Register Now for the 2012 Equitable Development Workshop at the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference in San Diego!

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This year's theme: Advancing Equity through Planning: Challenges and Opportunities  
February 1, 1:00 í¢â‚¬“ 5:30 pm, followed by social hour  
Across the country, communities and regions are finding that inclusive, equitable planning processes empower them to address the economic, environmental, health, and other challenges they face. However, integrating social equity, affordability, economic and workforce development, and environmental justice into local and regional planning is not always straightforward. This session will draw on the experiences of HUD's Sustainable Communities Regional Planning and Community Challenge grantees and their partners from community-based organizations to shed light on the barriers and opportunities related to fair and equitable planning.
Participants í¢â‚¬“ practitioners from the equitable development, environmental justice, smart growth, and planning fields í¢â‚¬“ will take part in dialogues with the grantees and their partners about how to apply lessons learned more broadly. The event will conclude with reflections by federal and philanthropic leaders on how local, regional, state, tribal, federal, and foundation stakeholders can work together to advance inclusive planning and growth.
Sessions will include:
í¢â‚¬ ¢    An opening roundtable with grantees and their partners sharing lessons learned about advancing equity through planning for sustainable communities.
í¢â‚¬ ¢    The Affordability Question, which will explore how affordability can be incorporated into corridor, community, and regional planning, with a focus on issues of displacement, fair housing, and job access.
í¢â‚¬ ¢    Moving from Engagement to Decision-Making, which will look at best practices for moving traditionally marginalized populations from being observers to participants to architects of growth and development where they live.   
í¢â‚¬ ¢    Jobs, Wealth, and Environmental Justice will explore how communities are using planning processes to balance the critical and urgent issues of job creation and workforce development with the need to create long-term wealth, reverse generational poverty, and address environmental justice issues.
í¢â‚¬ ¢    A closing plenary, when leaders from federal agencies and foundations will react to the day's conversations, reflect on next steps for advancing equitable and sustainable planning efforts, and offer previews of opportunities to come from their organizations.
Visit http://www.NewPartners.org to register for the workshop (click on Special Features) and main conference before the January 13 deadline and find details about the special $133 room rate at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina available until January 11.
This workshop is part of EPA's and the Partnership for Sustainable Communities' efforts to promote equitable, healthy, and sustainable communities.  For more information, stay tuned to http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth and http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov.