National Conversation Network CDC

[NaepcA1]

A National Conversation on the Future of Our Communities: Seeking New Ideas in Community Planning, Design, and Development

Open Solicitation. Papers Due June 30th, 2012. Come Join the Conversation!
What's your vision for the future of your community? Join the Smart Growth Network (SGN) in the first national conversation about how neighborhoods and regions could be planned, designed, and developed to meet the needs of current and future generations.
This national conversation will occur over the next 12 to 18 months in a range of media, including a compendium of emerging issues, webinars, blogs, videos, and more. The first step in starting the conversation is to build a compendium of new and innovative ideas. SGN is seeking short papers that discuss a particular issue that communities will be facing in the next 15 years.
•    How will neighborhoods and regions be planned, designed, and developed to meet the needs of current and future generations?
•    How can practitioners and organizations best position themselves to navigate emerging trends?
•    What issues do local governments, community leaders, and advocates need to be prepared to address to ensure strong, healthy, sustainable, and livable communities?
•    How can governments, developers, investors, and others capitalize on increasing demand for communities that offer their residents choices in how they live, work, play, and travel?
Your answers to these and other questions will help inform SGN partner organizations, including government entities, nongovernmental organizations, and private-sector interests, on their strategies to help communities grow in ways that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and improve the quality of life.
Papers are due on June 30, 2012. A multidisciplinary review team will select between 20 and 40 papers to publish in a compendium before the 2013 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference. Selected papers will be considered for inclusion in the open and/or closing plenaries. After the conference, authors might be asked to participate in a webinar hosted by the Smart Growth Network. Additional information on the national conversation can be found at: www.smartgrowth.org/nationalconversation.
Roberta Lane White, Management Analyst
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Sustainable Communities
Mail Code: 1807T
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460