While communities are well attuned to the diversification and globalization of U.S. cities and towns, how they can respond to these trends in practice is less well understood. This forum will present an overview of some key concepts, trends and issues to consider when planning in immigrant and multi-ethnic contexts.

State Senator and Mayor of Union City Brian P. Stack will lead a two-hour tour on the planning, development, and cultural activities of Union City.

 The purpose of this session is to present how many communities are rethinking their long-term development policies that may once have embraced low-density, suburban development to incorporate more new urbanism principles such as a focus on infill development over greenfield development; a desire to create walkable neighborhoods with access to local businesses; and an understanding that high-density development is not the “plague” on society that some of the public may once have believed. 

This session highlights many of the conditions (with emphasis on market analysis and urban design) that lead to viable town centers, primarily through case study of town centers across the country. Case studies of public/private partnerships will also be provided. The success of the town center strategy, which focuses on the creation of great places to create value premiums, has broad implications for planning, since it has provided market validation of a number of planning and urban design principles. That these successes have occurred, often in the absence of regional policies that support placemaking, could point to a broader cultural shift and future support for place-friendly policies.

Looking to take action over the next 3-12 months to make real changes to your business/building appearance that will increase commerce and property value? Wanting to enhance the perception of your district in the short term by taking direct actions to turn tough places into bright spots of positive economic and social activity? Want to do this all without spending a ton of money while building partnerships and more buy-in for your district and its businesses?

For decades, the waterfronts of our port cities were the drivers of regional economic development. But as markets changed in the mid-Twentieth Century, these areas in many cities became derelict eyesores, economic black holes that sucked the energy out of these once-thriving urban centers. Over the past few decades, however, new approaches to the function and utility of urban waterfronts have given these districts a new vitality and vibrancy. This webinar will present the waterfront redevelopment stories of three small cities: Portland, Maine; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; and Burlington, Vermont. It will highlight the economic, social, and environmental forces at play as these cities work to redefine themselves.

Bus Rapid Transit – or BRT – is bus service that includes enhanced travel ways, stations and equipment. BRT offers passengers faster, more reliable service than traditional bus service. It does so by providing more frequent service and reducing traffic delays by giving BRT vehicles priority over general traffic. This type of service can be implemented faster less expensively than rail transit while still offering many of the same attributes and benefits as rail transit. Because the public is relatively unfamiliar with BRT, public education and marketing are very important to the success of this type of service. 

This webcast will examine several trends gaining traction with transit and paratransit agencies as well as with governmental agencies that focus on senior needs. Case studies will be presented from rural, suburban, and urban communities, including one of the first suburban NORCs (naturally-occurring retirement community) in the nation.

 This webinar will address the creation and adoption of a GBESE which, like all Master Plan Elements, is intended to guide land-use decisions and provides the basis for ordinances addressing sustainability and land use issues. Representatives from the planning community, including the acclaimed Sustainable JerseyTM certification program, will discuss the program’s GBESE tool for certification, how to introduce sustainability concepts into local planning documents, and will highlight some examples from high performing sustainability plans.

The Car Future Group will conduct an interactive session about how trends in vehicle design and technology will play out on the roadways and policy context of the future. We will present important information about the future of cars design: Shape, weight, size, fuel types and degrees of automation. We will then discuss the future of our infrastructure and how the new vehicles will be used, exploring issues such as roadway and lane design, pricing, insurance and public policy. The audience will see that we are facing a future characterized by opposing trends, and not monolithic solutions. 

The NJDEP Waiver Rule allows the NJDEP Commissioner to grant exemptions to certain environmental regulations enforced by NJDEP. Hear speakers representing different perspectives discuss the implications and opportunities of this rule.

Columbus Planning Division staff will provide an overview of the Urban Commercial Overlay (UCO), a highly successful zoning tool that requires a walkable built environment reflecting the development pattern of late 19th and early 20th century commercial corridors. Since it was established in 1999, a broad array of pedestrian-friendly development has been constructed, including gasoline stations and a major grocery store. The UCO applies design standards that address the location and design of new buildings (and additions to existing buildings), parking lot placement and related development standards without requiring mandatory design review.

The Review Course is expected to cover general exam topics including the State Plan, environmental regulations, affordable housing, Planning Board and Board of Adjustment activities, MLUL, regional planning entities, and other material relative to the PP Exam. Additionally, all students will receive a complimentary copy of the 2010 Complete Guide to Planning in New Jersey.

Our planning careers are pivoted on building communities, both physically and socially. But what about building literary communities? The premise of the CPBC is simple. Every three months, APA-NJ and APA-NYM will choose a different book for membership to read. Our current selection is Crabgrass Frontiers: The Suburbanization of the United States. On the third month of these quarterly cycles, the chapters will organize an in-person meet-up to discuss the featured book at length. Between the time of introduction and meeting-up, CPBC members are encouraged to participate in an online forum to share their ideas in real-time. Our September 2012 meet-up will be held in Jersey City's The Merchant Bar and Restaurant from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.