1998 Partners for Smart Growth Conference Summary

Click here to download the 1998 Partners for Smart Growth Conference Summary.

  The 1,100 people who attended the 1998 Partners for Smart Growth conference in Austin, Texas, shared the enthusi-asm for smart growth that is being reflected in so many local, state, and national policies. Throughout the conference, panelists and participants explored the broad importance of smart growth, shared smart growth success stories, discussed barriers to smart development, and examined ways to overcome those barriers.

To support that information sharing, the first smart growth conference was held in Baltimore in 1997. The conference was sponsored by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and co-sponsored by the Smart Growth Network and other organizations. Over 750 people attended and by all accounts, the conference was a successful forum for sharing information and ideas and for building relationships.

City officials from Austin attended the first conference in Baltimore. Three months later, Austin launched its Smart Growth Initiative. The rapid progress the city has made toward the initiative¹s goals, made Austin an exciting venue for the second annual conference.

The Austin conference built on the momentum established in Baltimore. Conference participation increased almost 50 percent from the previous year. The participants came from a wide spectrum of backgrounds, and a variety of organizations. That so many groups representing so many interests - real estate, farmland preservation, architecture, and transportation, to name a few - came together to support and attend the conference, illustrates the broad importance of smart growth for economic, environmental, and community health.

In the Smart Growth Network's spirit of sharing lessons and experiences, we present this summary of the 1998 Partners for Smart Growth Conference. There is great value in relating experiences firsthand, and so we have tried, where possible, to let the panelists "speak for themselves" by including quotes and relating themes taken directly from their talks.

Click here to download the 1998 Partners for Smart Growth Conference Summary.

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