faced by small-scale farmers of color in accessing government programs, and ways that local governments and nonprofit partners can take steps to support the work of these growers in sustainability and climate-change resilience efforts. Take Aways How to meet and network with your local farmers. Federal programs for nonprofits and local governments to support the work of these growers in sustainability and climate change resilience efforts. California case studies of strategic partnerships that help build a regional food system and preserve farmland. The Dollars and $ense of Smart Growth
Location: Grand Ballroom II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorLee Sobel, Director of Public Strategies, RCLCO SpeakersJoe Minicozzi, Principal, Urban3 Chris Zimmerman, Vice President for Economic Development, Smart Growth America Presentations → Smart Growth has been engaged as an apologetic or alternative form of development, to the perceived “market driven” sprawl that most communities face. Innovations in financial and policy analysis are demonstrating that Smart Growth development is not only more beneficial from an environmental standpoint, but it is also more fiscally responsible form of growth at a municipal level. This session explores analytic tools, property policy exploration, and leadership strategies that are applicable to any size municipality; from a public, private and advocacy perspective. These methods will be explained as case studies, and the communication tools that will help planners and policy makers explain the municipal effect of Smart Growth decisions. Panelists will present ideas and examples for Creating great places with durable local economies. To steal the line from Jerry McGuire, we’re going to “Show you the money!” as well as how to show others the money. Take Aways Identify the policy considerations of considering fiscal economics in land planning. Understand how density and connectivity contribute to more efficient services and infrastructure costs. Recognize how urban and suburban forms impact tax revenues from a land-planning perspective. Step It Up: Statewide Efforts to Improve Community Design and Active Travel
Location: Pavilion East Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorMargalit Younger, Public Health Analyst, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention SpeakersCatherine Costakis, Senior Consultant, Built Environment, Montana State University Brian Coyle, Physical Activity Coordinator, Worksite Wellness Coordinator, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Kelly Kavanaugh, Active Living Consultant, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Brett McIff, Physical Activity Coordinator, Utah Department of Health Presentations → What do Utah, Montana, South Carolina and Nebraska have in common? In their communities, all four states are working to promote physical activity through improved community design. This session will focus on how state health departments are developing and implementing smart growth-related initiatives to provide opportunities for physical activity and active transportation. Participants will hear how these states are using multi-sector collaborations to promote health equity through Complete Streets and walkable community design. Participants will also learn how to assess and improve county comprehensive plans for active living and how to provide different types of technical assistance to communities to address health issues. The speakers will share lessons learned and successes in implementing their work in rural, suburban and urban areas in their states. The last 30 minutes of the session will include tabletop sharing among participants about their own challenges and resources. Take Aways Participants will learn how to form a statewide collaborative partnership to increase physical activity access and outreach in their communities and states. Participants will be able to apply assessment tools for comprehensive community plans. Participants will be able to integrate health and planning practices to support daily physical activity in rural, suburban and urban areas. Tools of the Trade: Securing Funds and Engaging Communities in Brownfields Redevelopment
Location: Pavilion West Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorSarah Sieloff, Executive Director, Center for Creative Land Recycling SpeakersBlase Leven, Director, Technical Assistance to Brownfields Program, Kansas State University Molly Feldick, Brownfields Coordinator, Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Elizabeth Limbrick, Project Manager, Office of Strategic Initiatives, New Jersey Institute of Technology Ignacio Dayrit, Program Director, Center for Creative Land Recycling Presentations → Brownfields redevelopment is a critical contributor to revitalizing many lower income communities. Federal funding for brownfields is highly competitive, and even once a community receives funds, the process of ultimately redeveloping sites can be daunting. Fortunately, the EPA’s Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) program is here to help! In this session, all three TAB providers – the Center for Creative Land Recycling, Kansas State University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) – will facilitate an interactive demonstration of innovative e-tools they have developed to “level the brownfields playing field” by helping communities be more competitive in their applications for EPA brownfield grants, develop brownfield site inventories, incorporate community voices into the planning process, and much, much more. You’ll hear case studies of communities that have successfully used these tools, and will have a chance to take participate in NJIT’s community-engagement exercises. Take Aways Participants will learn about at least three concrete, practical tools that can support their communities’ brownfield-redevelopment efforts. Participants will learn how Technical Assistance to Brownfields tools facilitate equitable access to brownfield resources for environmental-justice communities. Participants will experience – through facilitated participation – methods for engaging the public in the brownfields-redevelopment process. Rethinking Education: Schools as a Tool for Economic Revitalization
Location: Broadway I-II Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorJulia Seward, Consultant, Julia Seward Consulting SpeakersRon Beit, CEO and Founding Partner, RBH Group Jeff Vincent, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Center for Cities and Schools, University of California, Berkeley Presentations → Are there opportunities for cities and communities to think not only about the quality of K-12 education, but also how investments in school facilities can drive buildings as anchors for economic recovery? Join a panel of experts and practitioners from across the country to explore how city governments, private developers, nonprofit organizations and foundations are rethinking how to wed prosperity, education choice, and sustainability. Learn about projects in the urban core and disinvested neighborhoods. The panelists will present information about their place-based work but allow significant time for conversation about how to re-envision and implement schools as part of placemaking. Take Aways Knowledge of local best-practice development models for schools being used as economic-development tools and information about further research resources. Better understanding of the local partnership, timing and funding triggers that enable all sectors to think collaboratively about schools and economic-development strategies. Working ideas about how to connect low-income and worker communities into urban asset-building. Park Poor No More?
Location: Broadway III-IV Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorKevin O’Hara, Vice President of Urban and Government Affairs, National Recreation and Park Association SpeakersAlyssa Cobb Konon, Assistant Commissioner, Planning and Parklands, New York City Parks Cathie Santo Domingo, Superintendent, Planning, Construction and Maintenance Branch, Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, CA Art Hendricks, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Portland Parks and Recreation Presentations → This session will focus on community efforts from across the country to address lack of access to parks, recreation and green space and programming in underserved communities featuring case studies from the Portland Parks and Recreation Department, the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department, and NYC Parks. Participants will discuss the opportunities and the pitfalls of planning, technology and community-engagement/capacity-building strategies used to help address inequitable open space development and how to best engage communities in locating, programming and improving critical park and recreation infrastructure. Take Aways Participants will learn how to measure the equitable provision of public goods, in this case, park-and-recreation infrastructure and programs. Tools and strategies to improve access to park-and-recreation infrastructure and programming. Discuss tools and techniques to help your community better engage the public. Survey Says: What Do Americans Really Want?
Location: Salon II-III Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH 1.5 ModeratorHugh Morris, Manager, Smart Growth Programs, National Association of REALTORS SpeakersClaire Worshtil, Senior Program Manager, Land Use, National Association of Home Builders Jennifer Dill, Professor, Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University; Director, TREC at Portland State University; Director, National Institute for Transportation and Communities Dave Nielsen, CEO, Home Builders Association of Metro Portland Presentations → There‘s been an ongoing debate among planners and developers across the country about how to house growing populations. But what do we know about where people actually want to live to inform that discussion? Do we want privacy, or community? Density, or not? Detached, or attached? Do Millennials‘ housing preferences differ from the rest of us? This session will explore some surprising results from nationwide surveys by the National Association of Realtors®/Portland State University, the National Association of Home Builders, and a recent collaborative public-private survey of consumers in Portland, in the context of common perceptions, planning objectives, and housing availability and affordability. Take Aways To be successful, planning must be informed by an understanding of current market and demographic trends. Today‘s consumer preferences create new opportunities for community and neighborhood design in any setting. Zoning and the development-review process have created an artificial dichotomy in discussions about density, community and privacy, and need to be more of a collaboration to spur creativity and innovation. Young Women for Smart Growth
Location: Salon I Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorZelia Gonzales, Founder and Director, Sacramento Young Feminists Alliance SpeakersMaiti King, Founder and Director, Sacramento Young Feminists Alliance Inga Manticas, Summer Camp Intern, Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls Carmen Martinez, Community Outreach Representative, Brown Issues SCC Presentations → This session will start with a panel of young women from different organizations that have all led advocacy projects to benefit other young women and the health of their communities in general. After describing how they were drawn to community activism, they will lead breakout action groups to develop plans for how you can engage youth and especially young women in challenging and rewarding work. You will learn from anecdotes of real students who have made a difference, and what made them get involved. When you leave, you will have a good understanding of your next steps to engaging youth, how to empower them to develop meaningful projects, and keep them engaged. Take Aways Participants will learn strategies to get youth both excited and active in their organizations and causes. Participants will learn that incorporating diverse voices – in terms of class, race and especially gender – actually increases the effectiveness of their organizations. Participants will learn about the obstacles for young women pursuing leadership roles and various strategies for overcoming those obstacles. Federal-Level Data Tools for Achieving More Equitable Community Development
Location: Skyline I Level: Beginner Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorSunaree Marshall, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Economic Resilience, U.S. HUD SpeakersChris Trent, Health Scientist, Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, U.S. HUD Josh Geyer, Program Analyst, Office of Economic Resilience, U.S. HUD Kevin Olp, Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Environmental Justice, U.S. EPA Laura Stewart, ORISE Research Program, Office of Research and Development, U.S. EPA Presentations → For communities, understanding the challenges and opportunities they face – economic, social and environmental – is a prerequisite for making investments that achieve their goals equitably. Federal agencies have begun developing tools that can help give communities the detailed understanding necessary for achieving more equitable outcomes in all three of these domains. Several of these tools include the EPA’s EJScreen, an environmental-justice screening and mapping tool; HUD’s Location Affordability Portal, which provides estimates of household housing and transportation costs at the neighborhood level to help users make more informed decisions about where to live, work and invest; and, HUD’s Healthy Communities Assessment Tool that compares neighborhoods within a city using 40+ social, economic and physical indicators linked to health. Federal staff will present and answer questions about these resources, followed by a local community practitioner who will discuss their real-world application. Take Aways Learn about the types of indicators utilized in federal data tools that are designed to advance equitable community development. Obtain feedback and application ideas for these federal data tools from a local community end-user. Engage in firsthand experience with these tools through demonstrations. Financing Lifelong Community Suburban Retrofits for the Boomers and Beyond
Location: Skyline II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorKathy Sykes, Senior Advisor for Aging and Sustainability, Office of Research, U.S. EPA SpeakersCathy Boyer-Shesol, KC Communities for All Ages Project Manager, Mid-America Regional Council Alan DeLa Torre, Ph.D., Research Associate, Institute on Aging, Portland State University Matt Lambert, Partner, DPZ Partners, LLC Presentations → Census data shows that 70% of the Baby Boom generation lives in the suburbs and surveys show an overwhelming number want to stay in their communities as they age. Lifelong Communities is strategy to use smart growth to transform these communities so they better serve both aging and youth populations. How do we pay for this transformation? Research shows that capturing this population has huge economic and fiscal benefits. This session will look at what those benefits are and present a “business case” document targeted to local business, community, and government leaders to create wholesale transformation of aging suburban communities. We will look at how three regions – Atlanta, Phoenix and Kansas City – are leading this change, and how our host region of Portland is making this change. Take Aways Understand how older adults generate enormous economic benefits in the communities where they live. Identify the economic impact from the knowledge transfer to younger generations, direct employment, charitable and voluntary contributions, and other measures. Get tools and resources to help you make the economic/business case for lifelong development in your own communities. Optimizing Community Benefits with Shared Mobility
Location: Galleria North Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorKate Meis, Executive Director, Local Government Commission SpeakersSusan Shaheen, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, UC Berkeley Civil and Environmental Engineering; Co-Director, UC Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center; Director Innovative Mobility Research Peter Katz, Consultant, Strategic Consulting Practice Presentations → Technology-enhanced innovations like automated vehicles, carsharing, bikesharing, ridesharing and ride-hailing services are changing how we move through and experience cities. Such innovations are gaining traction across the globe as people are increasingly looking for access to a range of mobility options over individual car ownership and local governments with limited funds for transportation seek new ways of addressing mobility needs. This session will look at research and examples of innovative transportation modes and services as well as place-based strategies, such as \\\"mobility districts,\\\" to more effectively leverage public and private infrastructure investment. It will also address questions that have been raised around shared mobility, including impacts on underserved communities and disabled residents; changes in public transit ridership; and the measurable environmental or societal benefits of such strategies. Participants will leave with a better understanding of shared mobility – its current impacts and future opportunities. Take Aways Research shows that carsharing and bikesharing services are already having measurable environmental and social benefits and can fill critical transportation gaps. There is a need for more social inclusion moving forward, including mainstreaming shared mobility services to address more societal needs and providing services across the income, digital and geographic divide. Local governments can work with shared-mobility operators and form mobility-performance districts to connect public and private services for increased mobility access and fiscal strength. Tackling Poverty and Environmental Sustainability through Public Interest Design
Location: Parlor Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH 1.5 ModeratorMonica Hernandez, Public Information Director, Sacramento Area Council of Governments SpeakersMike McKeever, Chief Executive Officer, Sacramento Area Council of Governments Rachel Rios, Director, La Familia Counseling Center Sergio Palleroni, AIA, Professor, Director, Center for Public Interest Design, School of Architecture, Portland State University BD Wortham-Galvin, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, Portland State University Presentations → Poverty and sustainability are two of the most vexing problems confronting people and the planet. The Center for Public Interest Design (CPID) tackles these two issues head-on in community projects in the most challenging places throughout the world. In 2014, they brought their unique model to two lower-income neighborhoods in Sacramento that are designated for priority attention by the state’s global-warming cap-and-trade program. Using techniques that have yielded strong results in communities throughout the United States (New Orleans, Houston, Detroit and several Native American reservations) and the world (Mexico City, Haiti, Africa, Mongolia, China and Buenos Aires), CPID has worked for the past year with the Sacramento Council of Governments, the City and County of Sacramento, and key community organizations in each neighborhood to develop creative ideas to improve the quality of life for residents and improve the environment. Both projects are at the beginning stages of implementation. Take Aways Knowledge of cutting-edge engagement techniques and how they have been used effectively with severely challenged communities around the globe. Knowledge of widely applicable low-cost techniques for implementing projects that the community helps to design, construct and operate. Understanding how a statewide environmental model that identifies local environmentally impacted communities can identify and target funding to low-income and environmentally challenged neighborhoods. |
3 PM – 3:30 PM | Coffee Break |
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Concurrent Implementation Workshops #MoreThanAVillage: Collaboration and Climate-Change Adaptation
Location: Galleria North Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorAllison Brooks, Executive Director, Bay Area Regional Collaborative SpeakersMeg Arnold, Project Leader, Valley Vision Steve Frisch, President, Sierra Business Council, Sierra Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Partnership Joe Casola, CIG Deputy Director, Climate Impacts Group; University of Washington, College of the Environment Presentations → In a world with a rapidly changing climate where we face great uncertainties and even greater threats to the wellbeing of our communities and ecosystems, how should we respond? Many local and regional organizations across the nation are already undertaking actions to build resilience, but efforts are disconnected as institutional silos prevent the level of action needed to address the defining crisis of our time. In this session, participants will see that it takes #MoreThanAVillage to respond and adapt to climate change quickly, effectively and equitably. We will dive into 3 aspects of climate adaptation that highlight the importance of collaboration: building business resilience, strengthening the urban-rural connection, and responding to extreme weather events. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on design thinking and modeling around how they can initiate or enhance collaborative efforts in their own communities to advance climate adaptation. Take Aways Learn about 3 aspects of climate adaptation that highlight the importance of collaboration through case study presentations. Discuss opportunities and challenges of collaborating to adapt to climate change quickly, effectively and equitably. Engage in design thinking and modeling to initiate or enhance collaborative efforts in your own community. Beyond Talk: A Tool for Planning and Evaluating Equitable-Development Projects and Plans
Location: Pavilion East Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorShauen Pearce, Executive Director, Harrison Neighborhood Association SpeakersJoan Vanhala, Coalition Organizer, Alliance for Metropolitan Stability Ishmael Israel, Executive Director, Program Development Manager, Umoja Community Development Corporation Allison Bell, Project Manager, Everyday Equity, Metro Transit Presentations → With growing support for equitable development, communities, government and developers are struggling with – what is required of a planning or development project to be equitable? An Equitable Development Principles & Scorecard tool has been created by Twin Cities, MN, community leaders to ensure that the principles and practices of equitable development, environmental justice and affordability are applied in all communities as they plan for economic development and wealth creation that benefits everyone. The Twin Cities MPO, the Metropolitan Council, has joined as a partner to integrate the Scorecard into their work plans to achieve equitable results from public investments in the region. This flexible, user-friendly tool provides environmental justice communities, government, and developers a common starting point when assessing land use plans and economic development projects. In a hands-on session, led by the Scorecard creators, participants will apply the Scorecard in a dynamic process that evaluates the equitable practices of a development project case study. Take Aways Learn about a community-driven process that led to government policy change. Participants will apply the Scorecard to a case study, learning directly the dynamic elements of equitable development as applied through an assessment tool. Participants will engage in a dynamic dialogue within small groups on the possible application of the Scorecard in their communities. Tales from the Trenches: Culture, Love, Equity Planning and Real Talk
Location: Broadway I-II Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorJackie Keliiaa, Planner, Community Builder, Blue Star Studio Inc. SpeakersScott Moore y Medina, Principal Architect, Community Builder, Blue Star Studio, Inc. David Jaber, Co-Chair, Sustainable Neighborhoods Committee, U.S. Green Building Council, Northern California Chapter PennElys Droz, Executive Director, Sustainable Nations Dawn Jourdan, Director and Associate Professor, Regional and City Planning, University of Oklahoma Presentations → “Growth is good” often permeates conversations in rural, tribal and economically disadvantaged communities. Unplanned and unchecked growth, however, may have more negative ramifications than benefits, destroying economic diversity and exacerbating issues faced by vulnerable populations. Many communities are now redefining growth on their own terms. Access and equity from a cultural perspective is a vital part of the smart growth dialogue. We will explore emerging solutions for reclaiming social, economic and cultural health. This session showcases evolved concepts of equitable smart growth: (1) working as embedded community collaborator while growing external partnerships; (2) building intergenerational capacity; (3) developing knowledge beyond science and demographics through stories and experience; (4) visioning with culture as a driving force; (5) managing conflict and adversity. Each element will be described in the context of a planning process. Participants will interact and practice with knowledge gained in response to key questions crafted by the team. Take Aways Participants will learn from triumphs and failures experienced from real projects. An interactive group exercise will allow dialogue about solutions while exploring “finding your heart” when working side-by-side with culturally diverse populations. Participants will identify equity concerns shaping community and identify opportunities for treating such concerns as targeted, re-tooled smart growth issues. Participants will be empowered to start something in their community as caring co-investigators and embedded collaborators to achieve results that are easier, attainable and more affordable than previously imagined. Beyond Widgets: Scaling Up Food Enterprises in America’s Foodiest Small Town
Location: Pavilion West Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2PDH 2 ModeratorCaroline Paras, Economic Community Planner, Greater Portland Council of Governments, Portland, ME SpeakersTracy Michaud Stutzman, Ph.D., Chair, Tourism and Hospitality Degree Program, Lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality, University of Southern Maine Presentations → Economic development is not just about making widgets anymore. In this workshop, we will pilot concrete place-making tools – an electronic audience polling system, multimedia, and an outside, inside and in-between exercise - using urban and rural communities as case studies, including Portland, Maine. In 2014, Portland was selected by the White House as one of the nation’s 12 Manufacturing Communities and the first to focus on food production as economic development. Much of this activity is happening in East Bayside, a light-industrial district that is incubating a variety of beverage companies, including makers of wine, cider, beer, kombucha, spirits and coffee. Selected for a 2015 Brownfields Area-wide Planning Grant, East Bayside is also Maine’s poorest and most racially diverse Census tract. Following our case studies, we turn the tables to help you identify partnerships that facilitate economic and community development. Take Aways Participants will learn how to use three concrete placemaking tools to engage the public in community planning. Participants will learn that a region’s economy can grow by leveraging local assets for tourism, community development and job creation. Participants will leave ready to engage their own universities and students as resources for community development. The Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper Transformation of Public Spaces
Location: Galleria South Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2 ModeratorNidhi Gulati, Associate, Project for Public Spaces SpeakersMark Lakeman, Co-founder, City Repair Project Tiffany Tononi, Program Manager, Building Sustainable Communities, Urban Neighborhood Initiative Michael Edwards, President and CEO, Chicago Loop Alliance Philip Winn, Senior Associate, Project for Public Spaces Presentations → Comprised of case studies, best practices and a hands-on charrette element, this session will highlight high-impact strategies to transform public spaces that can be implemented in a “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper” way – that is, quickly and affordably to foster places that are more vibrant, walkable and safe. From lane restripings and converting street right-of-way to plaza space, to pavement painting, colorful amenities and active programming, communities have opportunities to ‘test out” a public-space makeover with strategies that could be rolled out within a few days, or a few months. This LQC approach to public-space projects helps to build community support, allows for experimentation and evaluation, and can yield short-term successes that lead to more permanent improvements to the public realm. This session will feature speakers that have helped implement a wide variety of projects across the globe, focusing on best practices, lessons learned and overcoming challenges. Take Aways How to transform your public realm in a short amount of time for maximum impact, including physical changes, programming and new amenities. The speakers will share examples from around the globe and a variety of scales to show how you can take action in your own city/neighborhood/community. What does it take to create a successful public-space activation plan, including multi-faceted community engagement and outreach, developing a vision, prioritization and action-plan. Learn about the typical outcomes/benefits that result from public-space activations (e.g., safety, accessibility, attachment, capacity-building, economic and social benefits). This session will also cover methods for measuring some of these benefits, especially economic impacts. Target the Right Places and Policies to Make Your Community More Livable: AARP Livability Index
Location: Skyline II Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorBandana Shrestha, Director, Community Engagement, AARP Oregon SpeakersRuth Randleman, Mayor, City of Carlisle, IA Eliot Rose, Manager, ICF International Aaron Ray, AICP, Planner, City of Hillsboro, OR Presentations → The AARP Livability Index is a first-of-its kind tool that measures livability at the neighborhood level across the entire U.S. The tool captures housing, neighborhood quality, transportation, the environment, health, engagement, and opportunity, and can be used to assess how livability varies for residents of different incomes, ages, and races/ethnicities. This session will train participants in using the Livability Index, as well as describe the process of creating the Index so that participants can better understand how to measure what matters most to their own communities. The speakers will share their experiences on how they have used the Index in their communities, and participants will have the chance to explore the tool in small group breakout sessions so that they can discuss the opportunities and challenges facing their communities. Take Aways Livability Index: what it is, why and how it was developed, and how to use it. Applying of the Index in measuring and benchmarking livability. Developing and implementing the right policies to address gaps and challenged to enhance livability. MultiCultural, MultiEthnic and MultiMedia: New Partners and Tools for PolicyMakers/Practitioners
Location: Broadway III-IV Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 2 ModeratorAnita Yap, Principal and Founder, The MultiCultural Collaborative SpeakersTony DeFalco, Program Coordinator, Verde Kirstin Greene, Managing Principal, Cogan Owens Greene Joy Alise Davis, Owner, Design + Culture Lab Cary Watters, Community Engagement Manager, Native American Youth and Family Center Presentations → Portland’s regional demographics are rapidly changing to a more racially diverse population. More than 50% of the high-school students in Portland are students of color and over one in five Portlanders are foreign-born. How are we engaging new partners to assure that our public polices address the needs of our future communities? Come hear from our award-winning multicultural team of top professionals in Portland and learn cutting edge strategies and techniques for authentically engaging racially diverse communities in public policy and economic development. The MultiCultural Collaborative will highlight several projects, including the Metro regional government and the cities of Portland and Gresham that received the 2015 IAP2 USA Core Values Project of the Year. Our dynamic team will discuss strategies and techniques that have a broad application for creating equitable and sustainable communities for the future. Take Aways Interactive, multimedia examples for diverse community engagement. Locally based economic development and anti-displacement strategies in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Best practices for working with diverse communities, including Urban Indians, Immigrants and Refugees, African American, Latino, African Immigrants, Russian-speaking and Asian and Pacific Islanders communities, multicultural youth and elders for community visioning, multilingual design charrettes and equity policy development. High-Tech/High-Touch Tools Workshop
Location: Grand Ballroom II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2PDH 2 ModeratorBill Lennertz, Director, National Charrette Institute SpeakersKen Snyder, Director, PlaceMatters Anne Kuechenmeister, Program Director, PlaceMatter James Rojas, Founder, Place It Presentations → Are you confused by the wide range of high-tech planning tools available? Do you have trouble picking the right tools for your projects? This session will give you a hands-on introduction to effective high-tech tools for stakeholder engagement and idea-generation communication. It will also give you a solid grounding in civic-engagement best practices and effective community processes, which will help build your capacity to choose tools for yourself. Part of the workshop will show the results of the Portland Small Blocks, Superblocks and the Historic Laurence Halprin Fountains Walkshop Tour. Tour participants were given an opportunity to practice using the smartphone app WalkScope to document and assess walkability. Take Aways Learn how to pick the right high-tech tools for your project to maximize community involvement. Learn how to augment traditional community outreach methods with web-based tools. Learn how to use MapMatters in a walking audit workshop. Fastrak to Opportunity: CT’s First Rapid Transit Corridor
Location: Salon II-III Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorLyle Wray, Executive Director, Capitol Region Council of Governments SpeakersGarrett Eucalitto, Undersecretary for Transportation Policy and Planning, Office of Policy and Management Anne Hayes, Director, Parking and Mass Transit, Travelers Diana Deng, Policy and Communications Analyst, Partnership for Strong Communities Melvyn Colon, Executive Director, Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA) Presentations → CTfastrak is the nation’s newest Bus Rapid Transit line. More than a dedicated 9.4-mile Hartford-New Britain busway, it offers routes branching to malls, hospitals, large employers and 115,000 jobs within a mile of the corridor. Opposition, bureaucratic delays and funding uncertainty were barriers. Connecticut’s municipalities have been a “car culture.” with little transit experience or development capacity. The panelists will provide a primer, describing the advocacy, legislative and fiscal steps and tools employed to help CTfastrak spark mixed-income housing, job creation, healthcare access and other improvements, including planning and funding, environmental remediation, housing advocacy, incentives, TOD funding, and station-by-station progress reports and next steps. The session will show housing, transportation and smart-growth advocates how to avoid the pitfalls that endanger new development, affordable housing and a new transportation mode in a region that has no background in the area. Take Aways Participants will learn tools to assist towns with proactive housing creation and development. Participants will understand how to set realistic expectations for ridership growth and return on investment for new transit. Learn about best practices for municipalities and government agencies to communicate to the public – and with each other – in effective ways. No Drama? Actually, We Want More on Rural Main Streets!
Location: Skyline I Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorChris Beck, Senior Projects Advisor, USDA Rural Development SpeakersTed Jojola, Distinguished and Regents’ Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, University of New Mexico F. Javier Torres, Director of National Grantmaking, ArtPlace America Michaela Shirley, Professional Intern, Indigenous Design and Planning Institute, School of Architecture and Planning, University of New Mexico Sarah Kavage, Co-Artistic Director, Duwamish River Revealed; Artist, Environmental Coalition of South Seattle Presentations → Back by popular demand, this uplifting and provocative session will explore ways in which rural towns are using the arts and culture to enhance their places and fostering a revised economic approach. For rural towns to survive, they will certainly need broadband and other updated infrastructure, but they also will need to be places that young people might want to move to and where retirees might consider settling. Cultural opportunities will be critical to success. The movement around creative placemaking continues to take root as tenacious rural social entrepreneurs are doing all they can to incorporate art, artists, and cultural offerings as a core ingredient to their communities and as a means of fostering equity and social justice. We will hear about an array of projects, including artist residencies, festivals, the role of performance and storytelling, public engagement strategies and more. If you want to start scheming about how to transform a rural place you love, whether you live there or not, please join us. Take Aways Learn about the various types of creative placemaking approaches that are being deployed in rural communities. Participants will see how various government funds can be layered with philanthropic and other private funds in creative ways. Participants will be inspired to explore ways that arts and cultural strategies can be incorporated as part of helping rural towns chart their futures. Sea-Level Rise to Tsunamis: Strategies for Coastal Resilience
Location: Parlor Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 2PDH/HSW 2 ModeratorSarah van der Schalie, Coastal Management Specialist, NOAA Office for Coastal Management SpeakersJeannette Dubinin, Project Manager, Planning and Implementation, Center for Planning Excellence Laren Woolley, Coastal Shores Specialist, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, Ocean-Coastal Management Program Wendy Goodfriend, Senior Planner, San Francisco Conservation and Development Commission Nancy Gassman, Ph.D., LEED Green Associate, Assistant Public Works Director, Sustainability, City of Fort Lauderdale, FL Presentations → Come ready to get your feet wet and learn how to keep your community dry. Join us for a workshop filled with opportunities to engage with experienced practitioners who will share model tools, best practices and proven approaches to implementing changes that build more resilient communities. Stories and solutions about flooding from storm surge, tsunamis, sea-level rise and precipitation will be shared from across the United States. Come hear about community-based approaches, which range from assessing flood risks and vulnerabilities, to planning and implementing actions to help communities become more resilient to hazards in a changing climate. When you leave this workshop, you will have strategies and tools to help improve flood resilience in your community. Take Aways Participants will learn about three coastal communities working to reduce flood risk. Participants will engage in discussions with practitioners working on reducing flood risk. Participants will leave with concrete tools and strategies they can apply in their communities to improve flood resilience. |
5:30 PM | Dinner - Participants on own |
Saturday | |
7 AM – 8:30 AM | Conference Registration / Breakfast Networking Activities |
7:15 AM – 8:30 AM | Health in All Policies (HiAP): A discussion about current HiAP practice in the U.S. Description
Location: Galleria North This discussion will focus on the incorporation and implementation of Health in All Policies (HiAP) Strategies at the local level. Population health outcomes are directly linked to community planning and development or redevelopment, which is why it is important to consider health in all decision making processes. We encourage all HiAP practitioners to attend this discussion to talk about your personal experience with HiAP. We also encourage anyone interested in learning more about HiAP and its connections to smart growth to join our discussion. The goal of this discussion is to gain insight into HiAP practitioner’s experiences as well as share information on the role of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in HiAP research and implementation at the local level. |
8:30 AM –10 AM | Morning Plenary Private Sector Solutions for Public Benefit Projects
Location: Grand Ballroom Accredited by:CM 1.5 SpeakersKate Meis, Executive Director, Local Government Commission Steve Hansen, Councilmember, City of Sacramento Peter Luchetti, Founder, Table Rock Capital; Vice Chair, California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank Rick Cole, City Manager, City of Santa Monica, CA Presentations → Local governments are taking on greater responsibility – from addressing climate change to accommodating increasing demands from a growing population – at a time when they are facing a multitude of fiscal constraints. Funding from state and federal aid and sales tax is declining and infrastructure improvements and maintenance (often already long deferred) are lagging. As the old proverb goes, “necessity is the mother of invention”— the public sector will be pushed to whole new levels of ingenuity to sustainably accommodate growth and meet escalating infrastructure needs. Kate Meis will set the stage for this discussion highlighting the challenges of funding critical public infrastructure and how these challenges are helping to drive new private-sector partnerships. Following her presentation, Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Hansen will facilitate a conversation between Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole and Peter Luchetti, Vice Chair of the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank and Founder of Table Rock Capital, around opportunities they see (from the public- and private-sector perspectives) to develop private-sector partnerships and solutions to fund public-benefit projects. |
10 AM – 10:30 AM | Morning Break |
10:15 AM – 3:15 PM | Extended Training Collaborative Problem-Solving Through Public Interest Design – includes box lunch
Location: Broadway I-II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 4.5 ModeratorJamie Blosser, Executive Director, Santa Fe Art Institute SpeakersAlex Salazar, Principal, Salazar Architect Sanford Garner, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP ND, Founding Partner and President, RGCollaborative Sergio Palleroni, AIA, Professor, Director, Center for Public Interest Design, School of Architecture, Portland State University Cat Goughnour, Equity Consultant, Radix Consulting Group, LLC Presentations → This four and one-half hour training will provide conference attendees with an overview of public interest design practices. According to architectural researchers, architects have expressed a strong desire to navigate the shift from ‘client desire‘ to ‘community needs‘. This training will provide an introduction to public interest design and the skill sets employed for addressing community needs through a case study approach. Design professionals will share how balancing stewardship of the built environment with being socially responsible is resulting in opportunities to assist communities that are underserved, under-resourced, and overburdened. This training is for a multidisciplinary audience. Public interest design is equally about strong community involvement and engaging in a meaningful dialogue with an ever increasingly aware society. The audience will be exposed to the availability of new tools and methods which support making informed decisions based on putting community members at the center of the place-making process. Take Aways Learn how design professionals are working with the public to promote and facilitate a more ethical and equitable role for client communities as well as practitioners. Participants will learn about the Social, Economic, and Environmental (SEED) metric for gauging the impact of design practices. Participants will understand the transferability of design driven by community as a collaborative approach. |
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM | Concurrent Trainings – includes box lunch Techniques for Providing Diverse, Equitable, and Affordable Housing Choices
Location: Pavilion West Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 2.5 ModeratorDaniel Parolek, Principal, Opticos Design, Inc. SpeakersDena Belzer, President, Strategic Economics Jim Tischler, Director, Community Development Division, Michigan State Housing Development Authority Mary Kyle McCurdy, Policy Director and Staff Attorney, 1000 Friends of Oregon Eli Spevak, Owner, Orange Splot, LLC Presentations → Are you dealing with housing issues in your community such markets, how to integrate ancillary units or other compatible multi-unit housing types into neighborhoods, or how to succeed in the often-heated discussion about density? If so, this workshop will be led by a multi-disciplinary panel of national experts that have successfully addressed these issues in communities, large and small, across the country that were striving to achieve smart-growth objectives and meet the growing demand for walkable communities. The conversation will be in-depth and engaging, and you will leave this workshop with practical tools and ideas to apply in your community. Take Aways An understanding of the range of affordable housing techniques and tools that are being effectively used across the country. An overview of the types of non-single family housing the market is demanding and how and where you should be allowing them in your communities to achieve smart growth and affordability goals. Techniques for discussing infill and density effectively with community members. Building on Our Assets: Data-Based Approaches to Community-Powered Revitalization
Location: Salon I Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 2.5PDH 2.5 ModeratorEmilie Evans, Director, Rightsizing Cities Initiative, PlaceEconomics SpeakersPrashant Singh, CTO, LocalData Cara Bertron, Chair, Preserving Rightsizing Network Aaron Bartley, Executive Director and Co-Founder, PUSH Buffalo Nick Hamilton, Director of Urban Policy and the Legacy Cities Partnership, The American Assembly, Columbia University Presentations → In legacy cities, strategic decision-making is critical and leveraging local assets is key. Data-driven, tech-savvy revitalization strategies using smart technology enable local leaders to determine neighborhood interventions for the built and natural environments, while also facilitating local participation in collection efforts. Clear, comprehensive data supports preserving existing, character-rich neighborhoods, focusing limited demolition funding, and advancing land use decisions. The historic-preservation and environmental-justice communities bring versatile expertise to these processes that facilitates real, practical metrics for decision-makers to use in evaluating neighborhood assets. Session leaders will briefly discuss examples of current data-driven planning strategies and established metrics for assessing the historic built and natural environments as well as facilitate audience development of new metrics based on local elements of import in their communities. Using LocalData’s smartphone survey platform, participants will walk to a nearby neighborhood to implement these techniques and metrics live, with time at the end for reflection and brief analysis. Take Aways Participants will learn innovative, asset-based and practical metrics for assessing the historic built and natural environments in legacy cities that inform strategic land use decisions. Participants will understand the value of activating the preservation and environmental-justice communities in smart-growth decision-making through data collection. Participants will experience firsthand how to craft and use smartphone survey platforms, develop relevant field metrics, enable local participation in gathering data, and analyze results. Rooting and Capturing Local Wealth: Tools and Strategies to Make It Stick
Location: Galleria North Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2.5 ModeratorKathy Nothstine, Program Director, National Association of Counties SpeakersDeb Markley, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Center for Rural Entrepreneurship Leslie Gimeno, Planning Director, Planning Department, Cape May County NJ Bridget Jones, Executive Director, Cumberland Regional Tomorrow Presentations → Asset-based economic development strategies have been touted by policymakers and researchers alike as a viable and competitive economic development approach for rural and mid-sized communities. Rarely though do local governments and their partners have the tools and resources needed to implement this framework. This interactive training will guide participants to generate creative strategies for strengthening local economies by building and capturing wealth that is rooted in local people, places and firms. This session will introduce a systematic approach to economic development that engages a wide range of partners and builds on place-based strategies, such as downtown revitalization, cultural resource development and value-added agriculture. Attendees will participate in hands-on exercises (including asset mapping and value chain modeling), gain access to tools and resources, and learn from the outcomes of NACo’s pilot County Prosperity Summits program. Take Aways Participants will learn about methods for strengthening relationships among local and regional players in community and economic development. Session leaders will share examples of ways to deepen and sustain local asset-based economic development, using specific sectors and places as case studies. Participants will engage in exercises to use tools to infuse equitable-development principles and place-based strategies into local economic-development plans. The Path to Implementation: Innovative Tools to Make Your Plans Happen
Location: Pavilion East Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 2.5 ModeratorDavid Harris, Board Member, PlaceMatters SpeakersAlex Steinberger, Project Manager, Fregonese Associates Paul Waddell, Consultant, Autodesk Matthew Conway, Software Developer, Conveyal Presentations → How do some communities put their plans into motion and effectively redevelop sections of town, change land use rules, and attract compact new development? Why do other plans languish and sit on shelves? The secret’s in the planning process. Learn about creative and interactive planning approaches, web tools, and living documents that can help engage the community and bring your plans to life. This session covers tools featured during the New Partners Tech Fair with case studies of projects where the tools and techniques helped towns gain public and political support and implement their programs. Participate in an interactive training session led by PlaceMatters with hands-on demonstrations. You’ll explore tools and techniques highlighted by the panelists, including new apps for crowdsourcing data on transit connectivity, interactive design platforms, and tools for collaborative decision-making. Take Aways Participants see the value and possibilities for interactive online tools as a way to engage and educate residents. Participants learn how to increase equity in the planning process by using different strategies to engage populations with different needs and interests. Participants come away with ideas for creative, alternative styles of planning documents to increase awareness and participation. |
10:30 AM – 12 PM | Concurrent Breakouts Community Strategies in Gentrifying Neighborhoods: A Los Angeles Perspective
Location: Skyline I Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorHelen Leung, Co-Executive Director, LA-Más SpeakersGio Aliano, Vice President, Architecture, Adobe Communities Amanda Daflos, Director, Innovation Team, Los Angeles Mayor’s Office Remy De La Peza, Director of Planning and Policy Counsel, Little Tokyo Service Center Mike Dennis, Director of Community Organizing, East LA Community Corporation Presentations → What does authentic, creative and effective community engagement and program implementation regarding equitable change look like in Los Angeles’ gentrifying neighborhoods? A diverse Los Angeles-based panel will share lessons in engaging low-income, under-represented and minority community members of Boyle Heights, Frogtown and Little Tokyo on neighborhood values and priorities in face of increased land speculation and infrastructure investments. This session will also highlight neighborhood-based efforts on citywide policy conversations about affordable housing, neighborhood growth and cultural preservation. It will also feature how the Mayor’s Innovation Team, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and focused on inclusive neighborhood development, are developing metric-oriented strategies for ensuring that existing residents and businesses are able stay in their communities. Discussion will focus on diverse community-engagement initiatives, effective neighborhood-based programs, and new citywide policy endeavors. Take Aways Traditional models of community workshops are not adequate in addressing neighborhood concerns. What are some principles in meaningful community engagement? Gentrification is complex and inclusive consensus building is often a challenge. How do we ensure that under represented populations are part of the process? A partnership between community-based organizations and local government is essential. What are some ways to leverage political will and create policy change? Community Wealth Building and Sustainability: Innovation in Native Communities
Location: Parlor Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorSteve Dubb, Director of Special Projects, The Democracy Collaborative SpeakersSharice Davids, Deputy Director, Thunder Valley Community Development Corp. Rey España, Deputy Director, Native American Youth and Family Center Robert Lilligren, CEO, Little Earth of United Tribes Presentations → Since 2013, The Democracy Collaborative has facilitated an intensive co-learning initiative with five Native American organizations, two urban and three reservation-based. The “Learning Action/Lab for Community Wealth Building” builds and retains wealth in Native communities by fostering community ownership and developing employee-owned businesses and social enterprises connected to sustainability strategies. This session will feature three of the participating groups: The Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, which is applying smart-growth principles on the Pine Ridge reservation while building community wealth through the creation of an employee-owned housing construction company; Little Earth of United Tribes, which seeks to develop a “Green Impact Zone” program in south Minneapolis; and the Native American Youth and Family Center in Portland, a partner in Portland’s Living Cully eco-district. At least 30 minutes of the session will be allocated for open-floor exchange of questions, ideas and experiences among the panelists and participants. Take Aways Enhance understanding of the challenges involved in implementing sustainability and equitable development strategies in the American Indian community. Gain familiarity with some of the more innovative sustainability strategies being implemented by Native American groups, both urban and rural. Learn how approaches such as learning cohorts, peer-to-peer learning and network building can help foster sustainable community wealth-building strategies. Understanding the Benefits of Special District Financing
Location: Grand Ballroom II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorDebbie Bassert, Assistant Vice President, Land Use & Design, National Association of Home Builders SpeakersCarter Froelich, Managing Principal, Development Planning and Finance Group, Inc. Steve Heaney, Director of Public Finance, Stifel Presentations → Coming out of the recession, there’s been a major shift in the way development projects are financed. On the public sector side of the coin, revenue streams are more constrained than ever. This session will show how a variety of special district financing approaches have emerged to fill the financing gap, providing more reliable, equitable, efficient and effective ways to fund projects and public improvements in advance of growth compared with “pay as you go” approaches. Take Aways Learn about the array of special-district financing tools that are available based on a recent report prepared by DPFG, Inc., for the National Association of Home Builders. Understand the many benefits of this approach for both the public and private sectors, plus consumers, compared with other municipal finance tools. Hear how they can and have been used together successfully to fill the financing gaps that exist today. Moving Forward without Leaving them Behind: Open Spaces for an Aging Population
Location: Broadway III-IV Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorRoxanne Blackwell, Esq., Director of Federal Government Affairs, American Society of Landscape Architects SpeakersBrian Bainnson, ASLA, Landscape Architect, Quatrefoil Inc. Madeline Brozen, Program Manager, UCLA Complete Streets Initiative Alissa Turtletaub, Senior Planner, Planning and Design, Miami Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, FL Presentations → What do seniors need in parks and open space? Accommodating the needs of seniors in our public spaces is easy and takes a basic understanding of the aging process and the ability to look at the built environment from a senior’s perspective. This session combines research and case studies from urban design, gerontology and physical-activity literature. See what they reveal and explore examples of senior-friendly U.S. and international parks. The panelists will look at the current state of public parks and open spaces, and how they are or are not meeting the needs of seniors and others with physical and/or cognitive limitations. The panelists will examine recently built projects to provide specific examples of how the projects are successfully dealing with or failing to deal with these populations. Participants will also get a firsthand perspective from the demographics affected by this type of design. Take Aways Participants will understand seniors’ needs and preferences for open space, physical activity, and social interaction – and how they compare with the general population. Participants will identify local perspective examples of how urban communities are planning and designing with the elderly in mind. Learn methods and best practices to address planning for an aging population, and how the differing needs of seniors can inform the design of parks and open spaces. Equitable Creative Placemaking: Fact or Fiction
Location: Galleria South Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH 1.5 ModeratorRegina Smith, Senior Program Officer, The Kresge Foundation SpeakersNichole June Mahner, President and CEO, Northwest Health Foundation F. Javier Torres, Director of National Grantmaking, ArtPlace America Lynne McCormack, Program Director, Creative Placemaking, LISC Presentations → Creative Placemaking – the process of leveraging the power of arts and culture for community and economic development – is often equated with gentrification and displacement. This session will explore how social equity can be central to arts- and cultural-based, cross-sector and comprehensive approaches to community development. Three national organizations – The Kresge Foundation, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and ArtPlace America – will discuss their organizational evolution to focus on arts- and culture-based approaches to community development that have equity at the core. Northwest Health Foundation, a regional funder located in Portland, who will provide on-the-ground context. Take Aways How are the panelists thinking about the intersection of arts and culture with community development and social equity has evolved. How are the panelists working across traditional functional areas within their organizations to integrate arts-based approaches. How are the panelists fostering partnerships across sectors outside their organizations with different types of partners. Eyesores to Eye Candy: Land Recycling Strategies
Location: Skyline II Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH 1.5 ModeratorIgnacio Dayrit, Program Director, Center for Creative Land Recycling SpeakersJenn Bildersee, Program Coordinator, City of Portland Brownfields Program Matthew Dalbey, Ph.D., Director, Office of Sustainable Communities, U.S. EPA Seth Otto, Senior Planner, Maul Foster Alongi Stacy Frost, Senior Engineer, Maul Foster Alongi Presentations → Every urban community has at least one: an area of town that used to be a vibrant hub of industrial or commercial activity but now sits vacant, attracting crime and depressing property values. The challenges associated with returning such neglected properties to productive reuse can be daunting, but the potential benefits are equally numerous. This session will use case studies to explore specific innovative strategies and tools employed by urban and rural communities in the Pacific Northwest to turn community eyesores into community assets. What sort of policy reforms can your city institute to encourage such a site’s redevelopment? How can you ensure that the end use benefits the surrounding community and matches their vision for the site? What tools are available to help you work through these issues? These questions, and yours, will be answered by seasoned land-recycling practitioners in this informative and interactive session. Take Aways Participants will acquire tools and strategies for addressing land recycling challenges in a sustainable and equitable fashion in their communities. Participants will learn what land recycling strategies and tools worked and which didn’t for other communities similar to their own. Participants will gain inspiration and confidence to take on the challenge of land recycling in their own communities. Stemming the Tide of Transit-Oriented Displacement: Innovative Analysis, Policy and Funding
Location: Salon II-III Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH 1.5 ModeratorMiriam Zuk, Project Director, Center for Community Innovation, UC Berkeley SpeakersLisa Bates, Associate Professor and Director, Center for Urban Studies, Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University Karina Milchman, Regional Planner and Housing Specialist, Metropolitan Area Planning Council Gretchen Nicholls, Program Officer, LISC Twin Cities Doug Smith, Staff Attorney, Public Counsel Presentations → As metropolitan areas across country invest in more transit-oriented developments, communities struggle to ensure that such investments don’t lead to displacement of low-income households and minority communities. Come hear how diverse cities and stakeholders across the country are stemming the tide of transit-oriented displacement using innovative and collaborative data analysis, advocacy networks, funding and policy tools. Take Aways What the research and practice says about why communities are associating TOD with displacement. The most effective data analysis techniques that inform anti-displacement strategies policy and practice. How to build and sustain cross-sectoral collaborations that are necessary to move anti-displacement campaigns forward. |
12 PM – 1:45 PM | Networking Lunch (Box Lunch Provided) |
1:45 PM - 3:15 PM | Afternoon Breakouts Hazagation: Simultaneously Planning for Natural Hazards and Climate Change
Location: Galleria South Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorCatherine Allen, Senior Advisor for Resilience, Office of Sustainable Communities, U.S. EPA SpeakersMissy Stults, Doctoral Candidate and Researcher, University of MichiganKristin Baja, Climate and Resilience Planner, Office of Sustainability, Baltimore City Department of Planning Carl Spector, Director of Environment Department, City of Boston, MA Juliette Hayes, Risk Analysis Branch Chief, Mitigation Division, FEMA, Region IX Presentations → Hazagation is the integration of climate change into multi-hazard mitigation planning. This session will explore hazagation by bringing together three communities that have successfully integrated climate change into their FEMA-approved, multi-hazard mitigation plan. These communities will discuss why they chose this path, what they did to achieve this marriage, and lessons they have for others. We will also discuss how successful these communities are in implementing their combined hazard and climate adaptation plans. A FEMA representative will also be on hand to answer questions and provide additional clarity about how others can begin hazagating. This session will open and close with a facilitated Q&A session, followed by panel presentations and a facilitated, interview-like discussion with the audience. Participants will receive a “cheat sheet’ of tips from the panelists detailing how to move forward with embedding climate change into hazard-mitigation planning. Take Aways Knowledge about different approaches for embedding climate change into hazard-mitigation planning. Deeper understanding for different techniques to engage the public, especially non-traditional stakeholders, in the climate change and hazard-mitigation planning process. Ideas for how to integrate climate change into your community\'s hazard-mitigation plan. Accountable Development: Moving Community from the Back Seat to the Drivers Seat
Location: Broadway III-IV Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH 1.5 ModeratorLisa Bates, Professor, Director, Center for Urban Studies, College of Urban and Public Affairs, Portland State University SpeakersNikki Fortunato Bas, Executive Director, Partnership for Working Families Raahi Reddy, Steering Committee Member, Jade District and Powell Division Transit and Development Project; Board Member, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon Jahmese Myres, Campaign Director, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy; Planning Commissioner, City of Oakland, CA Dana Lucero, Senior Public Involvement Specialist, Oregon METRO Presentations → This session will explore the next frontier for smart growth: leveraging investment to build up, not displace, communities of color and low-income communities. In East Portland and West Oakland, community organizations and planning agencies are proactively bringing residents into decision-making early in the game, with new levels of mutual accountability. These new partnerships use a combination of high-tech data analysis and mapping, old-fashioned door knocking and innovative policy tools to create better jobs, housing, and transit outcomes. We’ll dive deep into the Oakland Army Base project, a massive redevelopment project that created thousands of family wage jobs and raised the bar on community oversight and accountability policies in the city. And, we’ll tell the story of how East Portland’s Asian community, already displaced once from Old Chinatown, is capitalizing on new transit investment to strengthen neighborhood infrastructure while resisting another displacement. Take Aways Learn how to build strong, enforceable three-way accountable-development agreements between municipal governments, private developers and community organizations. Learn how to use transit-planning processes to stabilize neighborhoods at risk of gentrification and displacement. Learn best practices for authentic, power-sharing collaboration between community stakeholders and planning and development agencies. The FAST and the CURIOUS! What the New Transportation Bill Means for Smart Growth
Location: Skyline I Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorDavid Taylor, President, Taylor | Future Solutions SpeakersJeff Boothe, President, Boothe Transit Consulting, LLC Rich Weaver, Director, Planning, Policy and Sustainability, American Public Transportation Association Christopher Coes, Managing Director, LOCUS Presentations → Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. 10 years in the making, FAST was anything but fast in its creation! So there are many questions and more than a few are curious about what it all means - not only for infrastructure but for Smart Growth. The Act is a five-year, fully funded bill to provide certainty for states and local governments to undertake long-term projects. Some things are old. Some things are new. How do you sort it all out? Come hear a seasoned group of transportation professionals who were involved in influencing key provisions so important to the Smart Growth community. Take Aways The fundamental provisions of the Act and the range of infrastructure covered. How it affects local governments’ ability to deliver the improvements. About new innovative finance techniques for transit-oriented development and how to take advantage of them. The Hawaiian “Secret Sauce” to Smart Growth
Location: Pavilion West Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorSamantha Thomas, Built Environment Manager, Blue Zones, LLC SpeakersDan Burden, Director of Innovation and Inspiration, Blue Zones, LLC Duane Kanuha, Planning Director, Hawaii County, HI Barett Otani, Public Information Specialist, Hawaii County, HI Marie Williams, Long Range Planner, Kauai County, HI Bev Brody, Physical Activity and Nutrition Coalition, Kauai County; Get Fit Kauai Mark Garrity, Deputy Director, Department of Transportation Services, City and County of Honolulu, HI Rowena Dagdag-Andaya, Deputy Director, Department of Public Works, Maui County, HI Presentations → Continuing the culturally-appropriate “talk story” format that was so well received at the 2013 NPSG Conference, a diverse panel representing all four island counties in Hawaii will share their “Secret Sauce” for going from planning to implementing Smart Growth strategies. The talk story panel will pour passion and working strategies for getting projects on the ground into their informal delivery. Take Aways How attending New Partners conferences built enthusiasms among key players, then spurred these counties to build partnerships and embark on a process to change deeply held organizational culture and practices. The different ways that each county is making progress in alignment with its rural or urban character. The incorporation of a new tool – peer-to-peer mobile study tours – to increase technical knowledge, build confidence, and achieve buy-in from multiple sectors. Moving from Blight Management to Proactive Land-Use Decisions
Location: Parlor Level: Advanced Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorCindy Winland, AICP, Director of Strategic Priorities, Delta Institute SpeakersJocelyn Hare, Urban Fellow, University of Chicago Harris School for Public PolicyRussell Rydin, Executive Director, South Suburban Land Bank and Development Authority Nigel Griswold, Managing Director, Dynamo Metrics Presentations → Communities across the country continue to be challenged by blight management. Intervention can be either a reactionary or deliberate method of predicting when and where there will be decline; how to choose structures to remove and deconstruct; and how to leverage those decisions to save resources, create jobs, and spur new activity. Strategic approaches to removing blight allow a community to plan for abandoning infrastructure, employ interim land-management actions, and calculate the costs and benefits of vacant land. Participants will learn about quantitative and predictive methods for addressing blight, blight enforcement, community participation, selecting sites for demolition or deconstruction, where and how to amass vacant land, and potential interim or final end uses of vacant land with a focus on open space and conservation. The panelists will draw upon the recent examples of Gary, IN, and Saginaw, MI, and their blight removal processes and opportunities. Take Aways Quantitative methods for predicting blight and selecting sites for demolition or deconstruction to minimize the spread of blight. Where and how to aggregate vacant land parcels. Potential interim or final end uses of vacant land. Implementing Parking Policy Reform
Location: Galleria North Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5 ModeratorTerri O’Connor, Principal, Transportation Planner, CDM Smith SpeakersMott Smith, Principal, Civic Enterprise Valerie Knepper, Regional Parking Initiative Project Manager, Metropolitan Transportation Commission Jeffrey Tumlin, Principal and Director of Strategy, Nelson\\Nygaard Consulting Assoicates Presentations → Parking policies have a powerful effect on land-use development patterns and mode choice. The panelists will present how implementing parking reform can further support smart growth. This session will provide the latest thinking from the Bay Area, including conditioning funds on smart parking policies, analysis of parking structures prior to funding, new parking fees, air quality-based restrictions and employment programs. Panelists from the public and private sectors, and a housing developer, will present perspectives on how parking policies can be implemented regionally and the large-scale benefits they could provide, including the San Francisco Bay Area’s progress toward a series of innovative regional parking reforms; how developers respond to parking requirements and “incentives,” including AB 744 to reduce requirements and political barriers to reform; and details about how parking reforms are being used to reduce greenhouse gases, promote multimodalism, and increase affordable and sustainable development, with Mountain View, CA, as a case study. Take Aways The importance of coordination between government agencies and flexibility to successfully address key policy issues at a regional scale. California’s new statewide legislation that will eliminate minimum parking requirements for 100% affordable, TOD, special needs and senior housing. Best practices for parking management, zoning codes, and tools for reform including: parking cash-out, reduced minimum requirements, and parking pricing policies. How to Achieve Multiple Benefits from Implementing Green Stormwater Infrastructure
Location: Skyline II Level: Intermediate Accredited by:CM 1.5PDH/HSW 1.5 ModeratorTracy Stanton, Ambassador, Coordinator, Green-Duwamish Urban Waters Partnership, US. Forest Service SpeakersKathleen Wolf, Ph.D., Research Social Scientist, College of the Environment, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington Dale Blahna, Ph.D., Research Social Scientist, U.S. Forest Service Alberto Rodriguez, Programs Manager, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition Mary Lou Soscia, Columbia River Coordinator, U.S. EPA, Region 10 Presentations → As more people live in urban areas, the importance of the quality of the urban environment is ever increasing: clean water, clean air and access to healthy food, all the while making the connection between the health of the environment to economic resiliency, social justice, civic engagement and access to nature in parks and green space. But what are the measures of a healthy urban environment, and how can communities achieve the multiple benefits (both ecological and social) from implementing green infrastructure as part of urban design and meeting regulatory requirements such as stormwater management? Through an integrated social-ecological research program called the Green Cities Research Alliance, researchers in the Puget Sound region of Washington are working with practitioners and local decision-makers to co-design and implement green infrastructure projects that address the most pressing problems facing urban social, ecological and economic conditions. Take Aways An understanding of the vital role of green infrastructure, the services it provides in an urban context and the growing connection to human health, stormwater management, social equity and climate resiliency. This will include the specific connection between nature, public health and well-being using data-linking trees to human health. How green infrastructure is being used to address social and environmental justice issues in two communities (one in WA, one in OR) impacted by poor environmental and human health conditions. The possibilities/benefits of innovative collaborations and the collective impact approach to achieving better results for communities, seen through the Urban Waters Partnership program as being demonstrated in the Green-Duwamish watershed in greater Seattle. |
3:15 PM – 4 PM | Closing Plenary The Making of a Healthy City
Location: Grand Ballroom Accredited by:CM .75 SpeakerDan Buettner, Founder, Blue Zones, LLC; National Geographic Fellow; multiple New York Times bestselling author Presentations → Dan Buettner is a National Geographic Fellow and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has discovered, through multiple expeditions with teams of research scientists specializing in population studies, the five places in the world – dubbed Blue Zones – where people live the longest, and are healthiest and happiest. They found that the lifestyles of all Blue Zones residents shared nine specific characteristics — the Power 9®. In 2009, Dan Buettner and his partner, AARP, applied principles of The Blue Zones to Albert Lea, Minnesota and successfully raised life expectancy and lowered health care costs by some 40%. He’s currently working with Healthways to implement the Blue Zones Project in 17 cities throughout America. Blue Zones works with a diverse group of stakeholders to create an action plan for communities to change their environments into safe walkable, bikeable and livable communities where individuals and businesses thrive, people longer, and health and quality of life are improved. |
Sunday | |
8:00 AM – 12 AM | Concurrent Optional Tours of Local Model Projects Tour Descriptions
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Thursday | |
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8 AM – 6 PM | Conference Registration / Morning Coffee |
8:30 AM – 9:45 AM | Optional Early Morning Sessions |
10 AM – 11:30 AM | Kick-off Plenary |
11:30 AM – 1 PM | Hosted Keynote Lunch |
12:20 PM – 1 PM | Resilient Recovery and Sustainable Redevelopment: Making the Connections, Making Progress |
1 PM – 1:30 PM | Afternoon Break |
1:30 PM – 3 PM | Concurrent Afternoon Breakouts |
1:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Afternoon Concurrent Optional Tours of Local Model Projects |
3 PM – 3:30 PM | Coffee Break |
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Concurrent Afternoon Workshops |
5:30 PM – 7 PM | Hosted Networking Reception |
7 PM | Dinner – Participants on their Own |
Friday | |
7 AM – 8:30 AM | Conference Registration / Breakfast Networking Activities |
7:15 AM – 8:30 AM | Friday Morning Networking Sessions |
8:30 AM – 9:45 AM | Morning Plenary |
9:30 AM – 3:30 PM | Interactive Technology Fair |
9:45 AM – 10:15 AM | Morning Break |
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM | Concurrent Morning Breakouts |
11:45 AM – 1:30 PM | Lunch Break – Participants on own Networking Opportunities |
12 PM – 1:15 PM | Networking Lunch for Health Professionals |
1:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Afternoon Concurrent Optional Tours of Local Model Projects |
1:30 PM – 3 PM | Concurrent Afternoon Breakouts |
3 PM – 3:30 PM | Coffee Break |
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM | Concurrent Implementation Workshops |
5:30 PM | Dinner - Participants on own |
Saturday | |
7 AM – 8:30 AM | Conference Registration / Breakfast Networking Activities |
7:15 AM – 8:30 AM | Health in All Policies (HiAP): A discussion about current HiAP practice in the U.S. |
8:30 AM –10 AM | Morning Plenary |
10 AM – 10:30 AM | Morning Break |
10:15 AM – 3:15 PM | Extended Training |
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM | Concurrent Trainings – includes box lunch |
10:30 AM – 12 PM | Concurrent Breakouts |
12 PM – 1:45 PM | Networking Lunch (Box Lunch Provided) |
1:45 PM - 3:15 PM | Afternoon Breakouts |
3:15 PM – 4 PM | Closing Plenary |
Sunday | |
8:00 AM – 12 AM | Concurrent Optional Tours of Local Model Projects |