Forward Together: Communities at the Crossroads; A Virtual Conference at the Intersection of Planning & Economic Development

Forward Together

Communities at the Crossroads

A Virtual Conference at the Intersection of Planning & Economic Development
Presented by APA Ohio & OEDA

November 17 - 19, 2020

CLICK HERE to view the Tentative Agenda!

Recognizing the importance of collaboration among the two professions, the Ohio Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA Ohio) and the Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA)  are convening practitioners and policymakers in a virtual convening November 17 -  19, 2020 to consider areas where the two disciplines can be brought together for greater impact on the health of Ohio’s communities.

Through presentations on 1) The Post COVID World; 2) Equity, Inclusion and Diversity; 3) Collaboration; 4) Tools of the Trade and 5) Leadership Dialogue, the goals of the Convening are to:

• R & D and Policy Agenda – Identify important economic and policy issues of common interest and begin developing a policy and practice agenda to strengthen integrated practice.
  
  
• Cross-fertilization – Enable practitioners in each field to learn from the other and identify ways to incorporate the most value-added pieces into their own field of practice.
  
  
• Practical applications – Identify specific opportunities – ie: project and product types such as innovation districts or TOD plans, analytic methodologies, and tools, etc. – for beneficial collaboration between the two fields of practice.

Background: The work of economic developers and planners has never been more important than in these days of the dialogue over equity and diversity and changes in local economies and social conditions from COVID 19. National and global economic trends are impacting both professions in a way that should strongly encourage greater collaboration. The fields of planning and economic development are inextricably linked, as they both focus on the health of communities and the people who live there. Through place-based strategies, urban planning and design, transportation planning, regional development, business attraction and retention, workforce and talent development, and community development, planners and economic developers appear to be working towards the same goals.  Despite this overlap, the two professions have struggled to align, providing for an opportunity to bring the professions together and achieve greater collaboration.

Conference Sponsorship:A wide range of partners are working together to ensure conference success. In addition to OhioAPA and OEDA, partners include:

• Knowlton School of Architecture, Community and Regional Planning, The Ohio State University
• The John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University
• Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
• Urban Land Institute – Columbus and Cleveland Chapters Chapter
• University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning

Agenda: Over three days, practitioners and policy makers in both professions will dialogue on issues of urgency, including:

• Embedding Equity and Diversity into Your Day to Day Business
• Economic Base Setting: A Look into Demographic and Economic Trends Impacting Communities
• Planning 101 and Economic Development 101
• Fiscal Impact of COVID 19
• Streamlining the Development Process
• Adapting to Change: Relationships Counseling
• Entrepreneurship and Housing
• Case Studies of Communities Linking Planning and Economic Development
• Urban Resilience
• Tools for Sustainable Development
• The Debate between Place-Based and Supply-Side Based Strategies

Who Should Attend: The Convening will bring together:

• Professionals in the fields of economic and community development.
• Professionals in the fields of urban, neighborhood, land use, transportation, and community planners.
• Students in Ohio’s Planning and Urban Affairs Schools.
• Regional Planning Organizations; and
• Policy makers elected and appointed Officials.

Registration is free for students. Attendees can earn AICP and OhioCED credit.