Charles Marohn
Municipalities across Maine are dealing with tightening budgets and a growing list of unfunded infrastructure obligations, including routine maintenance and replacement of roads and utilities, creating more strain on local governments and local services. At the same time, more people are moving back to small towns and city service centers, leading to an increase in pressure on roads and rising vehicle-related fatalities. Join Chuck Marohn, national thought-leader and author of “Strong Towns, A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity” to understand why we seem to have lost the American edge on prosperity and what we can do to get it back.
President, Strong Towns | Brainerd, Minnesota
Municipalities across Maine are dealing with tightening budgets and a growing list of unfunded infrastructure obligations, including routine maintenance and replacement of roads and utilities, creating more strain on local governments and local services. At the same time, more people are moving back to small towns and city service centers, leading to an increase in pressure on roads and rising vehicle-related fatalities. Join Chuck Marohn, national thought-leader and author of “Strong Towns, A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity” to understand why we seem to have lost the American edge on prosperity and what we can do to get it back.
Kaid Benfield
As our country continues to see changes in our environment from the effects of climate change, Maine is working to not only reduce carbon emissions, but also address the national blind spot in the conversation - specifically the environmental implications of land use patterns. The Coronavirus pandemic has also brought into focus an urgent need to create and sustain communities that support healing and healthy lifestyles. The good news is there are land development strategies that support both human and environmental health. Kaid Benfield will articulate some of these key strategies – and the research behind them – that can help us move toward a more sustainable future.
PlaceMakers | Washington, DC
As our country continues to see changes in our environment from the effects of climate change, Maine is working to not only reduce carbon emissions, but also address the national blind spot in the conversation - specifically the environmental implications of land use patterns. The Coronavirus pandemic has also brought into focus an urgent need to create and sustain communities that support healing and healthy lifestyles. The good news is there are land development strategies that support both human and environmental health. Kaid Benfield will articulate some of these key strategies – and the research behind them – that can help us move toward a more sustainable future.
Chris Hawley
Local governments can struggle to change outdated zoning codes, particularly in today’s heightened political environment. Find out why simplifying and improving your community’s zoning code can make a big difference to local quality of life, as well as the financial and economic strength of your community. Chris will also share Buffalo’s success story with eliminating parking minimums from local zoning, what it’s meant to his city, and why you should consider a similar move in your own community.
City of Buffalo, Planner | Buffalo, New York
Local governments can struggle to change outdated zoning codes, particularly in today’s heightened political environment. Find out why simplifying and improving your community’s zoning code can make a big difference to local quality of life, as well as the financial and economic strength of your community. Chris will also share Buffalo’s success story with eliminating parking minimums from local zoning, what it’s meant to his city, and why you should consider a similar move in your own community.
Bernice Radle
Bernice will share her experience working under Buffalo’s new form-based code, describing the changes that have made small-scale projects more feasible and easier to execute. Bernice will also highlight how small-scale infill development can revitalize areas, provide a way for more people to break into the real estate development field, and help build the range of housing types that are so desperately needed.
Buffalove Development & Little Wheel Rest. | Buffalo, New York
Bernice will share her experience working under Buffalo’s new form-based code, describing the changes that have made small-scale projects more feasible and easier to execute. Bernice will also highlight how small-scale infill development can revitalize areas, provide a way for more people to break into the real estate development field, and help build the range of housing types that are so desperately needed.
Sharon Woods
Communities and developers routinely conduct market studies to better understand local gaps and needs for urban housing. However, those studies are usually based on what has already been built, so they risk reinforcing redundancies, building types, and practices. The innovative Target Market Analysis approach shifts the focus onto the lifestyles of migrating households and their preferences for missing housing formats. This approach is particularly relevant while we contemplate the possible impacts that the current economic and health crisis could have on cities and urban places. Join us in hearing what Sharon has found in her analysis of two Maine communities; and her forecasts of the impacts that COVID-19 will have on the lifestyle preferences of migrating Y and Z Generations.
Owner, LandUseUSA | Urban Strategies | Lansing, Michigan
Communities and developers routinely conduct market studies to better understand local gaps and needs for urban housing. However, those studies are usually based on what has already been built, so they risk reinforcing redundancies, building types, and practices. The innovative Target Market Analysis approach shifts the focus onto the lifestyles of migrating households and their preferences for missing housing formats. This approach is particularly relevant while we contemplate the possible impacts that the current economic and health crisis could have on cities and urban places. Join us in hearing what Sharon has found in her analysis of two Maine communities; and her forecasts of the impacts that COVID-19 will have on the lifestyle preferences of migrating Y and Z Generations.
Mike Lydon
COVID-19 is redefining how we move around our communities and changing the way we interact with other people and businesses. With continued pressure on municipal finances, it is becoming clear that governments must find ways to quickly adapt, enable new ideas, and respond to emerging needs, and that there is a greater role for everyone in the act of placemaking. Mike Lydon, Maine native and international thought leader of the Tactical Urbanism movement, will share his global perspective on the cultural shift taking place. He will also discuss strategies for how elected officials, municipal staff, local residents, and businesses can work together to rethink the role of streets and quickly execute changes to improve safety and support an increase in hyper-local living.
Principal | Street Plans | Brooklyn, New York
Communities and developers routinely conduct market studies to better understand local gaps and needs for urban housing. However, those studies are usually based on what has already been built, so they risk reinforcing redundancies, building types, and practices. The innovative Target Market Analysis approach shifts the focus onto the lifestyles of migrating households and their preferences for missing housing formats. This approach is particularly relevant while we contemplate the possible impacts that the current economic and health crisis could have on cities and urban places. Join us in hearing what Sharon has found in her analysis of two Maine communities; and her forecasts of the impacts that COVID-19 will have on the lifestyle preferences of migrating Y and Z Generations.
