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

NPSG13-202

Innovative Municipal approaches to Equitable Reinvestment and Revitalization

Speakers: Jeff Hebert, Executive Director, New Orleans Redevelopment Authority; Michael Braverman, JD, Deputy Commissioner, Housing Authority of Baltimore City, MD. Moderator: Nicole Heyman, JD, LLM, Vice President and Director of New Orleans Vacant Properties Initiative, Center for Community Progress.

Code enforcement, nuisance abatement and the legal systems they work within directly impact the quality of life, reinvestment opportunities and long-term sustainability and affordability of neighborhoods. At its core, the goal of a code enforcement program is to encourage responsible property ownership. Code enforcement is property regulatory system and that helps prevent vacancy, abandonment and disinvestment. As communities seek to protect neighborhoods and individuals from the negative impacts of substandard or vacant properties and negligent landowners and landlords – problems often disproportionately affecting communities of color and low-income residents – it’s more important than ever to create strategic approaches and partnerships to achieve positive and equitable outcomes. This interactive discussion among some of the country’s most thoughtful and innovative problem-solvers explores how code enforcement departments, the courts and redevelopment authorities are working together to hold negligent property owners accountable, eliminate blight, and drive development opportunities in disinvested neighborhoods.

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

NPSG13-160

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

NPSG13-108

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

NPSG13-107

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

Subtotal

$60.00