Meet the next generation of planners
Image by Mike Licht on Flickr.
Have you ever wanted to pick a planner’s brain? Would you like to get to know some of the young, up and coming professionals who are redefining the way we think about our region and our communities?
The world of development and planning is complex and often elusive. But now you can meet 3 of the region’s most promising young planners at the Coalition for Smarter Growth’s Young Planner Showcase on Wednesday, May 25. They’ll present their best work, get feedback from our expert panelists, and answer all your questions. Consider it American Idol for planners, but slightly less vicious and without any fear of Steven Tyler.
Our presenters, Matt Ladd, Brandi Collins, and Maritza Mercado, are helping plan sustainable communities in our region and are the brains behind various projects in Fairfax, Alexandria, and DC. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to find out everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the process behind making the DC area great.
What goes into a project? What makes a plan sustainable? Who’s involved? How can jurisdictions better work with the community to make decisions? What struggles do planners face on a daily basis? The possibilities for questions are endless (though we only have until 8:00 pm, so come prepared). And who knows, you might get inspired to join the community planning process!
If you’ve been to a CSG event before, this forum may surprise you a bit. We’re trying out the Pecha Kucha presentation format. Each presenter will have 20 PowerPoint slides and get 20 seconds per slide. Each presentation is thus a total of 6 minutes 40 seconds long, leaving plenty of time for audience questions and conversation.
Meet the Speakers:
Matt Ladd, Fairfax County Department of Planning & Zoning
Matt Ladd was the primary contributing author to the Comprehensive Plan for Tysons Corner. He is currently working to evaluate redevelopment proposals in Tysons that would allow nearly 40 million square feet of new, mixed-use development surrounding 4 new Metrorail stations.
Brandi D. Collins, City of Alexandria Department of Planning & Zoning
Brandi Collins will present her work on the 2003 Long-Term Vision and Action Plan for the Arlandria Neighborhood, located in the northeastern portion of Alexandria, Virginia. She will cover the problems the plans addresses, including under-utilized retail space and a lack of new development.
Maritza E. Mercado, AECOM
Maritza Mercado will discuss her work on the Washington, DC Neighborhood Sustainability Indicators Project Pilot, a community-based, grassroots effort to engage neighborhood residents, businesses, and institutions to define their vision, goals, and targets for sustainability at the local level.
This event is sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and the National Capital Area Chapter of APA. APA has approved Certification Maintenance (CM) credit for this event.
RSVPs are required.
The Young Planner Showcase will be held Wednesday, May 25, 2011 from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm at the National Capital Planning Commission, 401 9th Street, NW.