Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Economic Development Division Annual Conference Session and Events!

Nearly 200 members of the Economic Development Division (including you!) have plans to attend the 2011 APA National Conference in Boston. We're very pleased with the turnout of EDD members, and want to remind you about the various Economic Development Division activities that will take place during the conference.


SUNDAY EVENING: Special Dinner Event

Growing the Green Economy: Linking Environmental Sustainability and Economic Development

A dinner sponsored by the Economic Development Division and the Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy Division

Sunday, April 10 – 7:00 p.m.

Legal Seafoods, Boston


Join your APA colleagues over dinner to discuss the challenges and opportunities of connecting economic growth to environmental sustainability. Our speaker will be Joan Fitzgerald Ph.D, Director of the Law, Policy, and Society Program at Northeastern University and author of Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development (Oxford University Press, 2010). This event is $50.00 and includes a three-course dinner (drinks not included). You can sign up for this event at the APA conference registration page or on-site. CM credit (1) has been requested for this event.


MONDAY AFTERNOON: EDD Session

Opportunities/Challenges in Rural Tourism Planning (S527)

Monday, April 11 – 2:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m.

1.25 CM credit


Tourism-related activities are an increasingly important component of rural economies providing income and diversification to rural communities. This session will examine current trends in rural tourism, which are being shaped by a rapidly shifting economic landscape and ongoing demographic change. Session speakers include Anne Krieg, AICP, Planning and Development Director, Town of Bar Harbor, Maine; and Robert Billington, Founder and Director of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council in Rhode Island.


MONDAY EVENING:

Economic Development Division Business Meeting and Reception

Monday, April 11 – 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Sheraton Beacon B


Join your fellow Division members for our annual business meeting and reception. Refreshments will be served and we'll have a sponsored bar (i.e. free drinks!) Come network with fellow members in an intimate setting, celebrate our award winners, discuss the EDD work plan, and more! Please RSVP if you can join us!


TUESDAY: EDD-Sponsored Mobile Workshop

Sustainable Devens Eco-Industrial Park (WO56)

Tuesday, April 12 – 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

4.00 CM credits


Discover how sustainability served as the organizing principle for the redevelopment of the 4,400-acre Fort Devens. Explore this live-work-play community where a third of the land is slated for protection. Learn why Devens is considered a premier example of a light industrial park operating as an eco-industrial park. This event is $75.00 and includes lunch.



Please forward questions about any of these events to Adam Ploetz, AICP, EDD Conference Chair, at adam.c.ploetz@hud.gov.


Want to lend a hand? We are seeking volunteers to help out in small teams to "staff" the Divisions Council exhibit booth for a couple hours on Sunday and Monday. This is a chance to work with people from other divisions and talk to planners from around the country. Let us know (by way of a reply) if you're interested in participating!


Finally, if you haven't yet read the Winter 2011 edition of News & Views, download it on our division's newsletter page.


We look forward to seeing you in Boston!