It’s an exciting time to be planning for the future of the San Joaquin Valley.  Over the past year the Smart Valley Places partners, larger cities, non-profit organizations and other governmental agencies, have been working together to promote sustainable development in the urban areas of the Valley. With the recent start of the Blueprint Integration Project, now smaller cities in the Valley are also working to address the issues of smart growth within the rural areas.

These efforts represent an unprecedented opportunity to build relationships, share knowledge, and generate enthusiasm for smart growth in the Valley. The Smart Valley Places and Blueprint Integration project teams invite you to participate in the Mid- Flight Convention to further take advantage of this unique coordination of efforts to enhance development in the Valley.

Conference Details
When: Thursday, May 31, 2012
Where: Modesto Center Plaza, 1000 L Street, Modesto
Registration:$15, includes lunch, click here to register
Time: 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

Click here to view the Save the Date flyer.
Click here to view the convention agenda.

Questions?
E-mail Ben Noble or call (510) 348-3815 or

E-mail Rob Terry or call (559) 233-4148, x222

Agenda 21 is a United Nations policies report on human settlement, poverty, and the environment. The report includes strategies and policies to address the impacts of a growing population in order to achieve a more sustainable pattern of development. Agenda 21 is a non-legally binding agreement adopted by approximately 178 Governments, including the U.S., at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

Lately, planners from across the nation are hearing concerns from the public about the relationship between Agenda 21 and local planning efforts. The American Planning Association prepared “Agenda 21: Myths and Facts” to help respond to the public’s concerns. Click here to read about the myths and facts of Agenda 21.

As part of the Smart Valley Places grant program, we will hold a series of “SVP Project Meetings” to assist partner cities with their grant-funded projects. At these meetings partner cities and other stakeholders will discuss issues related to their grant-funded projects and talk to industry experts about best practices and innovative strategies relating to the projects.

We have scheduled our first Project Meeting on October 17, 2011 at the City of Stockton from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The topic of this meeting is climate action plans (CAPs) and greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories.  To learn more about this meeting, please see the attached agenda.

At this meeting, Michael McCormick from the Office of Planning Research will share State resources available to local governments working on Climate Action Plans. In addition, representatives from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District will provide guidance on preparing greenhouse gas inventories.

Because we understand everyone has very busy schedules, this meeting will be held in person and as a webinar. Webinar login and conference call information is included in the attached agenda.

To view the meeting presentation, click here.

Working together since 2006, the eight San Joaquin Valley Regional Planning Agencies have been developing the San Joaquin Valley Regional Blueprint to establish a vision for a sustainable land use and transportation scenario in the valley. As part of this effort, the Regional Planning Agencies have developed the Planners’ Toolkit, an online resource of best practices, case studies, California planning law, and other material applicable to projects within the San Joaquin Valley. To learn more about the Planners’ Toolkit and to view available resources, please visit the project website.

The Smart Valley Places Kick-Off Convention took place on Thursday, July 21, 2011 at the Fresno Radisson Hotel and Conference Center.  This event brought together participants from the public, private, and non-profit sectors to discuss strategies to implement smart growth in the Valley.  The convention featured break-out discussion groups where participants shared and exchanged information about their experience implementing smart growth in the Valley.  The five discussion topics included: Job Creation and Retention in the San Joaquin Valley, Making the Transportation and Land Use Connection, Advancing Public Participation, Achieving a Regional Strategy, and Financing Local Planning in an Era of Less.

Keynote speeches were be given by Michael Freedman, an expert on sustainable regionalism, Cynthia Abbot, Lead Sustainability Officer Region IX of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Dr. Glenda Humiston, State Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.  Virginia Madueño, Mayor of Riverbank, and Rob Wooley, City Manager of Clovis, provided closing remarks.  These dynamic speakers shared insights on how the Valley can prosper in the future and lead the country in sustainable regional growth.

Conference Resources
Agenda (0.09 MB PDF)
Michael Freedman’s PowerPoint Presentation, Part I (3.3 MB PDF)
Michael Freedman’s PowerPoint Presentation, Part II (5.2 MB PDF)
Glenda Humiston’s PowerPoint Presentation (2.4 MB PDF)
Job Creation on a Budget: How Regional industry Clusters Can Add Jobs, Bolster Entrepreneurship, and Spark Innovation (link to website)
Jobs, Economic Development and Sustainable Communities: Strategizing Policy Needs and Program Delivery for Rural California (2.4 MB PDF)
Overview of Smart Valley Places (0.9 MB PDF)
Overview of Smart Valley Places Compact City Projects (0.9 MB PDF)
Breakout Session Notes (1.0 MB PDF)
HUD-DOT-EPA Livability Principles (0.07 MB PDF)
Overview of Intersection of Planning and Economic Development Breakout Session (0.06 MB PDF)
Achieving Broad and Meaningful Public Participation Breakout Session PowerPoint (4.0 MB PDF)
Word Cloud from Public Participation Breakout Session (0.3 MB PDF)
Overview of California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley (5.2 MB PDF)

Questions?
E-mail Ben Noble or call (510) 348-3815 or
E-mail Laura Podolsky or call (916) 448-1198 x311