Program
Ten Session Tracks
Arts, Culture, and Preservation Track
It's no secret that arts, culture, and historic preservation contribute to the quality of community life. Hear how arts and culture programs lead neighborhood revitalization and learn to preserve local heritage while making room for growth. Discover creative ways to fund public art. Explore public-private partnerships for historic preservation. Find out about green historic preservation and how you can successfully preserve controversial landmarks.
Arts, Culture, and Community Building
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Explore the use of arts and culture as a neighborhood revitalization tool and hear how planners employ cultural data. Discover the impact that arts groups can have on neighborhoods, the potential for the arts to act as an economic generator, and ways to encourage growth in the field.
Balancing Cultural Preservation, Growth,and Redevelopment
Sunday, April 15, 2007
How do we preserve cultural heritage around the globe while still making room for growth or redevelopment? Explore the critical role of the public and public officials in legitimizing the balance between cultural preservation and economic viability in the U.S.and abroad.
Art in Pittsburgh's Public Spaces
Monday, April 16, 2007
How does a city encourage public art without a dedicated funding stream for commissions? In Pittsburgh, the answer was to establish the Office of Public Art with funding from the Heinz Endowments. In two years, the agency has increased public art activity and awareness through technical assistance and educational programs.
Archaeology, Politics, and Preservation
Monday, April 16 ,2007
Several urban archeology projects are under way at Independence National Historical Park. Hear about the delicate balance between the need to collect information and the needs and demands of stakeholders, project schedules, and development activities. Learn how new technology is being used in combination with traditional archaeological methods to create better outcomes.
Unlocking Tourism Potential
Monday, April 16 ,2007
Learn about efforts to turn two controversial landmarks into major tourist destinations. Today, Eastern State Penitentiary is a popular tourist attraction in Philadelphia. Listen to plans to convert Sing Sing's original 1825 cellblock into a museum at the New York State penitentiary, which will continue to operate as a maximum security prison.
Mixed Use Development in Preservation Projects
Monday, April 16, 2007
From Auburn, Washington, to Auburn, Massachusetts-with a stop in Oro Valley, Arizona-explore creative solutions to historic preservation with a focus on public-private partnerships and mixed use development. Find out how to use dynamic, high-tech computer graphic models to depict the townscape.
Green Design in Historic Preservation
Monday, April 16,2007
What are the particular challenges of making historic buildings "green?" How can LEED concepts be leveraged into restoration projects? This session will address these questions and present a series of case studies by practitioners who have conducted LEED-certified rehabilitations of historic structures.
Las Vegas Arts District Task Force
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Learn how the City of Las Vegas created the planning environment necessary to nurture an
emerging arts district. Join the city's mayor, planning director, and others for a panel discussion.
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Community Development and Neighborhood Planning Track
The quality of a person's life is often determined by the neighborhood he lives in. This track explores how to improve neighborhoods and increase community participation. Learn how technology can improve citizen input and explore strategies to empower neighborhood residents. Find out how communities are using university partnerships or grocery stores to accomplish development and revitalization. Create a vibrant neighborhood in an era of increasing diversity.
Neighborhood Analysis, Visioning, and Planning
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Creating effective neighborhood revitalization plans requires effective analysis, meaningful community participation, and development of a plan that has measurable objectives. This training course provides some common language and applied tools that participants can use for successful neighborhood revitalization in any community.
Asset Based Community Development
Saturday, April 14,2007
This workshop is for planning staff and directors. Learn to identify community assets and strengths and build community partnerships that support planning and development. Examine the role of planners in mobilizing citizens, local associations, and institutional leaders. Finally, see how you can improve citizens' contributions to community development.
Creating the Neighborhood Plan
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Community planning is challenging. Add in individual governmental jurisdictions and organizations that often pursue diverse objectives and you have a whole new dynamic. Learn how to overcome these challenges in order to create and implement a viable community plan and leverage existing resources in innovative ways to fund the changes.
Community-University Partnerships
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The concept of colleges as critical players in the development and revitalization of communities is gaining credence throughout the world of higher education. Examine case studies, best practices, and resources in order to understand and engage in community university partnerships for purposes of bricks and mortar efforts and beyond.
A New Generation of Urban Neighborhoods
Sunday, April 15, 2007
New neighborhoods are springing up in cities such as Kansas City; Norfolk, Virginia; and Biloxi, Mississippi. These neighborhoods are laboratories for density, mixing incomes and housing types, urban design, and new approaches to parks. Learn about challenges faced in creating community in an age of increasing racial, social, age, and economic
diversity.
A Collaborative Framework Plan
Monday, April 16, 2007
Get an overview of a collaborative neighborhood planning effort undertaken by a university and two local governments in Charlottesville, Virginia. Hear about the process, including significant citizen participation, and results. Examine study area characteristics, dynamics that presented particular challenges,
Coordinating Economic Development Projects
Monday, April 16, 2007
Pennsylvania has changed its approach to economic development. Known as the Community Action Team, this breakthrough public investment delivery system promotes strategic public investment in community changing projects and leverages long-term private investment. Learn how innovative development programs, transportation improvements, and environmental projects can be coordinated to leverage extensive private investment.
Grocery Stores in Underserved Neighborhoods
Monday, April 16, 2007
Many urban communities across the country have significant unmet demand for food retail. In response, innovative new government, civic, and private sector strategies have emerged to increase grocery store development and, at the same time, spur economic development and community revitalization.
Rebuilding Vibrant Communities after Katrina
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Hear about a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy developed in collaboration among planners, lawyers, and the local community. Using two African American communities in Mississippi as working models, the session will address how these innovative partnerships can work to revitalize hurricane devastated areas already suffering as a result of discrimination and neglect.
Holistic Community and Economic Development Organizations
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Revitalizing communities through holistic development gives citizens the tools they need to make a difference in their lives. Learn how to meet citizens at their level of need and formulate strategies to create self empowerment.
Philadelphia LANDvisions
Tuesday, April 16,2007
With the ascendance of the Internet and powerful decision-support tools heralding a new age of collaboration, people have opportunities to participate in planning processes like never before. This case study demonstrates creative approaches to civic and stakeholder engagement created to tackle Philadelphia's current vacancy crisis.
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Economic Regeneration Track
Regeneration, a term first used in the United Kingdom, has become a worldwide concern. New trends are emerging in the economic growth of American communities. What is the new economy and how can planning identify and capture this new wave so it enhances the community? What can be done to attract skilled workers and what kinds of businesses should communities seek to attract? What tools can be used to achieve these goals? Learn to leverage regeneration with underused community resources.
Identifying Sources of Economic Growth
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Gain perspective on sources of regional economic development: telecommunications infrastructure, professional and business services employment, and technology entrepreneurship. These assets often exist in communities-even those without a research university-and can generate new businesses and jobs, stimulate innovation, and support linkages to the wider economy.
The Urban Grocery
Sunday, April 15, 2007
A vibrant, 24/7 environment attractive to the "creative class" is a lofty economic development goal. As "urban villages" and "new town centers" garner prominence, the fantasy of these ideal work/live/play environments is hitting some barriers when it comes to implementation, especially in terms of providing one basic service: a grocery store.
Successful Town-Gown Relations
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The partnership between Prince William County and George Mason University of Virginia represents the best of what a town gown relationship should be and illustrates the benefits that can, and do, result when two entities work in close harmony to identify mutual needs and set common goals.
Industrial Cluster Analysis and GIS Applications
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Examine the tools and techniques of industrial cluster analysis and how they can be applied to regional strategic planning. Learn about quantitative and qualitative economic models and GIS methods used in industrial cluster analysis. The speakers will share their experiences using this strategic planning method in an eight-county region in Indiana.
Brownfields' and Grayfields' Role in Redevelopment
Monday, April 16, 2007
America's shift from an industrial to a service-based economy has left over 500,000 abandoned industrial properties in its wake. Many offer outstanding opportunities for both urban infill and suburban development. Hear from those who have mastered the art of brownfields redevelopment, projects that yield a true "buy low, sell high" return on investment.
Eminent Domain for Economic Development after Kelo
Monday, April 16, 2007
Post-Kelo restrictions on the use of eminent domain for economic development focus on a small number of issues and address them in similar ways. Examine these issues in domestic and foreign contexts in an effort to help your community cope better with these new state rules.
Connecting Families to Jobs and Opportunity
Monday, April 16, 2007
Greater Philadelphia has a serious "spatial mismatch" between employment centers and lower income residences. Review how housing and transportation policy solutions that connect disadvantaged workers to jobs and economic opportunity are being researched, developed, and advanced in the Greater Philadelphia region and at the state level.
Benchmarking the Creative Class
Monday, April 16, 2007
Creative occupations are replacing more traditional jobs in many cities and are resulting in creative economies driven by factors that represent good planning. Some communities have attempted to take advantage of this and developed policies and plans to encourage the Creative Class worker. Michigan's Cool Cities Initiative and the work of CEOs for Cities are two examples of creative economy strategies.
Land Value Taxation
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
LVT is one of local government's most important tools. It can prevent land speculation, gentrification, and passive demolition of historic resources. Learn how LVT helps finance government, combat sprawl, encourage long-term investment, and mitigate the high cost of housing.
Using the Economic Development Toolbox
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
The authors of APA's new PAS Report, An Economic Development Toolbox, explain how it can be used to evaluate strengths and weaknesses in your community and formulate realistic economic development strategies. They will cover the application of selected techniques of economic analysis used in comprehensive plans.
Promoting Private Investment in Brownfields Redevelopment
Wednesday, April 18. 2007
Older communities have suffered as America's industrial-based economy changed to a service oriented one. This shift has left communities to tackle issues pertaining to postindustrial lands. While these lands form a negative visual and economic image, they offer an outstanding opportunity for community reinvention.
Planning for Working Harbors
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Harbors present unique planning problems and opportunities for communities, from Superfund
issues to technology changes. Learn how Portland and other cities have remained competitive
and redeveloped declining ports. From master plans to growth boundary issues, hear how planners
are shaping this important function, economic activity, and land use.
The Renaissance of Resort/Tourism Communities
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
After World War II, resort and tourism communities throughout the U.S. flourished. Many have not seen significant redevelopment since. Now, many communities are beginning a renaissance. A rebirth of identity has led to a rebirth of tourists and locals who are seeking new experiences. Learn how communities are taking advantage of this trend.
Real Estate Market Analysis
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Discover cutting-edge, market driven techniques to revitalize and redevelop projects and areas. Analyze examples of revitalization, public-private partnerships, redevelopment, and economic development projects from across the country from a market perspective. Discussion topics include leveraging public investments and using a market driven perspective to drive redevelopment, financing, and implementation strategies.
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The Evolution of Urban Form Track
How have American cities evolved? Explore the development of cities and towns and how planning has shaped and reacted to transformation. See how ecological concerns, culture, and economics mold our communities. Look to the future of cities in a post-9/11 context and discover the past, including Edmund Bacon's legacy. Become one of the creative and innovative thinkers, planners, and designers shaping today's urban environment.
Evolving Urban Form
Sunday, April 15, 2007
How did cities develop their form? How are they arranged physically and how do they function as social spaces? Learn key approaches used by scholars, urban designers, and planners to analyze the city, explore its evolution,and identify trends that
Creating Sustainable Communities with Nature and Culture
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Sustainable communities are not mass-produced from a single blueprint; they must be appropriate to their natural settings. Investigate the urban forms created by diverse cultures (ancient and modern) in varied natural environments. Apply the lessons learned from these models to the creation of sustainable communities for the 21st century.
Design Standards That Shape Urban Form
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Planners and urban designers have long used design templates and standards to shape the city. Over 20 years, new design-oriented concepts have influenced planning in Vancouver, Chicago, New York, and elsewhere. Explore the paradigms that have formed the tools of planning and how these approaches have been rethought over time.
Megalopolis
Monday, April 16, 2007
Jean Gottman coined the term "Megalopolis" in 1961. Since then cities have grown ever larger, more complex, and sprawling. Can the beast be tamed or should we embrace the phenomenon and adjust the practice of planning to work effectively at the mega region level? European planners have provided insights, but how is the concept evolving in North America?
Edmund Bacon Film Festival
Monday, April 16, 2007
Edmund Bacon created a body of film to teach the public about cities, planning, and change. See selected films and learn about this exciting contribution to the field of planning.
True Urbanism
Monday, April 16, 2007
Seattle-based urban design consultant Mark Hinshaw, FAICP, will explain what he considers to be "true urbanism." He will analyze the reasons for the new popularity of downtown residential development and suggest ways to improve housing design, encourage mixed use development, and ensure affordability.
Vulnerability and Resilience in Urban Form (I)
Monday, April 16, 2007
We now accept the idea that urban form is contained by ecological reality. Our thinking on location, size, function, and formation of communities will be influenced by scientists, visionaries, and planners. Hear what they envision as we face the lessons of 9/11 and a post-Katrina world.
Vulnerability and Resilience in Urban Form (II)
Monday, April 16, 2007
In this second session, continue the discussion that looks at the constraints on urban form made by ecological reality. Hear how our thinking on the location, size, function, and formation of communities is influenced by scientists, visionaries, and planners. Explore what they envision as we face the lessons of 9/11 and a post-Katrina world.
Economics and Urban Form
Monday, April 16, 2007
In what way does economics influence urban form? From the initial formation of cities and towns to changes wrought by technology and global economies, panelists discuss a main ingredient in the creation, change, and sustainability of urban life and form.
Does Form Make Cities Ungovernable?
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
The current city represents a historic tension between a longing for the pastoral ideal and a dependency upon the benefits of agglomeration. Learn how this tension is compounded by a facility for dispersion, creating an "Ungovernable City" that is economically dominated by interrelated centers (multiple hubs).
Lower Manhattan's Economic and Residential Future
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Is downtown New York still viable post-9/11? Join this session for a forecast of nonresidential and residential development for the area below Canal Street in Manhattan. Has 9/11 changed the scene or is Lower Manhattan a gold mine of opportunity?
Reinventing Planning to Shape Livable Communities
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
By reinventing the physical realm, urban form has transformed how citizens connect with their communities. Discover how citizens and elected officials can develop policies that encourage positive interaction between people, places, and the built environment. Examine urban form as a critical component of sustainability through local case studies.
The Legacy of Edmund Bacon
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Panelists provide a comprehensive view of his accomplishments, personal insights into his outlook on the practice of planning and nature of cities, and what his legacy has been over time. Will planning return to the bold visions of the post-World War II era? Or has the field evolved to address city and civic life in new ways? Philadelphia was his laboratory and his passion, so bring your conference experience to a fitting close with this multifaceted.
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Housing Choice and Affordability Track
Housing the workforce. Universally accessible housing. Green affordable housing. Effective inclusionary housing. All of these topics and more will be addressed in this APA Supertopic track. Learn how to plan for housing in the face of changing demographics, regional variations in housing needs, and limited finances. Hear about creative partnerships and successful public involvement campaigns, and gain a perspective on the most innovative and effective tools over time.
Demographic Transformations and Emerging Housing Needs
Sunday, April 15 2007
Hear about demographic changes certain to influence future planning practice. Presentations will be culled from JAPA articles, including "Graying America: applications for Housing and Community Development," "What Americans Want from their Homes and Neighborhoods,"" The Rise and Fall of the Baby Boomers," and "Retirement Communities and their Implications for Planning."
Evolving Race-Class Landscapes of U.S. Neighborhoods
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Discover the racial and economic class changes affecting America's neighborhoods. Presentations will be culled from JAPA articles, including: "Housing Market Dynamics and the Fate of America's Integrated Neighborhoods," "Increasing Income Polarization in American Neighborhoods," and "Deconcentration of the poor and Minorities through Housing Programs."
Innovations in Housing Technology, Financing,and Institutions
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Learn about changes influencing the nation's housing market. Presentations will be culled from JAPA articles, including: "Enhancing Innovation in Housing Production in the 21st Century," "Prospects for Innovation by Public Housing Authorities," "Recent and Emerging Trends in Single-Family Housing Finance," and "Evolving Role of Nonprofits in Developing Affordable Housing."
Workforce Housing Perspectives
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Explore workforce housing through examination of three communities within the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Participants will gain a better understanding of how workforce housing issues are defined and addressed in urban, suburban, and exurban communities. Emphasis will be placed on the link between local economic development and workforce housing.
Affordable Housing and the Black Community
Sunday, April 15, 2007
As housing prices rise throughout the nation, the housing shortage has intensified for low to moderate-income families. There is a great need for long term affordable housing solutions in black communities. In light of diminished federal subsidies, learn about innovative approaches to provide diverse affordable housing opportunities through joint ventures, alternative funding sources, and incentive planning policies.
Wither Federal, State, and Local Housing Policy?
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Explore the role of government at all levels in establishing housing policy. Presentations will be culled from JAPA articles, including: "The Retreat of Federal Housing Policy? "Are State Governments Filling the Housing Policy Gap?" and "Can the Poor be Housed Without Deep Subsidies?"
Home Builders' Contribution to Housing Affordability
Monday, April 16, 2007
Learn why home builders want to be part of the solution and not considered part of the housing affordability problem. Their knowledge of housing construction and the markets they serve are essential to creating enough housing to adequately address affordability at all socioeconomic levels.
AARP's Agenda for Aging in Place
Monday, April 16, 2007
AARP has initiated a new Livable Communities Agenda. Hear about the roots of AARP's agenda and its activity to date. Review local community initiatives and the partnerships developed to foster them. Learn about future activities and how other organizations can participate.
Local and Regional Approaches to Affordable Housing
Monday, April 16, 2007
Learn about the Washington, D.C., region's housing problem and a regional, intergovernmental affordable housing outreach campaign to facilitate the development of affordable housing programs among local jurisdictions. View examples of innovative and successful affordable housing programs.
Lessons Learned from HOPE VI
Monday, April 16, 2007
HOPE VI is a revitalization program that has stimulated both support of and opposition to its effort to transform outdated public housing units. Learn how, through the infusion of large federal grants, the program has enabled housing authorities to leverage these resources, demolish outdated units, and create mixed income communities.
Affordable Housing in Suburban Communities
Monday, April 18, 2007
Providing affordable housing in suburbia requires attention to economic, structural, and political concerns. Programs must reflect the community where they will be applied. Learn how some suburbs have made affordable housing happen including Highland Park, Illinois, winner of the 2006 APA National Current Topic Award: Housing Choice and Affordability.
Building Codes, Housing Affordability, and Community Quality
Tuesday, April 17,2007
Learn about the nation's leading model building code organization, and the economics of housing affordability. As stated in a July Planning magazine article: "Do standards have an effect on the cost of construction and housing? Yes. Do they make housing more expensive? That depends." Explore the answer to that question.
Inclusionary and Affordable Housing Mitigation
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
As housing prices soar, many communities find area employees can't afford to purchase or rent homes where they work. Learn how communities across the nation in California, the Rocky Mountain states, and in Florida are addressing this concern by adopting inclusionary housing and affordable housing litigation programs.
Affordable Housing Strategies
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Discover what has worked well in affordable housing techniques as tested by the 20-year federal desegregation lawsuit of U.S. v. Yonkers. The program will examine what worked and what did not in regard to new construction, existing housing, and inclusionary zoning.
New Jersey's Affordable Housing Program
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Each of New Jersey's 566 municipalities must address the state mandate to provide for affordable housing opportunities. The state's supreme court requires that municipalities use land-use and zoning powers to create viable opportunities for the creation of fair-share, low, and moderate income housing. This session will track the success of the program.
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Innovative Comprehensive Planning Track
A new generation of comprehensive plans has emerged that brings a level of sophistication, complexity, and community support missing from more focused, shorter term plans. What is the place of the broad vision in planning? Where do these plans focus their attention? How have these new plans been implemented? Are comprehensive plans still relevant? Explore the answers in this track.
Do We Need a Comprehensive Plan?
Sunday, April 15, 2007
If you struggle with a skeptical board, unsure elected officials, or an indifferent public in your comprehensive planning process, participate in this entertaining, interactive presentation and learn how to market your project. Discuss misconceptions about planning and coping with demanding audiences.
Strategic Implementation of Comprehensive Plans
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Dallas's and Denver's innovative yet pragmatic implementation strategies help keep their comprehensive plans relevant after adoption. See how these cities are transforming land-development practices through strategic small area planning, targeted code amendments, training, and outreach efforts. Learn how to move a comprehensive plan from vision to reality.
Emerging Issues in Indigenous Planning
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Learn about new and emerging planning and implementation issues and strategies for indigenous communities. Examples include public-private partnerships to develop infrastructure, tribal environmental management programs, indigenous education and language programs, and food systems and community development.
From 0 to Planning in 41 Hours
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Hurricane Katrina substantially changed the Gulf Coast. In communities accustomed to local control and few land-use regulations, urban and regional planning concerns are now taking center stage. Investigate how recovery planning has been implemented and what changes should be made to make the plans more valuable to local communities.
The New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Gain an overview of the New Jersey State Development and Redevelopment Plan as well as the process by which governmental and public input guides the periodical plan update. Hear how the state is promoting plan implementation by acknowledging and rewarding local and regional consistency with its goals and policies.
Master Planning with PlanMaster
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Hear how a rigorous but user-friendly, scenario-building tool integrated multiple technical models to produce a sophisticated comprehensive plan for one of the nation's fastest growing counties. This planning support system facilitated decision makers' paths through a robust evaluation of indicators yielded by multiple scenarios.
Joint Plan/Code Updates
Monday, April 16, 2007
Thinking about updating your comprehensive plan and zoning code concurrently? Whether you want to minimize planning processes and consultant fees, maximize the value of a supportive city council, or maintain momentum and community interest, a joint plan and code process has its advantages. It can also end up being more challenging than anticipated.
Healthy Comprehensive Plans and Zoning
Monday, April 16, 2007
There is growing awareness of the interrelationships between the built environment and public health outcomes. Few communities, however, have comprehensively integrated public health in the planning process. Hear from planners, researchers, and public health experts about how local governments are incorporating public health into comprehensive plans and zoning codes.
Shaping Growth, Protecting Resources
Monday, April 16, 2007
Concern about development's impact on traditional resources-such as historic landscapes and structures, farmland, and natural habitat-prompted Lancaster County to create an innovative comprehensive planning program that integrates growth management, resource preservation, and economic development. The program includes a regional heritage area initiative with neighboring York County.
Towns, Villages, and Countryside
Monday, April 16, 2007
Pressure to develop agricultural lands in St. Lucie County, Florida, led to the creation and implementation of a new urbanist comprehensive plan element, form-based land development regulations, and a transfer of development rights program. Learn how this innovative planning approach accommodates the next 50 to 100 years of anticipated growth.
Thinking Comprehensively in the PAST
Monday, April 16, 2007
Discover a worldwide planning program, developed in the 1980s, based on "Thinking Comprehensively." Program refinements recognize budget and political acceptance realities in the 1990s. Examples of green consumption and production as an integral part of sustainable economic development will be presented as keystones of 21st-century comprehensive planning.
The Vision of 1.3 Million Citizens
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Allegheny Places is a comprehensive plan for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, a complex, urban region in the midst of economic restructuring. By making consistency a priority, Allegheny Places brings together those living in the county's 130 municipalities and numerous agencies to achieve a vision of economic opportunity, sustainability, and environmental stewardship.
New Urbanism Today
Tuesday, April 17, 2007.
Examine the tools and techniques used in creating innovative new urbanist regional and comprehensive plans. Explore the opportunities and challenges inherent in plan development and implementation.
Best Practices for Leading-Edge Community Plans
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Learn about cutting-edge approaches to your community plan process. Discover innovative tools and techniques for public participation and plan implementation; state-of-the-art technology; and contemporary themes such as traditional neighborhood design, transit, and planning for rapid growth. Leave with a toolkit of ideas to enhance your planning effort.
Planning in Smart Growth States' Urban Areas
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Although comprehensive plans are mandated, the idiosyncrasies of urban areas necessitate an innovative approach to garner diverse support for plan and process, to muster the political will to set long-term goals, and to promote smart growth principles. Take a comparative look at comprehensive planning in Seattle, Miami-Dade, and Baltimore.
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Mega Regions, Sustainability, and Transportation Track
How do we address pressing extra-local planning concerns? The solutions aren't only top-down. Creative initiatives create partnerships and frameworks to approach transportation and environmental matters. Sustainability and transportation plans in mega regions provide a structure to address economic development, safety and security, climate change, water resources and conservation, international relations, and airport growth. See how your community fits. This track is in honor of Alan Voorhees, a vastly influential player in this planning movement.
Booming Sunbelt Mega Regions
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The mega regions of Florida, southern California, and Arizona face common issues such as environmental limits on water and infrastructure needs like high speed rail. Find out what the outlook is for growth. Speakers also explore how the movement of goods and services affect these regions.
Mega Regions and a National Transportation Agenda
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Explore how the transportation needs of mega regions can provide a new framework for national transportation policy and investments. The nation has not had a coherent framework for transportation investments since the completion of the Interstate Highway System, and there has been a proliferation of "earmarks" in succeeding transportation authorizations.
Building Economic Synergies in Mega Regions
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Today, economic activity is concentrated in multicity metro regions, an unintended consequence of the interstate highway system. Economic synergies are developing between adjacent metro regions that are part of evolving mega regions. In Europe, high-speed rail is accelerating economic mega regions, much as U.S. interstates enabled economic metro regions.
Promoting Safe and Secure Transportation Systems
Sunday, April 15, 2007
SAFETEA-LU regulations redefine safety and security as critical transportation planning elements. This session illuminates transportation planning efforts to provide safe and secure systems. Explore how to evaluate safety and security during masstransit NEPA environmental assessments and identify a tool to model the patterns and consequences of regional emergency evacuation plans.
Is Exurban Planning Our Best Opportunity?
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Growth in mega regions requires an approach to planning and to financing transportation, infrastructure, and environmental management at a new scale. Planning in exurban and rural areas offers an opportunity to develop more sustainable urban forms. Use today's planning toolbox in these areas to get ahead of the curve.
Climate Change and Sustainable City Design
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Examine scientific findings regarding global climate change's impacts on urbanization, including heat zones, drought, sea level rise, storms, flooding, and other disturbances. Learn sustainable approaches to community design that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Hear how smart growth, new urbanism, and safe growth techniques counter long-term.
Transportation Development Partnerships
Monday, April 16, 2007
Having determined that public private partnerships can provide value, the federal government has undertaken initiatives to promote innovation in the financing and management of public transportation systems. Learn about the financial and legal implications of creating partnerships to fund transportation development and how strategic planning can increase the odds of successful partnerships.
Flying High or Waiting at the Gate?
Monday, April 16, 2007
International airports serve as economic engines for cities and regions. Plans for such major investments should maximize this relationship. How does a city-owned airport maximize its growth potential when residential municipal utility districts are allowed to pop up and threaten airport growth? While there are solutions, the winners are few.
Cross-Border Challenges in International Mega Regions
Monday, April 16, 2007
Mega regions, which comprise multiple metropolitan areas, can extend across national boundaries. As the integrated economies of Los Angeles-San Diego-Tijuana, Portland-Seattle- Vancouver, and Toronto-Buffalo- Cleveland-Detroit help form international mega regions, they must deal with other issues such as transportation. Explore the planning challenges these mega regions face.
Planning That Reshaped America: Remembering Alan Voorhees
Monday, April 16, 2006
Join planners who worked with the late Alan Voorhees, FAICP, to celebrate his contributions to the profession. He was among the first transportation planners to apply the gravity model to forecasting traffic patterns. A leader, mentor, and philanthropist, Voorhees gives us a lasting legacy worthy of celebration.
Scenario Planning at the State Level
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Scenario planning has come of age in metropolitan areas. Statewide scenario planning is new. Until recently, there have been few efforts to evaluate alternative scenarios for the development of entire states. Explore efforts now under way to create and analyze alternative development scenarios in Maryland and Florida.
Opening Windows of Opportunity
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
What happens when transportation corridor planning, regional water resource protection, local economic development, and hazard mitigation efforts collide? Success! Learn how six communities worked together to strengthen the links between regional and community planning, transportation and tourism, and water resource protection and community
development.
Reframing Smart Growth in New Jersey
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Smart growth initiatives frequently address design or open space protection while the amount of growth and its location are left to the market. New Jersey's Smart Growth Economy Project brings economic, business, housing, transportation, water, and social equity experts and leaders together to develop a statewide strategy for achieving smart growth.
Is Watershed Management Science, Planning, or Politics?
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Experts in watershed planning and management will share case studies from the Tahoe Basin (California-Nevada border), the Upper Cahaba (Alabama), and the Big Darby (Ohio). Join a discussion of the latest tools available to analyze watershed conditions and impacts; challenges; and methods for building consensus around a common vision.
New York City Pedestrian Level of Service
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Learn about current Highway Capacity Manual methodology for pedestrian Levels of Service (LOS) analysis and its strengths and weaknesses. Hear a summary of the literature that covers five topic headings from environmental characteristics to simulation models. Examine possible alternate definitions for LOS other than flow rate.
Growth and Conservation in the Highlands
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The Forest Service is a land conservation partner across the 3.5 million acre Highlands region of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Learn about the Forest Service's role in identifying conservation value areas and initiating planning, research, and landowner assistance programs. Hear from state and nonprofit partners about their roles and the challenges of balancing growth with conservation.
Sustainability at a Regional Scale
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Hurricane and flood damage, water shortages, pollution, and the loss of natural commodities weigh heavily on many North American regions. Infrastructure needs and capital costs are especially hard hit. Learn about the Natural Infrastructure Project of Southwestern Pennsylvania, which offers a unique environmentally driven approach to regional planning.
Integrated Transportation, Environmental, and Conservation Planning
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Recent institutional and statutory developments are improving the outlook for the successful integration of environmental, transportation, and land-use planning. Learn about federal legislation and partnership initiatives that encourage a shift toward a more integrated, regionally based approach to planning.
Reimagining the Midwest Mega Region
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The Midwest is the largest North American mega region. It shares a common environment, economic base, and cultural history. Once an industrial powerhouse, today it is the slowest growing of the 10 mega regions and has the largest concentration of shrinking central cities. Explore the Brookings Institution's Great Lakes Regional Economic Initiative,the EPA's Great Lakes Regional Collaborative, and the Great Lakes Mega Region Studio, and learn how these efforts will
shape the future of the region.
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Planning for People with Disabilities Track
Planning for the lifespan and universal design are two new concepts having a profound impact on planning. Explore a comprehensive approach that makes communities accessible to all. Sessions examine the end products of planning and reveal how to better inform planning by actively involving people with disabilities in the process. These sessions will be accessible-stop by and learn how your community can easily improve accessibility in the planning process. Learn more in the audio introduction on the conference website.
Planning for Accessibility
Monday, April 16, 2007
Can communities improve the accessibility of residential and commercial buildings and transit options for people with disabilities? Review locally based efforts to expand access to buildings and modes of transportation for a variety of needs and ages, with an emphasis on the planning process and partnerships.
Evacuating People with Special Needs
Monday, April 16, 2007
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita illuminated deficiencies in evacuation planning. New Orleans stood stunned when levees failed. Houston grappled with contraflow. Beaumont struggled to locate resources to evacuate medically fragile patients. As Texas reviewed the Hurricane Rita evacuation, concern focused on the future evacuation of special- needs populations.
Transportation Planning for Persons with Disabilities
Monday, April 16, 2007
Investigate a case study of the Rural Transportation for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) program from three different perspectives. The PwD program started as a planning study in 2001. An eight county pilot project ensued. The program now covers 43 of Pennsylvania's 65 rural counties.
Planning the Accessible Community
Monday, April 16, 2007
Panelists discuss the problems of ensuring access for people with disabilities, a frequently overlooked and vulnerable population. Explore the role of planning, regulatory oversight, and compliance in addressing barriers to full participation in daily living and the workplace environment. Review policy, regulation, and court cases pertinent to disability-related issues.
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Local Host Committee Track
Attendees will get an exceptional look at planning in one of America's great, historic cities. This track also examines planning in the Delaware River Valley. From industrial redevelopment to model agricultural land preservation, you will want to learn more about this fascinating region and the exciting planning under way here.
Pennsylvania Wilds Nature Tourism Initiative
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Explore the vision, goals, and status of the Pennsylvania Wilds initiative. Launched in 2004, it was designed to increase outdoor recreation and heritage tourism in a 12-county region in north central Pennsylvania, home to charming rural villages and small towns nestled within 2.1 million acres of public lands. .
Visions of Center City Philadelphia
Sunday, April; 15, 2007
Philadelphia's renowned planning legacy has helped transform this former manufacturing town into a remarkable city with a dense, mixed use downtown. Learn how this historic city is planning for new demands in services and infrastructure, new opportunities for employment, and the high expectations that come with great success. .
Waterfront Planning in the Delaware Valley
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Using four case studies, panelists will discuss how initiatives are designed to transform the region's underutilized riverfronts into unifying assets that stimulate economic growth, encourage tourism, foster ecological restoration, and improve the quality of life for the region's residents. .
Green Ways to Reclaim Urban Waterways
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Greenways promote connectivity, environmental restoration, and economic revitalization. They also can incorporate these fundamental principles into new communities and retrofit them into existing ones. Learn the fundamentals of how greenways are creating destinations, repairing natural habitat, building connections, realizing economic opportunities, and restoring waterways as community amenities.
Brownfields' and Grayfields' Role in Redevelopment
Monday, April 16, 2007
America's shift from an industrial to a service-based economy has left over 500,000 abandoned industrial properties in its wake. Many offer outstanding opportunities for both urban infill and suburban development. Hear from those who have mastered the art of brownfields redevelopment, projects that yield a true "buy low, sell high" return on investment.
Transit Revitalization Investment Districts and TOD
Monday, April 16, 2007
Explore the different approaches to TOD planning and implementation in central cities, transitioning boroughs, developed suburbs, and suburbanizing communities as exhibited in four regional TOD projects from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Learn how Transit Revitalization Investment Districts can spur transit-oriented development and community revitalization around public transit facilities.
Performance Zoning at 30
Monday, April 16, 2007
Performance Zoning was invented in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, as a way to incorporate environmental protections into zoning while accommodating development. The approach has evolved in Pennsylvania, and variations-known as Growing Greener-have been promoted by the state. The technique, one of the longest lasting tools used by planners, still works well.
Challenges and Opportunities of Military Base Redevelopment
Monday, April 16, 2007
Discover the nuances associated with the conversion of military bases to civilian communities. Learn from the experiences of Bayonne, New Jersey, home to a 430-acre former army base now being redeveloped as a mixed use waterfront destination. A multidisciplinary panel will discuss the planning involved in transforming these facilities.
The Vision of 1.3 Million Citizens
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Allegheny Places is a comprehensive plan for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, a complex, urban region in the midst of economic restructuring. By making consistency a priority, Allegheny Places brings together those living in the county's 130 municipalities and numerous agencies to achieve a vision of economic opportunity, sustainability, and environmental stewardship.
Interagency Coordination Results in Sustainable Pennsylvania
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Improving interagency coordination in the Keystone State was key to successfully improving the quality of life, attracting new jobs, revitalizing core communities, and protecting the natural environmental and cultural resources. Learn about this effort to improve interagency coordination and integration of policies and programs.
Planning Cooperatively for Airport Growth
Tuesday, April 16, 2007
Philadelphia International Airport has successfully attracted more passengers but has fallen short at being a good neighbor to nearby residents and local governments. Hear what airport officials have done and what others say still needs to be done for quality of life and intergovernmental cooperation to improve.
New Jersey's Affordable Housing Program
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Each of New Jersey's 566 municipalities must address the state mandate to provide for affordable housing opportunities. The state's supreme court requires that municipalities use land-use and zoning powers to create viable opportunities for the creation of fair-share, low, and moderate income housing. This session will track the success of the program.
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Revitalizing Small Towns Track
Small towns present some of the greatest challenges for American planning. While many are suffering from economic and population decline, others are being overwhelmed by urban development. This track examines how small communities have shaped their own destinies through creative planning. Learn which revitalization and preservation strategies are working and how economic development and planning are integrated.
Preparing a Downtown Revitalization Plan
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Do you remember spending time downtown with friends and family shopping, strolling, or going to the movies? You can recapture that vibrancy. Learn how to revitalize your downtown through the combination of physical improvements that enhance the historic setting and a targeted marketing effort to recruit new businesses.
Federal Rural Empowerment Program Lessons
Monday, April 16, 2007
Initiated in 1994, the federal Empowerment Zone-Enterprise Community program is coming to a close in a couple of years. Discover the lessons learned from national and community perspectives in assisting distressed rural communities across the nation.
Big TDR Innovations from Small Places
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
With a TDR revolving fund, a little funding can go a long way. Small communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are using TDR leveraging techniques, partnering with private land trusts and public agencies, and getting results from new incentives like bonus lot coverage. Discover whether these ideas might work in your community.
Small City Downtowns
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Small and mid-size city downtowns face more intense competition from suburban growth than large-city downtowns. After years of direct competition for residents, retail, and office uses, smaller cities are learning to carve out niches, focusing on their natural, historic, and cultural assets. Share experiences from Savannah, Georgia, and Erie, Pennsylvania.
Reinventing Planning to Shape Livable Communities
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
By reinventing the physical realm, urban form has transformed how citizens connect with their communities. Discover how citizens and elected officials can develop policies that encourage positive interaction between people, places, and the built environment. Examine urban form as a critical component of sustainability through local case studies.
Community Systems for Sustainability
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Discover two approaches to community systems planning for sustainability. EarthCAT is for communities that want to implement the Earth Charter on the local level, while Civic Ecology uses the Natural Step as a starting point. Presentations will highlight past and ongoing applications of each system's approach and conclude with a discussion.
Growth and Conservation in the Highlands
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The Forest Service is a land conservation partner across the 3.5 million acre Highlands region of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Learn about the Forest Service's role in identifying conservation value areas and initiating planning, research, and landowner assistance programs. Hear from state and nonprofit partners about their roles and the challenges of balancing growth with conservation.
Hybrid Zoning
Wednesday, April 18, 2007.
Learn how to integrate form based zoning techniques into conventional ordinances. Planners who have drafted hybrid ordinances and municipalities that have implemented such regulations will address the challenges and benefits of such an approach. Determine what makes a good candidate for hybrid zoning and what goes into crafting and implementing regulations.
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