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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTravel - 2017 Congress CNU ConferenceCITY OF PALM DESERT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT REQUEST: APPROVAL OF OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL FOR THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO ATTEND THE 2017 CONGRESS FOR THE NEW URBANISM (CNU) CONFERENCE IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON SUBMITTED BY: Ryan Stendell, Director of Community Development DATE: April 13, 2017 CONTENTS: CNU Literature Driehaus Award Literature Recommendation By Minute Motion, authorize the out-of-state travel for the Director of Community Development to attend the 2017 CNU conference being held in Seattle, Washington. Funds are available in Account No. 1104470- 4312000 (Community Development, Conferences and Seminars). Background The CNU is an international nonprofit organization working to build vibrant communities where people have various choices for how they live, work, and get around. Their goal is to encourage well -designed cities and neighborhoods that are crucial for our health, economy, and environment. CNU hosts an annual conference, which is being held in Seattle, Washington, the first week of May 2017. While staff has not been involved with .the CNU in the past, it comes as a highly recommended organization by the consultant team from the General Plan update. The 2017 CNU provides education and training sessions in many areas including: ■ Community Oriented Housing ■ Civic Engagement ■ Revitalization of Small City Downtown ■ Parking Strategies at all Scales ■ Autonomous Vehicles and Urbanism Staff Report Out -of -State Travel: CNU 2017 Seattle Page 2 of 2 April 13, 2017 In addition to the training provided at the conference, City staff has been notified that the CNU is considering the University Neighborhood Specific Plan (UNSP) for one of its annual awards. Staff along with the consultant team has been requested to be in attendance for the awards banquet. Staff is eager to learn from a seemingly valuable organization and is optimistic about returning with an award relating to the UNSP. Fiscal Analysis The total cost of this conference will be approximately $2,300. Funds are available in the FY 2016/2017 budget; there is no additional fiscal impact created by this request. Prepared By: Ryan Stendell, Director of Community Development Reviewed and Concur: a et oore, Director of Finance Approval: Lauri Aylaian, City Manager This is a crucial moment for New Urbanism. Since our founding in 1993, CNU has changed the conversation and created thousands of New Urbanist streets, developments, and neighborhoods. Walkable, mixed -use communities are returning to popularity —and we have the knowledge and tools to build them on a wide scale. Our challenge now is to build upon our success. Over the next three years we will accomplish this by engaging, equipping, and empowering a broad range of cities, towns, organizations, and community leaders involved in placemaking—across the wide spectrum of disciplines advocating, designing, and building great urbanism. People are demanding better choices for where they live, work, shop, and get around. Demographic shifts within the boomer and millennial generations are driving many of these changes. Meanwhile, budgets are constrained at every level of government, and underserved urban communities are at risk of falling further behind. As a nation, we can no longer afford to make shortsighted investments in housing, transportation, schools, and infrastructure that meet only one community goal. We must target public investments that strengthen budgets and support healthy, sustainable communities. We must design, build, and revitalize streets as tools for economic development. We must invest in housing that allows for greater mobility to jobs, schools, and everyday needs. New Urbanist developments and strategies can meet multiple community objectives —and build equitable places where people of all backgrounds, races, incomes, and abilities can live happy, healthy, prosperous lives. Now is the time to leverage our past successes and to accelerate the pace of change. Local governments and the public are demanding it. How will we respond? Since 2008, the landscape of our movement has changed. Our members, funders, and like- minded organizations seek holistic, lean, implementation -focused solutions. Our allies, public and private sector leaders, and community advocates face new and diverse barriers to building and revitalizing the great places they want. Drawing on CNU's knowledge base, we must develop collaborative and adaptive approaches that put the best resources and tools in the hands of the people designing and building places people love. Our three-year strategic plan seeks to build on CNU's strengths by: The Charter for the New Urbanism unites our members and partners. It provides the vision that empowers New Urbanists to work in diverse ways at different scales while maintaining common goals and values around community, equity, sustainability, health, prosperity, and quality of life. The Charter powers member engagement and work. Their constant search for better practices and their on -the -ground experiences make up a constant stream of new ideas, proven strategies, and success stories —all of which keeps us at the forefront of innovation. This three-year strategic plan seeks to build CNU's assets and strengthen the movement. A stronger, more engaged CNU means a stronger movement —and a stronger movement can imagine, design, build, and preserve great urbanism in more places. 1. EMPOWERING CITIES AND TOWNS Demand for walkable urban areas is increasing. Cities and towns are looking to capitalize on these trends to help drive growth and revitalization. Instead of asking, "Why do this?" local decision makers are asking, "How do we do this?" CNU can help. Since 1993, CNU members have developed a comprehensive knowledge base for building and retrofitting better places, producing public -education seminars, visioning workshops, charrettes, code audits, model codes, scenario building, and pro - forma analyses. Our cities, towns, and regions may face serious challenges, but many of these challenges are well understood —and we have the solutions. Drawing on our network of international experts and leaders, we will engage municipal governments and officials to elevate conversations about better development. We will deploy bold solutions for overcoming the barriers that prohibit the building of great places. We will provide a full range of services to educate and empower community leaders to imagine, design, build, and revitalize strong, prosperous neighborhoods —from start to finish —combining our interlocking traditions of great design, innovative policy, public education, private sector engagement, and implementation strategies. Central to empowering cities and towns is helping citizens and residents engage in transparent planning and development processes. It's no longer enough to create vibrant, prosperous neighborhoods if that prosperity unintentionally displaces or disadvantages existing residents. CNU will work with local leaders and advocates to develop city -specific strategies that transform neighborhoods and more equitably distribute the benefits and opportunities of transformation. 2. CHANGING POLICIES AND STANDARDS CNU will identify and address state and national policy barriers that hinder the building of great urbanism. Our national advocacy position will allow us to proactively address emerging trends with major impact on building great places at the national, state, and local levels. These issues include, but are not limited to: Launching the Project for Code Reform to address code barriers at the state and local level Engaging HUD in finance reform Updating fire codes for safer street design Accelerating suburban retrofit Expanding transportation reform Addressing these barriers and identifying emerging trends will allow CNU to accelerate the building of great places, particularly within disadvantaged or underserved neighborhoods and minority communities. CNU will also continue to work with our private sector partners to leverage and accelerate market influences, which can sometimes be more effective in addressing barriers to building better places. 3. BUILDING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS CNU has a long history of working collaboratively with partners' to address opportunities, barriers, and strategies to create better urbanism. Changing how American regions, cities, and towns can equitably grow and develop is a complex challenge —one that requires a coalition of diverse organizations to face. CNU will work to expand the scope and impact of our work by building and participating in a network of like-minded organizations and individuals. By leveraging the resources and thought leadership of this network, CNU will focus on what it does best: developing, testing, and implementing new design approaches throughout the community development and design fields. By fostering an active network of partners and frequent collaborators, CNU can participate in more joint work and learn from its allies' efforts —all of which will expand the impact of our work and help unite the movement's efforts to limit sprawl and create more vibrant, prosperous places. In addition to these strategic areas, there are a number of CNU priorities that influence all of our strategic areas. CNU will continue to strengthen and integrate these priorities into all aspects of the strategic plan. These areas include: CONFRONTING EQUITY AND INCLUSIVITY CNU's work will reaffirm the Charter's commitment to building great places for all users, regardless of background, race, income, or ability. Drawing on our movement's tradition of design excellence, we will explore strategies and solutions for providing attainable housing, designing and financing diverse neighborhoods, and ultimately building a just city. CNU will strive to engage diverse perspectives, non-traditional stakeholders, and disadvantaged populations. Across all of our work, we will challenge ourselves, our members, and our allies to build a more inclusive, engaged movement. ACCELERATING AND CONNECTING MEMBER LED EFFORTS Our members are the heart of CNU. They are our thought leaders, designers, planners, advocates, and builders. Our biggest successes and innovations —around neighborhood design, housing, equity, transportation, health, sustainability, finance, and countless other issues —have all sprung from the passion and hard work of our members. Connecting and accelerating member -led efforts are critical to advancing and succeeding in all of our three strategic areas. In particular, members will: (1) help CNU identify and address specific barriers to building great places; (2) accelerate change by expanding our knowledge base; and (3) allow CNU members and like-minded organizations to continue testing and adapting multi -disciplinary strategies for building great urbanism in more places. CONGRESSES The annual Congress for the New Urbanism is our flagship event. Our Congress will be an important platform for advancing all three strategic areas because of the networking, convening, and education it offers our members and the broader placemaking movement. CNU will continue to provide an outstanding Congress experience to attendees by convening strategic groups to advance our joint work, creating opportunities for learning and collaboration, connecting with like-minded innovators, and exploring current issues in new contexts. CNU will continue challenging our attendees to learn from host communities and to rethink their own perspectives and approaches —furthering the core goal of designing and building great urbanism for all. Through its history, CNU has worked with a range of partners, from federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, national associations such as the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the National Association of Realtors, non - profit organizations such as the Center for Neighborhood Technology and the Atlanta Regional Commission, and private sector groups such as the U.S. Green Building Council and the National Town Builders Association. CNU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Doug Farr, Board Chair Marcy Mclnelly, Vice Chair Russell Preston, Secretary Jennifer Hurley, Treasurer Lynn Richards, President& CEO Scott Bernstein Erin Christensen Ishizaki, Robert L. Chapman III Jack Davis Chris Elisara, Ph.D. Norm Garrick, former Board member Eliza Haris Juliano STRATEGIC PLAN COMMITTEE Doug Farr Jennifer Hurley Lynn Richards Dan Slone SPECIAL THANKS TO Gianni Longo, Inc. Laura Heery Prozes Doug Kelbaugh, former Board member Matthew Lewis Sarah Lewis John Massengale, former Board member Steve Maun, former Board member Scott Polikov Michaele Pride Lee Sobel Dan Slone John Torti Ken Voigt Laurie Volk The Driehaus Form -Based Codes Award Sponsored by the Form -Based Codes Institute with the Generous Support of the Richard 11. Driehaus Charitable Lead Trust The Board of Directors of the Form -Based Codes Institute (FBCI) is pleased to announce its ninth annual award for achievement in the writing and implementation of Form -Based Codes. Form -Based Codes regulate development to `Jive unity. efficient organization. social \ itality and v alkability to our cities. towns and neighborhoods. They create a predictahle. high -quality public realm by using physical form. rather than separation of uses. as the primary organizing principle. Form -Based Codes address the relationship between building facades and the public realm. the form and mass of buildings in relation to one another. and the scale and types of streets and blocks. The awards jury's considerations will include how the code addresses the following questions: 1. Will the code deliver a predictahle street character (public space)? 2. Is the code implementable and will it be relatively easy to use:' 3. Does this code have relevant and distinguishing features that advance the practice? 4. Will this code promote good urbanism (has it resulted in high -quality development activity )? Deadline Submissions are due Friday. February 24. 2017. Recognition Award winners will be recognized at the Congress for the New Urbanism's 25th Annual Congress in Seattle, Washington. May 3-6. 2017. Winning entries also will he featured on the FBCI wehsite. Eligibility Entries must have been adopted into law by a unit of Local government. Recently adopted codes. as well as codes adopted in prior years. are eligible for consideration. Entries should he codes intended to foster built results consistent with a community master plan. Any legally adopted Form -Based Code is eligible for submission. Submissions can be made by, local government officials. advisors. consultants or others involved in the dev elopment. adoption or implementation of the code. Codes designed. written. adopted or implemented b\ organizations associated V% ith members of the award jury are not eligible for consideration in 2017. Submission Information There is no entry fee. For complete information and full submission requirements. go to the Form -Based Codes Institute vv ebsite: www.tormbasedcodes.or<g. About FBCI The Form -Based Codes Institute is a nonprofit corporation engaged in research. standards setting. outreach and education. Its mission is to advance the knowledge and use of. and develop standards for. Form -Based Codes as a method to achieve a community vision based on time - tested lurms of urbanism. The Institute recognizes that a well -crafted Form -Based Code is the most effective type of development regulation for shaping pedestrian -scaled. mixed -use and fine- grained urbanism. FBCI acknowledges and thanks the Richard IL Driehaus Charitable Lead Trust for its support of the Driehaus Form -Based Codes Award.