New this year: a featured artist. Redevelopment is, ultimately, about people and places. The Redevelopment Forum’s featured artist will inspire us to reflect on both the personal and universal aspects of place. Meet Sean Battle.
8:00 am: Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 am: Welcoming Remarks
The bidding war for Amazon HQ2 illustrates how important a great place is, for both employers and workers. What are the critical elements that constitute a great place to live and work? How do these elements work together to catalyze economic growth? And how can they be implemented at any scale? Developers, economic-development experts and elected officials will share their perspectives on how to grow place-based assets, and use them to create economically vibrant communities […]
How can we work together to build a stronger and fairer economy, as well as an environmentally sustainable future? Hear Governor Murphy speak about his vision for New Jersey. “I am an optimist. I believe New Jersey’s best days are before us and that our future is unlimited.” — Phil Murphy
As demand for “live-work-play” environments grows, the question of how to provide new housing in places with little buildable land is of increasing importance. Housing types along the continuum between single-family homes and large apartment complexes can add density that doesn’t look like density, and help accommodate newcomers of all incomes. Panelists will discuss how “missing middle” housing, once an important way to accommodate growth, can be used to create new housing capacity in towns […]
In the 1980s and 1990s, office parks sprouted at highway interchanges all over the state as employment followed population and retail into the suburbs. But with recent economic and demographic trends working to steer people and jobs back into walkable and transit-accessible mixed-use centers and away from self-contained, car-dependent campuses, the challenge is what to do with these now-obsolete “white elephant” office properties. Panelists will discuss a range of strategies that can be applied to […]
Many municipalities have centers, like downtowns or main streets, that are developed but need help. Residents and town leaders want something “better” — more attractive, more valuable, more healthy, more sustainable — but planning for and implementing substantial, positive change can seem overwhelming. This session will focus on steps municipalities can take to develop a vision and concrete strategies that are sustainable, attractive, actionable and economically feasible. Participants will discuss ways to engage the community, […]
What kinds of projects are likely to be able to succeed in using Opportunity Zone tax benefits? Attend this session to hear about projects that can meet the IRS requirements for achieving these benefits, learn how to look for Opportunity Zone projects that are “shovel ready” and that are likely to appreciate over the next 10 years, and find out how to bring the investment into the project or business even if a considerable amount […]
New Jersey’s decisions on what to build where are based on a state plan that was adopted in 2001. Plenty has changed in the last 18 years, and it’s time for a growth strategy that addresses the pressing issues of equity, resiliency, and infrastructure. Panelists will discuss ways municipalities and counties can use a strategic state plan to encourage equitable growth. Walter Lane presentation This session has been approved for 1.8 CLE credits. Planning and […]
Back by popular demand from its debut at last year’s Redevelopment Forum, this red-hot session will feature a series of 20-slides-in-five-minutes presentations on interesting and offbeat topics related to redevelopment. Presentation topics include: The ABCs of Flood-Proofing a Library | Presentation Resilience and Health in Neighborhoods- Getting to know the Living Community Challenge | Presentation Parking Planning for Smart Growth | Presentation Spaces to Places: Place-Led Development | Presentation Bikeshare: What’s In It for You? | […]
This session will examine the changing face of stormwater management, including new authority for localities to establish stormwater utilities, a review of the pending stormwater rule proposed by DEP, and the growing role for “green infrastructure,” such as rain gardens and permeable pavement. Together, these approaches provide a new set of tools for private developers and state and local governments that are seeking innovative, cost-effective ways of absorbing stormwater runoff. Session summary Michele Adams presentation Stephen […]
As we rely increasingly on digital connectivity, access to the Internet of Things will become indispensable, and smart technologies will provide new opportunities for towns of all sizes to spur economic growth, improve quality of life, and manage operations more efficiently. This session will offer insight on designing and implementing a smart city vision to realize tangible benefits, and will consider the complexities of data access, privacy, policing, geographic and demographic distribution of benefits and […]
Ensuring equity in development and redevelopment is more than a moral obligation — it brings real economic benefits. Angela Glover Blackwell will highlight why what benefits the most vulnerable among us will benefit us all, and she will offer case studies and ideas for ways we can apply an equity lens to help bring about a “stronger, fairer New Jersey.” Keynote presentation
With a recent shift back to cities, a trend in workers working from home, and the number of entrepreneurs on the rise, the demand for shared spaces is increasing. Can these spaces transform communities? What challenges exist in launching a shared space? This session will profile examples of innovative shared spaces in New Jersey and their impact on the surrounding neighborhood and economy. Participants will learn how these spaces serve as bridges in employment deserts, […]
As New Jersey’s economy continues to adapt to changing social norms and culture, more and more towns are faced with decisions about how to include, or not include, “vices” in their communities. This panel will look at how municipalities can plan for marijuana dispensaries, vape shops, additional liquor licenses, and other vices in ways that meet their individual needs. Legal, Technical and Financial track sponsor: Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A.
We are experiencing a renaissance in civic engagement across New Jersey. Learn how nonprofits and developers are engaging residents in the development of their communities. This session will provide an overview of the scope of public participation, including engaging untapped communities to ensure their voices are heard. There will also be an opportunity to workshop real-life challenges with which attendees are grappling in their work. Edwin Cohen presentation Elizabeth Murphy presentation Milan Sledge presentation Planning […]
Equitable redevelopment recognizes the immense impacts that projects have on a community’s public health, affordability, and economic opportunity. This session will highlight a number of considerations that must go into equitable redevelopment initiatives if they are to provide community benefits, respond to local needs, and contribute to the health and wellbeing of residents and workers. Participants will learn how their redevelopment projects can meet the needs of underserved communities while fostering places that are healthy […]
Adapting to a changing climate could be one of the largest investments we’ll make over the next generation. Yet we have no strategies to generate reliable funding for it. Instead, we continue to pay for adaptation by waiting for catastrophe and hoping for federal assistance. This session will examine the forces compelling us to respond proactively to our changing climate, the current state of adaptation financing, and ways to create dedicated funding to protect communities’ […]
New Jersey communities cannot take for granted essential services like clean water, reliable transit and resilient energy. Infrastructure breakdowns disrupt commerce and threaten public health, highlighting the growing gap between today’s crumbling systems and the infrastructure we need. Meanwhile the state’s current fiscal situation limits its ability even to maintain the status quo. After identifying the most critical shortcomings in New Jersey infrastructure financing, this panel will share strategies and innovations that New Jersey can […]