How Funding Battles in Washington Threaten Smart Growth

Lincoln Institute forum to examine Sustainable Communities program

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Leaders from around the New England region will examine what current funding battles in Washington means for the future of President Obama's Sustainable Communities program, at the annual New England Smart Growth Leadership Forum Friday, December 2, 2011 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

The theme of the forum, "Putting Sustainability into Practice," reflects a focus on Sustainable Communities grants funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, which had formed a partnership with the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency for a wide-ranging sustainability initiative, now under intense budget-cutting pressure. Ron Sims, former HUD Deputy Secretary, will be the lunchtime keynote speaker.

The goal of the annual forum, sponsored by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in partnership with EPA, HUD, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, is to bring together New England's leaders from governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and the private sector who play a critical role in shaping growth in New England, to provide an opportunity for participants to share information about successes and challenges in smart growth, and to learn from national experts about advances in the field. The agenda is below. Media please contact Anthony Flint at the Lincoln Institute to attend.

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is a leading resource for key issues concerning the use, regulation, and taxation of land. Providing high-quality education and research, the Institute strives to improve public dialogue and decisions about land policy.

New England Smart Growth Leadership Forum: Putting Sustainability into Practice
December 2, 2011, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

9:30- 9:45  a.m.
Welcome and Introduction
Armando Carbonell, Senior Fellow and Chair, Department of Planning and Urban Form, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; Barbara Fields, Regional Administrator, US Department of Housing and Urban Development; Curt Spalding, Regional Administrator, US Environmental Protection Agency; Mary Beth Mello, Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration

9:45-10:45 
Regional Approaches to Sustainability
Armando Carbonell; Chris Jones, Vice President for Research, Regional Plan Association; Ryan Pelletier, Director of Workforce Development, Northern Maine Development Commission

11:15-12:15
European Models of Sustainability
Tim Beatley, Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities, University of Virginia; Lyle Wray, Executive Director, Capitol Region Council of Governments; Tim Brennan, Executive Director, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission; Bonnie Nickerson, Director of Long Range Planning, City of Providence, RI

12:15-1:15 
Measuring and Evaluating Sustainability
Doug Farr, President and CEO, Farr Associates; Marc Draisen, Executive Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council; Christine Walker, Executive Director, Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission

1:30-2:45 
Lunchtime Keynote
Ron Sims, former Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development

http://www.lincolninst.edu/

CONTACT: Anthony Flint, +1-617-503-2116

SOURCE Lincoln Institute of Land Policy