Ohio State University

Suburbs are the new immigrant gateways of the U.S. This paper examines the extent of recent immigration in the suburbs of large metropolitan areas. Focusing on the Washington, DC area, this paper considers the policy and planning responses by state and local jurisdictions to recent immigration, recognizing the varied reactions depending on the scale of government; the extent of immigrant mobilization and presence; and the political persuasion of the policy actors and local residents. The implications for planning and policy making are discussed.

Charisma Acey will share her findings and experiences with women’s responses to the lack of service delivery and networked infrastructure within the context of their roles and responsibilities in the household, sense of community, and opportunities to participate in urban governance in Nigeria and Uganda.

We all know that our usual public meetings aren’t attracting large portions of our populations, and that many of the people we most want to hear from are more likely to use email and web sites than to show up for a council meeting. But with all the websites and whiz-bang online tools out there, what should we be doing? We will explore several different online public participation techniques, from surveying to idea prioritizing and ongoing project management. We will give a real-time demonstration of how several methods and online tools work, and we will spend a little time with the developer of one of these tools to discuss the challenges and protections needed to foster effective online participation.

More than half of Americans own and use a smartphone. Increasingly planners and the public are accessing information and engaging via mobile devices. Walk through the research and mobile applications out there to aid planners in using their mobile devices to the maximum effectiveness. This session is sponsored by the Ohio State University.

Planning and plagiarism go hand in hand. We copy zoning codes, plans, and ideas from other towns and, in the process, we are responsible for killing any sense of identity in our own communities. This session is about gaining the self confidence to plan truly exceptional places. This session is sponsored by the Ohio State University.