NPSG13-01B

WORKSHOP: Partnering with Industrial Neighbors to Create Healthy, Sustainable, and Prosperous Communities

Speakers: Deidre Sanders, Bill Gallegos, Michelle Garakian, Stephanie Hall, Hilton Kelley

This session highlights successful partnerships among community groups, local governments and industry representatives to develop shared visions for their communities, build healthier neighborhoods, and create opportunities for residents and strong local economies.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

NPSG13-107

Building Community While Greening the City: The Parklet Revolution

Speakers: Ariel Ben-Amos, Senior Planner/Analyst, Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities, Philadelphia, PA; Alexis Smith, Planner / Urban Designer, City of San Francisco, CA; John Bela, Principal, Rebar. Moderator: Judy Corbett, Executive Director, Local Government Commission

The elements of a parklet – a parking spot transformed into a tiny public relaxation area – can vary, from a patch of grass-like turf and plants to an outdoor patio with seating. At a time when city budgets are severely constrained, parklets have become a popular way for residents and businesses to green their neighborhoods. Parklets got a start in 2005 in San Francisco, when staff of a design firm fed a parking meter with coins, covered the asphalt with sod, and added a potted tree. Their experiment spread like wildfire. The City responded by making parklets legal and setting up an approval process. Today parklets can be seen in neighborhoods throughout the City. The parklet concept has spread beyond SF, with different versions evolving for different climates. This session features a professional from the San Francisco Parks Department, a staff member from the Mayor’s Office in the City of Philadelphia, and a representative of Rebar, the design firm that initiated the parklet revolution.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

NPSG13-117

Are States Losing Ground? Solutions from Heartland Communities for a New Generation

Speakers: Andre LeRoux, Executive Director, Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance; Bridget Jones, Executive Director, Cumberland Regional Tomorrow; Charles Pattison, Executive Director, 1000 Friends of Florida; Senator Marci Francisco, Kansas State Senate, District 2. Moderator: Julia Seward, Principal, Julia W. Seward Consulting

Mired in stagnant budgets and escalating politics, are states a growing battle ground for sustainability policies? Or do they remain a center of innovation and practical solutions? Hear a panel of recognized advocacy leaders as they explore current political dynamics, strategies that are working, and critical future game plans. This session focuses on the lessons from several key state policy losses, strategies that are achieving results with limited budget impact, and trends that are key to future state sustainability policies across the country. Following opening presentations, panelists open a conversation about what is happening at the state policy level, implications for smart-growth practitioners everywhere, and how we grow an new generation of smart-growth state advocacy.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

NPSG13-108

Partnerships that Deliver Thriving Communities

Speakers: Ben Bakkenta, AICP, Program Manager, Puget Sound Regional Council; Rebecca Saldana, Community Benefits and Development Program Director, Puget Sound Stage; Nathaniel Smith, Founder, Partnership for Southern Equity; Shelly Griswold, Planner, City of Freeport, IL; Evelyn Curry, Neighborhood Leader, Stephenson County Health Department, IL. Moderator: Sarita Turner, Sustainable Communities Fellow, PolicyLink

Smart, sustainable planning incorporates equity principles from concept to implementation. Increasingly, governments are recognizing the value non-traditional partnerships bring to planning processes. Planning that is informed and guided by the wisdom and experiences of communities, coupled with equity-focused smart growth strategies, is winning sustainability in developments of all types. Hear how metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) and cities are working in partnership with community to bring new vision, energy and approaches to traditional planning processes. In the Puget Sound, the MPO is working in lock-step with the Puget Sound Regional Equity Network to plan equitable transit oriented development; in the Atlanta region, in collaboration with the Partnership for Southern Equity, the MPO has formalized an equity committee within its structure and developed an Equitable Target Areas Index; in Freeport, IL, the city is working hand in hand with resident leadership to redevelop a brownfield in a African-American neighborhood.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

NPSG13-160

Kick-Off Plenary — The Arrival of the 21st Century American City

Speakers: Jake Mackenzie, Councilmember, City of Rohnert Park, CA; Local Government Commission Board Member; Mark Hague, Deputy Regional Administrator, U.S. EPA, Region 7; Sly James, Mayor, City of Kansas City, MO; Mark Mallory, Mayor, City of Cincinnati, OH

(90 minute session) Communities, encouraging economic growth and improving quality of life for residents. The plenary starts with dynamic local mayors from the Kansas City metro area sharing their forward-thinking perspectives on what “community” means to them as progressive Midwestern leaders. They explain how they’ve joined forces to improve the standard of life in the region and overcome common challenges faced by local governments. They arejoined on stage by another dynamic mayor from major urban city, who presents his bold vision for a new 21st-century American city, a blueprint already in use to spark a dramatic transformation in his community. Learn how political will and strong leadership are crucial to building sustainable communities – where people live near good jobs, schools, stores and recreational opportunities – and can take advantage of transportation that easily connects them – in a 21st-century American city.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

NPSG13-227

Park Oriented Development: The Next Big Thing

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

NPSG13-109

Cities and Regions in Transition: Accentuating Assets, and Repositioning Economies for a More Prosperous Future

Speakers: Dane Walling, Mayor, City of Flint, MI; Benjamin Kennedy, Community Development Program Officer, Kresge Foundation; India Lee Pierce, Program Director for Neighborhoods, Cleveland Foundation; Tamar Shapiro, Director of Urban and Regional Policy, German Marshall Fund

Older industrial cities, both small and large, have been particular hard-hit by the recession. Building on regional assets, public-private partnerships and new funding opportunities, several such cities are transforming their economies for a stronger future. Philanthropic institutions have played a significant role in the transformation of these cities. Cleveland’s University Circle and Detroit’s Midtown are leading examples of new economic opportunities built around anchor institutions that are replacing older industrial and manufacturing centers. Flint, MI, with strong support from the local philanthropic community, is updating its master plan and zoning code to reflect current realities and reposition itself for a better and more sustainable future. The speakers address such topics as the role of anchor institutions in reviving local economies, worker-owned cooperatives, and neighborhood-based strategies that address widespread vacancy and abandonment.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

Subtotal

$70.00