New West Network

2009 Conference Agenda

Various Locations in the Boise Area

1:30 P.M. — 5:00 P.M.

Pre-conference Tours -
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

Join a small groups of planners, architects, engineers, landscape designers, community members and more for an in-depth look at Boise and examples of planning that has shaped the community, streetscapes and city. Each tour will be limited to more more than 26 people. There is no additional charge, and is a complimentary of the conference. More details to be announced.

• Boise's Urban Streetscapes: Art and Architecture as Cultural Heritage
  (THIS TOUR IS CURRENTLY FULL. TO BE PUT ON A WAITLIST: conferences@newwest.net) Downtown Boise offers a diverse array of architecture and public art. More than just a random assortment of buildings and artifacts, the urban streetscape of Boise tells a complex and living story about the growth and development of a western city. The Department of Art and History's downtown tour will emphasize not only the architecture, but also the decisions and processes of the past that shaped the city we see today, and the public art pieces that commemorate that past and reclaim the cultural space of the present. (MEETING: Jacobs/Uberaga House on the Basque Block, across the street from Bardenay and the Basque Market, click here for a map.)



• Infill and Mixed Use Revisited
  (THIS TOUR IS CURRENTLY FULL. TO BE PUT ON A WAITLIST: conferences@newwest.net) Join Idaho Smart Growth for a Tour 36th Street and the Waterfront development in Garden City. Visit Bown Crossing to learn how a new development was planned with a diversity of housing, businesses, access to an elementary school, and coordination with a major new bridge crossing the Boise River. Discover the Linen District and the adaptive reuse of buildings. Get a sneak peek into mixed-use in BoDo in downtown Boise and the new Aspen Lofts residential project. Click here to see the full tour.(This tour is currently full, to be put on the waitlist, )(MEETING: At the Linen Building, 1402 W Grove St, click here for a map.)



• Beyond the Ivory Tower: How Campuses Can Lead the Sustainability Way
  Boise State, like many institutions around the country, is taking a pro-active role in addressing sustainability. From day-to-day operations to long-range planning for energy efficiency, Boise State is committed to bringing the campus to a climate neutral footprint in a short period of time. The tour will include a presentation on the Boise State University sustainability plan and tours of some local renewable energy projects unique to the Boise area. (MEETING: Boise State University, Micron Engineering Center Building, Room 114, click here for a map.

5:30 P.M.

Conference opening reception at the Linen Building in Downtown Boise

Onsite at the Stueckle Sky Center on Boise State University

7:15 A.M.

Breakfast and registration

8:15 A.M.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Jonathan Weber, NewWest.Net

8:30 A.M.

Planning in the West: Challenges and Opportunities

In much of the Mountain West, planning has often been viewed not as a necessity for managing growth, but rather as something that threatened to inhibit the untrammeled use of private property. But those attitudes are changing fast — especially in the Treasure Valley, where the need for thoughtful planning is more obvious every day. How are planners meeting the challenge of steering greater Boise's growth? What are others from around the region focused on? What are the obstacles to good planning processes? How is the economic downturn affecting planners' approaches? What are some creative planning efforts in the more rural parts of the region?

• Bill Clark, Clark Development (Boise, ID)
• Patricia Nilsson, City of Boise (Boise, ID)
• Warren Vaughan, Gallatin County Planning Department (Bozeman, MT)
• Dave Yadon, City of Coeur d'Alene (Coeur d'Alene, ID)
• Jennifer Zung, Harmony Design & Engineering (Driggs, ID)

9:30 A.M.

Keynote: Saving the World Through Zoning: Green Development Codes and the Path to Sustainability

Sustainability is a rage throughout the West, but mainly just a lot of hype surrounding the issue that everything cloaked in a green mantle these days. The Sustainable Community Development Code can help communities go beyond the inspiration and get down to the perspiration of making sustainability a reality.

• Chris Duerksen AICP, Managing Director/Principal of Clarion Associates

10:15 A.M.

Break

10:35 A.M.

The Sustainable View of Planning

The planning process is the first step in making sustainable and long-term designs and architecture, particularly to fit into city and county codes. What incentives can cities adopt in planning for a greener future? What set backs in our region challenge us at this time? What are some innovative ideas for place-based, landscape planning. How can we resolve the conflicts between development, economic pressures and maintaining a safe and healthy environment? What are some of the challenges of getting it done?

• David Kahn, David Kahn Studio (Eldorado Springs, CO)
• Ryan McEvoy, Gaia Development (Los Angeles, CA)
• Diane Sugimura, Seattle Dept. of Planning & Development (Seattle, WA)
• Rachel Winer, Idaho Smart Growth (Boise, ID)

11:35 A.M.

Dr. Arthur "Chris" Nelson, Presidential Professor, Director of Metropolitan Research, College of Architecture + Planning, University of Utah

Mega Trends of the Snake River Corridor: As the national economy comes out of the recession and sets a course for the future, changes in demographics are going to radically shift demands for housing. Learn from nationally-recognized researcher for the first release of his studies on the future of the Snake River Corridor, the best opportunities to serve this new market, and how planning plays a role in poising the region for success.

12:20 P.M.

Lunch

1:20 P.M.

Discussion: New Economics and Planning

Boise developer Mark Rivers, whose projects include BoDo and the Watercooler, and NewWest.Net CEO Jonathan Weber discuss new economics, growth, development and planning.

1:45 P.M.

Great Projects, Great Places

Well-planned residential communities and commercial developments can create vibrant places, and are critical to the healthy growth of any city or region. This session will feature presentations of great projects and analyze how they happened. How did the working relationship with the city, county and state governments affect the project? How if at all was the community involved in the process? What were the key design principles and zoning or other regulations that influenced the project? Three 20-minute presentations

• Integrated Design at 3 Densities: Portland, Seattle and the Tulalip reservation: A case study overview of the integrated design process in high, medium and low density locations. The Lloyd Crossing District of Portland, High Point neighborhood of Seattle, and the Tulalip Reservation in Tulalip, WA.
  • Rich Franko, Mithun Architecture (Seattle, WA)


• How Dialogue and GIS-based Tools Help People Value the Landscape: A presentation on how dialogue can bridge political and ideological divisions and can protect the history and cultural heritage of the Bitteroot Valley.
  • Chris Overdorf, Jones & Jones Architects, Landscape & Planners (Seattle, WA)
  • Kristine Komar, Bitter Root Cultural Heritage Trust (Hamilton, MT)


• Downtown Redevelopment and Indian Creek Restoration: A brief history of the daylighting of Indian Creek and subsequent planning and ordinances for the redevelopment and revitalization of downtown Caldwell.
  • Dennis Cannon & Anne Marie Skinner, City of Caldwell

2:45 P.M.

Break

3:05 P.M.

Agriculture, Open Space and the Promise of "Resource-Based" Planning

Should we assess our planning process to include the environment, knowing that energy, water, agricultural soils, open space and conservation are important to the viability of our future, particularly to the land values in the West? What metropolitan areas and communities are doing this effectively? This panel will examine the tools, ideas and economic requirements of resource-based planning, with an eye towards how it can be incorporated into planning approaches around the region.

• Bingo Barnes, Urbane Farms (Boise, ID)
• Tim Breuer, Land Trust of the Treasure Valley (Boise, ID)
• John Freemuth, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, Boise State University
• Betsy Roberts, CH2M Hill (McCall & Sun Valley, ID)

4:00 P.M.

Re-Thinking Transportation: Realistic Approaches to Keeping Us Moving

Nothing impacts the shape of a community more than its transportation patterns, and it's increasingly evident that the all-cars-all-the-time approach is not sustainable. What new modes of transportation - bus and bike lanes, light rail, regional trains or something else - are most critical for the immediate future? How can these systems overcome the funding and other obstacles that stand in the way? How can community buy-in for alternative transportation be achieved? And what are the prospects of seeing new approaches to transit in the near future?

• Kerry Doane, Utah Transit Authority (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Kelli Fairless, Director of Valley Regional Transit (Boise, ID)
• Nick Kaufman, Principal at WGM Group (Missoula, MT)
• Phil Kushlan, Capital City Develoment Corp. (Boise, ID)

4:55 P.M.

Closing Remarks