Montgomery County conference on rethinking suburban development patterns: April 14th - 16th

Wearing two (or three) hats as I do--promoting the business of bicycle facilities systems integration along with center city advocacy + blogging about community revitalization--means that I have to walk a fine line between city promotion and recognizing opportunities for what they are and responding to them.

Montgomery County Office of Planning is sponsoring a conference in April that looks to be quite good. It's focused on improving the suburbs, but as I always say, the issue isn't always "city vs. suburb" as much as it is what opportunities are posed in terms of neighborhoods and districts, and neighborhoods-districts share similar characteristics and opportunities, especially if they are served by transit, regardless of their location in a city or a suburb.

From the Montgomery County Maryland Parks and Planning e-letter:

Register for Innovative Planning Conference, April 14-16

Planners and the residents they serve continually confront nagging suburban problems like sprawl and congestion. Learn more about tried-and-true solutions to contemporary planning challenges at Makeover Montgomery: Innovative Strategies for Rethinking America's Suburbs conference. Professional planners, architects, environmental experts, industry and nonprofit reps and academicians will present successful strategies to improve suburbs throughout North America. Co-hosted by the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, the Montgomery County Planning Departmentand the Urban Studies and Planning Program at the University of Maryland. Continuing education credits (AICP certification maintenance credits) are pending for planning professionals. Learn more and register ($25).