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

NPSG13-242

Building New Community Partnerships to Achieve Sustainable Communities

2 hour session.

MP3

$20.00

$20.00

NPSG13-139

Communications as a Campaign: Better Planning to Achieve Real Results

Speakers: Jason Barron, Public Affairs Director, Office of Mayor Mark Mallory, Cincinnati, OH; Dani Simons, Principal, Sustainable Streets Marketing and Communications. Moderator: Elisa Ortiz, Deputy Director of Government Affairs and Outreach, Smart Growth America

(3.5 hour session) Good planning is NOT the most important part of creating successful sustainability projects. Excellent public communication is one of the most important tools you have in building long-lasting sustainability in your community and region (and in keeping your plan off the proverbial shelf). But if you're running around without any sort of communications strategy - or campaign plan - you're wasting your time. Listen as communications and campaign experts as well as local practitioners share their experiences in planning for, sometimes stumbling through, and ultimately succeeding in their communications efforts. Be guided through a basic campaign planning process and learn how to build the bones of your own strategic communications plan.

MP3

$25.00

$25.00

NPSG13-115

A Nation of Vibrant Communities: Through the Lens of Urban Trees

Speakers: Kate Corwin, Founder, Green Works Kansas City; Nancy Hughes, Executive Director, California Urban Forests Council; David Rouse, AICP, ASLA, PP, LEED AP, Principal, SRT | Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC. Moderator: Phillip Rodbell, Program Specialist, Urban and Community Forestry, USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area

It is our nature to want it all: healthy, attractive communities to live, work and play in, good jobs, more equitable distribution of resources, clean air and water. Should these be out of reach for us in our cities and towns? 25 diverse national leaders (from planning, water, forestry, local government and other sectors) didn’t think so when they converged in 2011 to create “Vibrant Cities: A Call to Action,” advocating for improved urban forests and green infrastructure to create more resilient and green communities. Building on their recommendations, the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition, a multi-disciplinary network of green community advocates, is now coordinating its members, innovators and stakeholders to help drive change from the neighborhood up. This session showcases how non-traditional partners integrate urban trees into local, regional and national projects and campaigns. They showcase snapshots of their work in communities (all sizes), weaving in water quality, social equity and more.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

NPSG13-133

Infrastructure Finance; Innovative Tools for Challenging Times

Speakers: Matthew Lesh, Transportation Program Specialist, U.S. Department of Transportation; John Williams, Chairman and CEO, Impact Infrastructure, LLC. Moderator: Lee Sobel, Real Estate Development and Finance Analyst, Office of Sustainable Communities, U.S. EPA.

This session provides an overview of the types of infrastructure needs typically associated with infill and transit-oriented development, the challenges involved in paying for this infrastructure, key infrastructure finance terms and tools, and the process of formulating a successful infrastructure funding and financing strategy. Infrastructure and community facilities often need to be in place before new private development can occur – either because additional infrastructure is required to support new uses or, in a place with a weak real estate market, to make a location more attractive for developers, new residents and employers. Although communities often struggle to pay for such infrastructure, the long-term economic benefits are too great to pass up. Listen and learn about how communities are thinking outside the box when it comes to new infrastructure finance methods.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

NPSG13-211

Working Waterfronts & Waterways Toolkit: Resources for Community-Based Working Waterfront Preservation

Audio CDs: 1

Audio CD

$15.00

$15.00

NPSG13-119

Born in a Small Town: Transportation Success Stories from Rural America

Speakers: Sarah Kline, Policy Director, Reconnecting America; Terry Supahan, President, Supuhan Consulting Group; Lisa Ballard, PE, President, Current Transportation Solutions. Moderator: Roger Millar, PE, AICP, Vice President, Smart Growth America

When you hear the words “public transportation,” what image comes to mind? For many Americans, the words conjure up pictures of crowded subway cars and diesel buses crawling through traffic – in short, scenes of urban mass transit. Small city and rural America has public transportation needs that are just as compelling as those in big cities. Aging populations, young people, disabled citizens, working families and other people who want transportation choices are working together as never before to make public transportation happen. Federal and state government resources have become available for small-town and rural transit, and communities are leveraging this investment to great success. Panelists discuss small city and rural transit success stories from around the country, with an emphasis on why and how success happened so that the lessons learned can be applied in other communities.

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

NPSG13-211

Working Waterfronts & Waterways Toolkit: Resources for Community-Based Working Waterfront Preservation

MP3

$10.00

$10.00

Subtotal

$170.00