Mass. Smart Growth Conference Dec. 1 in Worcester

The official conference announcement:

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association will co-host the 2006 Massachusetts Smart Growth Conference on December 1st at the DCU Center in Worcester. Directions to DCU Center.

The public is invited to attend this event which is unique because of its size, direct focus on growth and development issues, and appeal to both developers and local officials. The Massachusetts Smart Growth Toolkit was released at last year's conference that attracted 715 people from the private, public, and non-profit sectors. The goal of the conference, presented in partnership with the Urban Land Institute-Boston and MassDevelopment, is to provide those concerned about growth and development with practical information they can utilize to implement smart growth measures in their communities. Land and natural resource protection, housing, energy, transportation, and many other sustainable development issues will be covered in 18 breakout sessions.

This year's conference will feature Ed McMahon as the keynote speaker. Mr. McMahon, a fellow at the Urban Land Institute (a non-profit education and research institute dedicated to providing responsible leadership in land use), is responsible for research and educational efforts related to green and sustainable development practices. He has also been the director of land use programs at the Conservation Fund and was the co-founder and president of Scenic America. There will also be an opening address from Julie Campoli and Alex MacLean, a landscape architect and aerial photographer respectively, whose book Above and Beyond: Visualizing Change in Small Towns and Rural Areas, utilizes aerial pictures to illustrate how growth and development takes place.

The recipients of the 2006 Massachusetts Smart Growth Awards will also be recognized at the Conference. Click here for the 2006 Smart Growth Award application.