We invite members and others to submit announcements about upcoming events in the greater D.C. metropolitan area related to planning, architecture, historic preservation, transportation, smart growth, and other related topics.

To list your event, please email events@ncac-apa.org.

Forging the Path to Downtown Revitalization: Local Government´s Role in the Rebirth of Gallery Place and Silver Spring

Ellen McCarthy, current Director of Planning and Land Use at Nixon
Peabody and former Director of the DC Office of Planning
Gary Stith, Director, Silver Spring Regional Center

The bustle of people walking to shops, restaurants and events in
Silver Spring and D.C. downtowns didn´t just happen.  The return of
private investment and people to Washington D.C.´s downtown and
Montgomery County Maryland´s Silver Spring were in large part the
result of far-sighted local government policies, with close attention
paid to implementation over many years. While the stories of the
revival of these two downtowns are different, both offer insight into
the kind of land use policies, development incentives and leadership
that can turn a place around.  Learn from our speakers about polices
and practices that turned the corner on declining downtowns and helped
transform them into the vibrant districts we see today.

Space is limited, RSVPs required. rsvp@smartergrowth.net or
202-244-4408 ext. 114


Coalition for Smarter Growth
4000 Albemarle St, NW, Suite 310
Washington DC 20016
(202) 244-4408 (202) 244-4438 fax
www.smartergrowth.net

LEADING PRACTITIONERS OFFER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

The Planning Academy at Virginia Tech announces its latest line-up of
dynamic professional development courses, taught by leading
practitioners.  All courses are conveniently located in our Old Town
Alexandria facilities, easily accessible to Washington, D.C., and all
parts of the National Capital Region.

INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND HISTORY
February 28-29

THE GOVERNMENT-NONPROFIT NEXUS IN PLANNING: EFFECTIVE COLLABORATION IN
TODAY´S ENVIRONMENT
March 14

READING AND INTERPRETING SITE PLANS
April 3-4

IMPACT FEES AND PROFFERS 2008
April 10-11

ACHIEVING NONPROFIT SUSTAINABILITY: EARNED INCOME STRATEGIES FOR
PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS
April 11

CONSERVATION EASEMENTS
May 29-30

The Planning Academy at Virginia Tech provides ongoing training for
mid-career planning, design and development professionals in a range of
implementation-related practice areas.

For complete details and registration, please visit our website:
http://www.planningacademy.ncr.vt.edu

NCAC-APA Awards Gala Photos!

On World Town Planning Day (November 8, 2007), NCAC-APA held its biennial Awards Gala in the Map Room of the National Music Center at the Historic Carnegie Library in downtown Washington, DC. The event was also a celebration of the National Capital Area Chapter’s 60th Anniversary. View a slideshow of photos from the events at http://www.ncac-apa.org/gala.html.

Volunteer Opportunities for UrbanPlan

A rigorous, realistic and engaging high school program, UrbanPlan is designed for economics and government classes, teaching 11th and 12th grade students the fundamentals of urban redevelopment.

Charged with the task of responding to a “Request for Proposal” for the redevelopment of a blighted neighborhood in a hypothetical community, students teams comprised of a Site Planner, Marketing Director, Neighborhood Liaison, Financial Analyst and City Liaison, work with LEGOS and a Microsoft Excel financial model to develop their vision for a new community.

Over the course of the three week program, students address challenging financial, social, political, and design issues, developing a real life understanding of the various stakeholders and tradeoffs associated with redevelopment. ULI members volunteer their time to present to students on projects in their community; to facilitate discussion in the classroom as students develop their own projects; and to serve as a city council member when the students present their final proposals.

Students walk away from UrbanPlan with an understanding that the built environment does not happen by accident; that the development around them is the result of both market and nonmarket forces; and that they as citizens and consumers can have a strong influence on what is built, when it is built and where it is built. After experiencing UrbanPlan, students look at their neighborhoods differently, having a new understanding and appreciation for the communities in which they live.

Almost 800 students in the Washington metropolitan region have experienced UrbanPlan over the past three years. During this school year UrbanPlan will be held at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda; Washington-Lee High School in Arlington; Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax; the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, and the University of Maryland’s Undergraduate and Graduate studies program in Urban Studies and Planning.

ULI Washington members enhance the students’ UrbanPlan experience by volunteering their time to facilitate discussion in the classroom; sitting on a City Council to judge the students’ proposals; speaking to classes on a nearby development project or leading a field trip. It is the interaction between the students and ULI members which makes this program so unique and successful.

FACILITATOR
As a Facilitator, your job will be to engage the student teams in discussions as to their reasoning behind the choices they made in redeveloping the community and to help the students think critically about the issues and specific responsibilities of their “job” (Director of Marketing, Site Planner, Financial Analyst, City Liaison, Neighborhood Liaison.) Facilitators are required to participate in two critical class hours mid way and three-quarters of the way through the program and are welcome to participate in both the first class where the program is introduced, and observe the final presentation to the jury. Typical in-class time commitment = 2 hours

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
As a member of the Yorktown City Council, your job will be to act as a juror and critique both the final proposals and presentation skills of each of the student teams. Juries occur at the end of the program and will take place in or out of the school over a three-hour period. Out of class time commitment will consist of a meeting or conference call with other jury members to be briefed on the student teams, review format for the jury, and assign questions amongst jury members which would take no more than one additional hour.

CLASS SPEAKER
As the students go through UrbanPlan, teachers have found it helpful to have a ULI member come into the classroom to speak to the students on a nearby development project. This presentation allows for the students to apply the concepts they are learning in UrbanPlan to a project or place that they frequent on a regular basis. Class speakers apply the students’ UrbanPlan roles to the presentation, soliciting class involvement.

VOLUNTEER TRAINING
For each of the volunteer positions you will need to participate in an UrbanPlan tutorial. The training will provide you with the knowledge you need to be effective in the classroom as a facilitator and as a jury member on the city council. The students’ knowledge of urban redevelopment comes from the parameters set forth in the program therefore volunteers must become well versed in the scope of Yorktown’s revitalization!

If you would like to learn more about how you can volunteer your time to help engage our region’s students or would like to financially contribute to this educational program, contact UrbanPlan committee co-chairs:

Evan Goldman (202) 362-2400 egoldman@holladaycorp.com
Tennille Smith Parker (703) 248-5005 tparker@fallschurchva.gov

Or contact Sophie Lambert, ULI Washington’s Director of Community Outreach at 240-497-1919, ext. 103 or slambert@uli.org.

For additional information on UrbanPlan please visit www.urbanplan.org.