SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning
Board will learn more about a new planning trend that is transforming suburban
communities throughout the country from the president of the Congress for the
New Urbanism at
a 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11 presentation.
The talk by John Norquist, the latest
expert in the board’s popular Growth
Management Speaker Series,
will focus on new urbanism, a planning framework that emphasizes diverse,
livable communities with a mix of urban-style uses. The speaker series, which
began last spring, informs the Planning Board on topical issues as it grapples
with how to shape the future of Montgomery County.
Examples of new urbanism can be found as
far away as Portland or as close as Bethesda. Prince George’s County made the
news recently when it approved a development featuring single-family houses,
townhomes, hotels, a business park and a mix of retail, office and
entertainment.
Norquist’s work promoting new urbanism as an alternative to sprawl draws on his
experience as mayor of Milwaukee from 1988 to 2004, when the city experienced a
decline in poverty and saw a boom in new downtown housing. He oversaw a
revision of the city’s zoning code and reoriented development around walkable
streets and public amenities, such as the city’s 3.1-mile Riverwalk.
Norquist’s topic, “Adding Long-Term Value to Montgomery County,” will delve
into how the new urbanist movement applies in Montgomery County and how to reform
planning to embrace some of its concepts locally.
WHO:
John
Norquist, president, Congress for the New Urbanism
WHAT:
Presentation on the principles of new urbanism
WHEN:
Thursday, October 11, 2007 – 7 p.m.
WHERE:
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD