Upstate Professional Planners Meeting

We will be holding the next Upstate Professional Planners Meeting of 2013 on Tuesday, September 10th from 9:00am-11:30am with a light breakfast at Spartanburg Communtiy College, Tyger River Campus.

The morning will be divided into two portions; the first will be about Form-Based Codes and the second will be about Better Block Duncan. Discussion will follow each portion.

The title and description for the Lawrence Group's portion of the session are as follows:

Form Based Codes: What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been, The Lawrence Group

Craig Lewis, Director of Town Planning

Scott Curry, Planner/Urban Designer

Carolyn Reid, Planner/Urban Designer

Julie Franklin, Senior Associate

Form based codes have been around for decades but are only now beginning to hit the mainstream. This presentation will explore what a long, strange trip it's been to arrive at this point, share some very important lessons learned along the way, and discuss current best practices in land development regulation for Upstate communities.

The presenter, title and description for Upstate Forever's portion of the session are here:

The Better Block Tool: Engaging Citizens, Inspiring Action!, Sherry Barrett, Program Associate

This presentation will introduce the Better Block concept, its origins, interpretations, and usefulness as a demonstration tool to engage citizens in hands-on learning. A Better Block project is a temporary build-out of place-based interventions designed to simulate what the experience of a place "could be,... if." Better Block events have helped cities around the world to rapidly implement infrastructure and policy changes. The presentation will feature an overview of Better Block Duncan, Upstate Forever's local adaption of the concept implemented in June, 2013.

Feel free to invite other planners from within your organization or others who you work with across the Upstate as we are still trying to build a comprehensive list from across the region.

We look forward to seeing you on September 10th as we continue building the Upstate Planners Group.