PRESS RELEASE:
Over 450 people involved in community planning – as city/county planners, public officials, educators, planning consultants, students, citizens – will be in Asheville this week for the annual conference of the NC Chapter of the American Planning Association. The last time this conference was held in Asheville was in 2004, and a lot has changed since then.
This year’s theme is Places Shape Plans ~ Plans Shape Places, celebrates the importance of place and the influences that planning and place have on each other. Successful planning efforts, projects and challenges in Asheville and the surrounding region will be highlighted in session and mobile workshops throughout the week. A few examples: downtown Asheville, the River Arts District, Blue Ridge Parkway, River-to-Ridge Greenway network, West Asheville/Haywood Road, economic development partnerships in Henderson County, and more. The conference reception will be held in the historic Grove Arcade.
We are pleased to have Lynn Richards, President and CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), join us as our keynote speaker. CNU is dedicated to building places people love and works at multiple scales to accomplish this. Previously, Richards had a long and distinguished career at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), holding multiple leadership roles over 13 years including Acting Director and Policy Director in the Office of Sustainable Communities. She worked with dozens of state and local governments to implement place-making approaches by developing policies, urban design strategies, and environmental solutions for vibrant, prosperous neighborhoods.
The timing is perfect for Asheville, as it is in the beginning phase of updating its Comprehensive Plan, which will guide growth and development policies for the next 20+ years. Find out more about this and provide your input here: avl.mx/2yl
This week is full of planning and related events. The Southeast Student Planning Conference will run concurrently with our conference, bringing students to share their research and learn from planning professionals. The NC Bike Summit begins as the Planning Conference ends, on Friday afternoon. Lastly, Open Streets Asheville, happens on Sunday, Sept. 18, to celebrate our streets as public spaces with fun activities planned for all ages.
Links: NC Planning Conference: apa-nc.org/calendar/annual-conference/
American Planning Association: www.planning.org/
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