Conference Sessions – Friday

9:15am-10:30am

Integrating Market Realities Into Your Community Plan

What role should real estate market research play in your next community plan?  Learn from market analysts and planners how the integration of a real estate market “reality check” into your next community planning and design project can help generate more successful results and what can go wrong when market conditions are ignored.  CM│1.25

  • Darren Mochrie, Vice President & Principal, RKG Associates
  • David Gray, Project Manager, RKG Associates
  • Robert C. Ballou, AICP, Principal, Urban Planning & Design, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
  • Alison Ring, AICP, Principal Planner & GIS Manager, Town of Middletown, RI

Preserving Farmland and Growing Sustainably: A New Village for Exeter, Rhode Island

Threatened by suburban sprawl, rural Exeter, Rhode Island is looking at village development as a tool to grow the kind of homes and businesses the town needs while preserving the farms and forests that make the community a great place to live.  This session will describe the entire process, from town-wide visioning and consensus-building to detailed village design and implementation.  CM│1.25

  • Peter Flinker, AICP, Principal, Dodson Associates
  • Scott Millar, Chairman, A Vision for Exeter
  • Nathan Kelly, AICP, Senior Planner, Horsley Witten Group, Inc.
  • David W. Schweid, AICP, Town Planner, Town of Exeter

Design Value That Sticks: Practical Experience with Mandatory and Advisory Design Review

Hear about the practical experiences of programs and communities with mandatory or advisory design review.  The session will cover methods that have worked (and some that have not) to overcome challenges and resistance to design review in communities of all sizes.  Learn how to make the design review process successful in meeting public goals.   CM│1.25

  • Tim Sheehan, Executive Director, Norwalk Redevelopment Agency
  • Elizabeth Hahn, Program Coordinator, Massachusetts Downtown Initiative
  • David Carlson, AIA, AICP, Executive Director, Boston Civic Design Commission
  • Steven D. Cecil, AIA, ASLA, President, The Cecil Group

Measure for Measure: Boston-based Technical Toolkits for Measuring Walkability, Livability, Accessibility and Environmental Justice

Although livability, walkability, and environmental justice are key buzzwords in today’s planning lexicon, no one seems to know how to measure them.  This presentation will feature innovative technical methods and tools that current and past staff to the Boston Region MPO have employed as analytical evaluative metrics for these concepts. CM│1.25

  • Bruce L. Kaplan, AICP, Principal Transportation Planner, Central Transportation Planning Staff, Boston Region MPO
  • Sean Pfalzer, Livability Program Manager, Central Transportation Planning Staff- Boston Region MPO
  • Caroline Ducas, EIT, Transportation Engineer & Planner, Parsons Brinkeroff

Municipal Stormwater Permit Compliance: Reduce Your Costs & Send Risk Down the Drain

EPA’s Phase II Municipal Stormwater Program is in its second “chapter” – new permit requirements will go above and beyond previous ones, and communities will have significant technical and financial  challenges meeting them.  However, there are numerous creative and cost effective ways to comply with permit terms.  This session will present tips, steps, and examples of measures municipalities can take to meet stormwater obligations while saving money and minimizing risk for enforcement action.  CM│1.25

  • Zach Henderson, Project Scientist, Woodard & Curran, Inc.
  • Mary McCrann, AICP, Planner, Woodard & Curran, Inc.
  • Janet Moonan, Engineer, Woodard & Curran, Inc.

10:45am-12:00pm

Complete Streets: Designing Healthy Places in Rhode Island

Decades of sprawl and urban disinvestment have created a physical environment that discourages physical activity and contributes to health concerns, particularly obesity. This presentation, adapted from a workshop developed for the RIDOH’s Healthy Places by Design project, focuses on designing safe, accessible streets for all users, including pedestrians and bicyclists.  CM│1.25

  • Sheila Brush, Director of Programs, Grow Smart Rhode Island
  • Wade Walker, PE, Director of Transportation Planning, Fuss & O’Neill
  • Jennifer Nelson, AICP, Transportation Planner, Fuss & O’Neill

Rolling Climate Change, Transportation & Land Use Planning into One Innovative Process

Hear a multi-agency perspective on how communities can plan sustainably for transportation, land use and climate change using scenario planning, partnerships, and innovative and interactive technology.  The session draws upon the experience of a pilot project for Cape Cod. CM│1.25

  • Lindsey Morse, Community Planner, Volpe Center
  • Clay Schofield, PE, Transportation Engineer, Cape Cod Commission
  • Lauren McKean, AICP, National Park Service Planner, Cape Cod National Seashore
  • Marie-Annette “Nan” Johnson, Community Planner, FEMA Region 1

Innovative Sustainable Strategies for Small-Town Rural Economic Development

Are you curious about innovative strategies for small-town rural economic development?  This session will cover heritage tourism, creative economy and small-town rural economic development planning processes.  Case studies in heritage tourism in Massachusetts will be highlighted,  including New Salem; a Cultural/Creative Economy Plan in Ashburnham; and a Sustainable Economic Development Plan in Ashby.  CM│1.25

  • Michael Cote, urban planning consultant
  • Eric R. Smith, AICP, Principal Planner, Montachusett Regional Planning Commission
  • Jennifer Siciliano, Planner, City of Woonsocket, RI

Advancing Electric Charging Stations Through Partnerships with Municipalities in New England

The Town of Andover, MA and other New England municipalities are teaming up with private companies and consultants to provide and encourage electric vehicle charging stations.  Hear how the community initiated the project, involved key players, mapped out a plan, obtained funding and set the path for installing electric charging stations. CM│1.25

  • Lisa Schwarz, AICP, Senior Planner, Town of Andover, MA
  • Kathleen Rosen, CEO, Voltrek, LLC
  • Kim Lundgren, Senior Project Manager/Climate & Energy, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
  • Jason Zogg, EV Specialist/Climate & Energy, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.

Why and How Providence is Developing a Robust Transit System (and your City or Town Should Be, Too)

Learn why (and how) Providence has made transit planning a top priority. Join the planners responsible for the planning and implementation of various transit initiatives underway in the metro area (including plans for a downtown streetcar system, the State’s first Rapid Bus route, expanded commuter programs, and improved bus service) as they discuss the projects and the unique opportunities and challenges that they have encountered along the way. CM│1.25

  • Thomas E. Deller, AICP, Director, Department of Planning & Development, City of Providence
  • John Flaherty, Director of Research & Communications, Grow Smart Rhode Island
  • Amy Pettine, Special Projects Manager, Rhode Island Public Transit Authority

12:15pm-1:30pm

Guest Speaker: Anna M. Breinich, AICP, AICP President & Director of Planning and Development, Brunswick, Maine

1:45pm-3:00pm

Improving Community Access to Healthy Foods

America’s increasing obesity rate and consequent health problems have focused attention on the number of people who lack access to healthy foods.  This session will focus on how planners, food and health professionals, and policy advocates can promote and use community design, incentives and regulatory strategies to improve food access. CM│1.25

  • Sheila Brush, Director of Programs, Grow Smart Rhode Island
  • Katherine Brown, PhD, Executive Director, Southside Community Land Trust
  • Kathleen Gorman, PhD, Director, URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America
  • Nathan Kelly, AICP, Senior Planner, Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Don’t Drown on Bad Choices or Numbers: A Rational Economic Model for Newport’s Waterfront

Do water-dependent uses in Newport Harbor contribute more to municipal revenues on a per-acre of waterfront land basis than other commercial or residential uses in the harbor? Learn how the city of Newport, RI developed an economic assessment of its waterfront to assist decision makers with future land use planning. CM│1.25

  • Teresa Crean, AICP, Coastal Community Planner, URI Coastal Resources Center, Rhode Island Sea Grant College Program
  • Paige Bronk, AICP, Director of Planning & Development, City of Newport, RI
  • Francis X. Mahady, Principal, FXM Associates

Meeting the Challenge of Peak Oil at the Local Level

A consensus is growing among energy experts that world oil production will begin its inexorable decline in this decade — with tremendous implications for economic growth and the planning profession. This session will outline what planners must begin doing now to help their communities adapt to a post-peak-oil world. CM│1.25

  • Mark Archambault, AICP, Smart Growth Circuit Rider, Nashua River Watershed Association
  • Christopher Ryan, AICP, Planning & Environmental Director, Benton County, AR
  • Tucker Smith, President, Groton Local

To FBC or Not to FBC: That is the Question

Form Based Codes have become common buzzwords in planning. Using regional examples, the panel will discuss factors to consider before a community commits to adopt a form-based code.  Learn when it is appropriate and when other options may be more applicable. CM│1.25

  • Ralph Willmer, FAICP, Senior Planner, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
  • Robert C. Ballou, AICP, Principal, Urban Planning & Design, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
  • Matthew Lawlor, Esq., Attorney, Robinson & Cole

The Providence Knowledge District

The Knowledge District is a fast-developing area of Providence and is well-positioned to become a center for new economic growth in Rhode Island and the region. Hear how Providence is growing its knowledge-based economy and creating a world-class center for research, innovation, and sustainability. CM│1.25

  • Bonnie Nickerson, Director of Long-Range Planning, Department of Planning & Development, City of Providence
  • Christopher Bull, Senior Research Engineer, Senior Lecturer, Department of Engineering, Brown University
  • David Everett, Principal Planner, Department of Planning & Development, City of Providence
  • Dr. Eric Balles, Director of Energy Sources, Draper Laboratory

3:15pm-4:45pm

Ethics for Planners

The AICP Code of Ethics is a compass for professional behavior and a foundation for the highest quality in planning practice.  In this session, we will explore the rules and practices that together comprise the ethical planner. CM│1.50 ETHICS

  • Anna M. Breinich, AICP, Director of Planning and Development, Brunswick, ME
  • Ben Frost, Director of Public Affairs, New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency
  • Dwight H. Merriam, Esq., FAICP, Partner, Robinson & Cole

Integrating Climate Adaptation and Disaster Resiliency

This session will focus on the elements of a comprehensive multi-hazard mitigation program, the resources available to implement sustainable mitigation practices, and the impact of climate adaptation strategies on the traditional view of hazard mitigation. CM│1.50

  • Peter Cusolito, Senior Security & Emergency Preparedness Planner, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
  • Marilyn Hillard, Senior Planner/Disaster Operations Coordinator, FEMA Region 1
  • Michelle Burnett, CFM, State Floodplain Coordinator, Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency
  • Wayne Barnes, CFM, Deputy Emergency Management Director, City of East Providence

Walk-By Visioning: Engaging Pedestrians in the Planning Process

Panelists from WalkBoston will discuss the “Walk-By Visioning” process which engages non-traditional populations in the planning process. Learn about interactive, low-cost, on-the-street techniques that invite input from pedestrians in the community – something that is often missing from traditional public participation processes.  CM│1.50

  • Joe Cutrufo, Project Director, WalkBoston
  • Bob Sloan, Senior Planner, WalkBoston

Creating Interactive, Collaborative On-Line Maps with the Google Maps API for Community Planning

Learn how to use Google Maps API to create engaging, interactive, and useful on-line map resources, which are also free.  The session will focus on case studies, each of which implemented the technology in different ways. CM│1.50

  • Ken Livingston, AICP, Vice President, Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc.
  • David Dickson, NEMO Network Coordinator, University of Connecticut Center for Land Use Education & Research (CLEAR)
  • Carl Bard, PE, Deputy Chief, Program Management Unit, Metropolitan District Commission (Hartford)
  • Cary Chadwick, Geospatial Training Coordinator, University of Connecticut Center for Land Use Education & Research (CLEAR)

Young Planners’ Workshop

This workshop will provide an opportunity for young planners to meet and discuss topics of concern to those newer to the profession. Interactive discussion groups will address issues including networking, communication and career development. Participants will identify needs and create a plan of action steps to address these.

  • Kristen D. Wilson, AICP, Principal Planner/Economic Development Coordinator, Town of Shrewsbury, MA
  • Tim Harrigan, Community Housing Planner, Town of Easton, MA
  • Khara Dodd, AICP, Director of Planning & Economic Development, Town of Plymouth, CT
  • Doug McLean, Principal Planner, Town of North Kingstown, RI