2011 Year in Review: Walking Tours and Forums Series
Walking Tours and Forums Program: 2011 Year in Review
A record number of people participated in our Walking Tours and Forum Program in 2011. A generous sponsorship from the National Association of Realtors, partnerships with Envision Prince George's, the Northern Virginia Section of the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association, the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID), and terrific volunteers and speakers, helped to make it all possible. For the first time, thanks to the American Planning Association (APA), many of our events qualified for continuing education
credits.
Our special Prince George's series, in close partnership with the Envision Prince George's Community Action Team for Transit-Oriented Development, included four forums and one walking tour, all focused on implementing TOD in Prince George's. These events addressed a variet of topics, including updates on market demand, developer perspectives, mixed-income communities, and good design. The participation by community members, elected officials, and government staff surpassed anything we've seen in the region
In May, we held our first-ever Young Planner Showcase. Following a competitive process, we selected three of the region's up-and-coming planners to present their best work. They faced our "American Idol" style panel and made dynamic presentations to an engaged audience. We were pleased to honor these young planners for their hard work, creativity, and commitment to a sustainable region.
We topped off the year with a film festival at the Rail~Volution conference. We partnered with the New Rail~Volutionaries and Mobility Lab, a creative firm focused on better ways of sharing information on transportation options and expanding transportation choices. Transit planning advocates and professionals from all over the country and the world joined us to watch films on everything from bike sharing to smart growth education.
Highlights from 2011 include:
- St. Elizabeth's Walking Tour
- H Street Corridor Walking Tour
- Young Planner Showcase
- Real Estate Trends with the National Association of Realtors Forum
- Building Better Neighborhoods with Transit-Oriented Development: Community Design & Process Forum
- Restoring Streams, Revitalizing Communities Along the Richmond Highway Corridor Walking Tour and Forum
