posted by Kathy Nothstine, Program Manager


The NADO Research Foundation recently participated in the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference,  held in Charlotte, NC from February 3-5.  This annual convening, in its 11^th year, brought together over 1,400 urban and regional planners, transportation experts, environmental professionals, community health advocates, federal and state agency staff, local elected officials and staff, engineers, and many other experts in fields related to sustainability and smart growth.  A mixture of plenaries, breakouts, implementation workshops, networking activities, and local tours of the region covered topics ranging from land use and transportation planning, public health, equity and environmental justice, food systems, economic development, affordable housing, form-based codes, and many other topics.

NADO members Cheryal Lee Hills, Executive Director of the Region Five Development Commission (MN) and Tom Elmore, Planning Consultant and Farmer with Land-of-Sky Regional Council and Thatchmore Farm/Thatchmore Consulting (NC) presented their work at the session, Supporting Regional Farmers as a Rural Economic Development Strategy.  This panel discussion explored how regional planning organizations in rural areas are facilitating connections between the regional agricultural sector and regional consumers as both an economic development tool and a public health initiative.  NADO Research Foundation Program Manager Kathy Nothstine moderated the discussion.  The presentation materials are available for download here (PDF).

Additionally, NADO Executive Director Matt Chase led a response panel at the morning plenary session, Smart Growth and Rural America: Fostering Economic Development and Sustainable Communities.  This session included a panel discussion on how smart growth approaches to development can help rural communities enhance economic competitiveness, improve public health, protect the environment, solve transportation challenges, and revitalize disadvantaged communities. 

Other highlights of the conference include:

• A mobile workshop visited the Towns of Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville, north of Charlotte along a rail corridor that is being readied from commuter rail service in the coming decade.  These three communities adopted form-based codes in the 1990s to regulate the wave of suburban development heading north from Charlotte.  Projects visited include small mixed-use infill, traditional neighborhoods, mixed-use village centers, and downtowns.  Discussion topics included the architectural design review process, streetscape design, and bike and pedestrian friendly streets that promote a sense of place in these historic communities.  The tour highlighted the benefits of regional collaboration to encourage multimodal transportation network planning, and to define a strong urban-rural edge that limits sprawl from encroaching into the rural landscape.
• Several breakout sessions and a networking forum focused on what smart growth means for rural areas.  Speakers noted the importance of recognizing and supporting the assets found in rural areas, and developing strategies to better support rural-urban connections at the regional level.  Discussions also highlighted the importance of staying away from jargon and buzzwords when working with people “outside the world” of smart growth advocates, and developing strategies to bring non-traditional stakeholders to the table.

Conference presentation materials will be available soon on the conference website at: http://www.newpartners.org/index.html.