The New Jersey Sustainability Summit is a momentous event in our state, drawing change-makers from across the political, private, and public sectors. This exceptional one-day forum spotlights the successes and lessons learned from the people and projects that are helping New Jersey realize a more sustainable future.

When carefully planned with their surroundings, new sports facilities offer the opportunity to revitalize communities, promote economic development, and create great places. Learn lessons from renowned urban designer and architect Janet Marie Smith, who was instrumental in designing the pioneering Orioles Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, the renovation of Fenway Park in Boston, and the recent modernization of Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles.

One of the barriers we face today for addressing sustainable water strategies is that we failed to emphasize these issues within our primary, secondary and higher educational programs. We have now reached a point where the actions needed to make our water systems sustainable will deeply involve everyone, not just technical policy experts, and the general public and even our current generation of land and water planners are ill prepared for this challenge. Fortunately, the issues of water sustainability are not just short term but will be generational. We still have time to incorporate these issues into our public and professional educational programs. For the last decade Arizona State University has been developing web-based tools to help educate the next generation of water and land planners and the general public about water sustainability. This webinar will explore three online tools, WaterSim, Arizona Water Chatbot, and Arizona Blueprint. Attendees will have an opportunity to use each of the tools and how they can be used to inform a wide range of audiences on these issues.

Automating software workflows enables planners to conduct analysis to inform decision making accurately and efficiently, opening up more time to engage with results. In this webcast, planners will be introduced to the capabilities of ArcGIS Pro's Model Builder, with a focus on its components and advanced features like iterators and model-specific functions. The session will provide practical tips for creating efficient, modular workflows alongside guidance on developing parameterized tools from models, and considering aspects like workspaces and documentation. Additionally, we'll discuss the limitations of Model Builder in handling highly complex workflows. This session is tailored for planners looking to integrate GIS automation into their work, offering practical insights for effective application to common planning tasks.

“Not in My Back Yard” is often rooted in fear of loss of quality of life, property values, environmental degradation, health effects, or distrust in technology, government, and management. Other triggers can be ideology or impacts on symbolic places. NIMBY-ism is not simply a U.S. phenomenon, it happens everywhere. Research from around the world reveals useful techniques for anticipating NIMBY arguments, improving systems to avoid triggers, and recognition of the importance of cultures where “we are in this together” versus “everyone for themselves”.