Winter 2010

New Partners For Smart Growth, Seattle, February 4-6

This national, multi-disciplinary, smart growth conference will be held February 4-6, 2010, at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in downtown Seattle.

The conference program has nearly 100 diverse, cutting-edge sessions spanning three full days, plus exciting pre- and post-conference activities, including 14 tours of model projects. The 2010 conference also offers several new and exciting features that make this event one that is not-to-be-missed.

Kick-off “New Federal Partners for Smart Growth” Plenary: EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (both confirmed) and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan (invited) will highlight how their agencies are working together to promote sustainable, livable communities and how communities can partner with the federal government to make smart growth, and related solutions to climate change, energy, transportation and environmental protection, happen.

Pre-conference workshop on Equitable Development, Environmental Justice and Smart Growth: Recognizing that smart growth has often been criticized for not meeting the needs of disadvantaged communities, we’ve added a day-long workshop on February 3rd to bring together leaders from the environmental justice, equitable development and smart growth movements to assess this critique and identify opportunities for these movements to work together more effectively. Speakers will share their insights and experiences on how integrating broader social principles into smart growth practices is critical to revitalize America’s disadvantaged communities, grow our economy, and create healthy and sustainable communities. In addition to this dynamic workshop, the main conference program also includes many sessions that are focused on important equity and environmental justice issues.

Diversity Scholarships: A limited number of scholarships and travel stipends are available to leaders from lower-income and minority communities, as well as representatives from organizations whose work is primarily focused on social equity and environmental justice. For more details or to apply for a diversity scholarship, please contact Shani Alford at salford@lgc.org or 916-448-1198 x330.

Small Towns Tour: If you want to get a really good look at the Pacific Northwest, join us for an action-packed 2-1/2 day tour of small towns (Feb. 1-3). We’ll visit over 10 small towns to explore downtown revitalization, infill housing, green development and the transformation of suburban bedroom communities into complete cities.

Event Networking: For the 2010 conference, we’ve built a private networking website for participants, speakers and sponsors. Once registered, you can begin networking with others who plan to be at the event. To better connect with other participants before, during and after the conference, this new site helps you find people who share your interests, exchange messages, set up meetings, and participate in discussions via event-wide forums.

AICP Accreditation: The LGC expects most of the conference sessions to be approved for AICP accreditation. Information as to which sessions will be accredited will be posted online in December.

Conference Registration and Hotel Reservations: Register online now, and before the January 15 deadline. The special $159 room rate at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel is only available until January 13.

See the New Partners for Smart Growth conference web site for a list of plenaries and break out sessions. Web link: www.NewPartners.org

For more information:
Michele Warren, Local Government Commission
1303 J St., Suite 250, Sacramento, CA 95814 US
Phone: 916-448-1198 ext. 308; Email: mkwarren@lgc.org