9th annual Smart Growth Conference draws over 300
Thank you, conference participants and supporters!!
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This year's 9th annual Smart Growth
Conference, "Sustainable Community Essentials: Applying the Policy and
Practice," attracted over 300 individuals representing the public and
private sectors, including some 50 local government entities on Thursday,
May 21. Keynoted by Douglas Farr, author of Sustainable Urbanism
and founder of Farr Associates, the conference provided practical examples
and tools to raise local capacity for sustainable communities. Below are
articles from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette regarding the conference,
links to Doug Farr's slides and to the 14 new Sustainable Community
Essentials Resource Sheets. These sheets are available online both in
their present form and in a wiki format inviting the public to add
material. Click here for Doug Farr's powerpoint slides. Click to view the Sustainable Community Essentials Resource Sheets and wiki Missed the conference? Register for the Sustainable Community Development Essentials: Tools, Strategies, and Case Studies workshop, hosted by the Local Government Academy and Sustainable Pittsburgh. Could it be that we're shifting toward smart? It had a wonky title - "Sustainable Community Essentials, - but yesterday's Smart Growth Conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center was exhilarating. . .It was so good, I hope you all catch it on WDUQ radio, 90.5-fm. It will air at 6 p.m. either on June 21st or 28th in its entirety. . .More than 200 people forwent a gorgeous day to sit indoors and talk about the ways their townships, boroughs and cities can turn population loss into economic gain, creatively divert stormwater (for economic gain), solve land-use problems (for economic gain), design minimal-waste housing developments (for economic gain), preserve buildings (for economic gain) and, most of all, to RETHINK...It sounds like a fantasy, even in this day, to imagine that Americans could shift so drastically from the car-mall-landfill-riding mower-obesity that we're mired in. But I talked to a lot of people at the conference who all seem to think we are shifting. Some people reported their township managers are loathe to go green, maybe not convinced yet that a sustainable township is a less wasteful, less costly, healthier, more appealing one. But others are starting to understand there is money to be made and saved. That's the message that hits home with most people. Full Article Funding woes force PennDOT to rethink how it operates The department has embraced a concept called "smart transportation" that emphasizes repairing current infrastructure, investing in projects that reduce vehicle travel and sprawl, and linking transportation and land use planning. It favors walkable mixed-use districts and projects that serve pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users. It also demands better coordination between the state and the communities affected by its projects, said James Ritzman, deputy PennDOT secretary for planning, at a conference here last week. In the past, transportation decisions "were made in a silo" without adequate local input. "When you make a transportation change it can dramatically impact the surrounding area," Mr. Ritzman told attendees of the ninth annual Southwestern Pennsylvania Smart Growth Conference. Full Article |
Thursday, May 21, 2009
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown
Keynote speaker: Douglas
Farr, AIA,
author of Sustainable Urbanism and founding principal of Farr Associates
Cost: $50 (continental breakfast and lunch included; evening reception to
follow with cash bar)
SPECIAL OFFER: Register one person at $50, bring the second person for only $15!* Register via credit card below (or print out the registration form and pay by check) for the first person, then call us at 412-258-6642 to register the second person.
Elected
officials attend for free.
*Discount also applies to those who have already registered at the $50 level.
CONFERENCE AGENDA (PDF)
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
- Keynote: Douglas Farr, AIA,
author of Sustainable Urbanism and founding principal of Farr
Associates, an architecture and planning firm regarded as one of the most
sustainable design practices in the country. Having a mission to create
sustainable human environments, Farr Associates' unique niche is in applying
the principles of LEED at the scale of the neighborhood.
- Update by James Ritzman, Deputy Secretary for Planning, PennDOT, on the Federal Stimulus Package and PennDOT Smart Transportation Initiative
- First public engagement session for the 30-county, four-state Regional Visioning Project being led by Allen Kukovich, Executive Director. The Regional Visioning Project is a two-year process to provide an opportunity for every resident to participate in creating a shared vision for the region's best future.
- Panel review of sustainable community initiatives around the region
featuring:
Lindsay Baxter, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Pittsburgh
Jason Dailey, Director of Public Works, Cranberry Township
Mark Alan Hughes, Director of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia
Murray Rust, President, Co-owner, Montgomery & Rust, Inc.
Jesse Jon Salensky, Vandergrift Improvement Program
Nathan Wildfire, Sustainable Policy Coordinator, East Liberty Development,
Inc.
- Workshops tracking new "Essentials of Sustainable Communities" resources (14 topics from which to choose via conference registration)
- Distribution of the SWPA Sustainable Community Rapid Assessment worksheet
- Reception featuring table displays by lead organizations per the 14
Essentials of Sustainable Communities
Douglas Farr
James Ritzman
CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
Today's difficult times are placing extraordinary strains on our region's communities. Rising costs of all types are putting a tight squeeze on municipalities and residents. Expectations and needs are also increasing. The policy and practice of sustainable development offers solutions. Come learn how your community, municipality, or county can put sustainability to work to save taxpayer dollars and avoid costs, meet needs equitably, conserve resources, and attract investment. Sustainability is central to professional management of local government and a collective imperative for Southwestern Pennsylvania's competitiveness and quality of life. Learn how to accelerate your community's success on environmental stewardship, social equity, economic development as well as fiscal viability and organizational capacity to learn, innovate and adapt.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Land Use and Community Design
3:00 - 4:00 pm & 4:15 - 5:15 pm
Anne-Marie Lubenau, Civic Design Center of Pittsburgh
Ray Reaves, Reaves & Associates
Local Economies and Main Street Revitalization
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Mike Krajovic and Bob Junk, Fay-Penn Economic Development Council
4:15 - 5:15 pm
Ron Painter, Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board
Georgia Petropoulos, Oakland Business Improvement District
Water and Stormwater Management
3:00 - 4:00 pm & 4:15 - 5:15 pm
Tyler Gourley, University of Pittsburgh - Institute of Politics
John Schombert, 3 Rivers Wet Weather Demonstration Program
Energy Conservation and Green Building
3:00 - 4:00 pm & 4:15 - 5:15 pm
Diane Bossart, Green Building Alliance
Greg Wozniak, G.A. Wozniak and Associates
Governance
3:00 - 4:00 pm & 4:15 - 5:15 pm
Susan Hockenberry and Anita Lengvarsky, Local Government Academy
Tim Little, Baldwin Borough
Healthy Communities
3:00 - 4:00 pm
James Stark, Fayette Community Action Agency
Waste Management and Recycling
3:00 - 4:00 pm
David Mazza and Ryan Walsh, Pennsylvania Resources Council
Environmentally Sensitive, Civic and Historic Places
4:15 - 5:15 pm
Eric Jester, Young Preservationists Association
Roy Kraynyk, Allegheny Land Trust
Expanding Housing Choice and Addressing Blight
4:15 - 5:15 pm
Irene McLaughlin, J.D., Attorney & Mediator
Laura Greenburg, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania
Presented by:
Community
Design Center of Pittsburgh
Local
Government Academy
Pennsylvania
Department of Community and Economic Development
Pittsburgh Partnership for
Neighborhood Development
Smart Growth
Partnership of Westmoreland County
Southwestern
Pennsylvania Commission
Sustainable Community Development Network,
Sustainable Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
Institute of Politics
Sponsored by:
Supported by:
The Heinz Endowments
The Richard King Mellon Foundation
For sponsorship and tabling opportunities call 412-258-6643.