Montgomery County Planning Speaker Series

On Tuesday April 9th, Ralph Buehler, co-editor of the recently published City Cycling (from MIT Press), will be presenting as part of the Montgomery County Maryland Department of Planning's speaker series.

(I promise to review City Cycling and hopefully, Luis Vivanco's new book, Reconsidering the Bicycle: An Anthropological Perspective on a New (Old) Thing, in advance of the presentation.)


But I hate to admit I zoned out and missed two recent sessions in the series, one of which, Planning for Heritage Tourism: The Byways Plan for Passaic County, N.J., would have been particularly relevant to the hearing a couple weeks ago on the NCPC's draft Visitor and Commemoration Element of the Federal section of DC's Comprehensive Plan. (Comments are due by next Friday, March 15th.)

While speaking I specifically mentioned the scenic byways and historic roads program as one of a number of organizing frameworks relevant to tourism management and development in DC.

Fortunately the presentations were taped and are downloadable.

From Plan to Reality: How Everyone Benefits (February 26, 2013)
How do plans become reality? Eileen Fogarty, former planning director in Santa Monica, Calif., and Alexandria, Va., focused on the transition from concepts to real change. In her previous jobs, Fogarty oversaw plans that resulted in thriving urban transit centers. The result: multiple transportation options in established neighborhoods that enhance, not detract, from the community's quality of life. In Alexandria, Fogarty led the development of Eisenhower East, a 238-acre, 17-million-square- foot urban town center within walking distance of two Metro stations. In Santa Cruz, she managed the rebuilding of the town after the major earthquake of 1989. Watch

Planning for Heritage Tourism: The Byways Plan for Passaic County, N.J. (February 20, 2013)
Michael La Place, planning director of Passaic County, N.J., spoke about how tourism-oriented, well-executed urban design can boost economic development and help build community identity. Watch