Public Officials Outreach Programs
Many ULI District Councils have established Public Officials
Outreach Programs to encourage forums between the private and public
sectors towards exchanging information and improving
understanding about land development and growth issues. Below are
examples of some of these programs.
Technical Assistance Programs (TAPs) are a
local version of ULI’s Advisory Services Panels, in
which members of a District Council provide expert advice on a
specific land use or real estate question in a day-long session with a
public agency or nonprofit organization.
ULI Atlanta
ULI Atlanta
teamed up with the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development at
Georgia Tech, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Association
County Commissioners of Georgia, and the Georgia Municipal Association
to produce the training session,“Governments and Growth: How to
Cope Successfully.” The three-day hands-on workshop for local
government officials (elected, appointed and staff) to learn how to
attract and implement quality growth. Leading experts in planning, law,
transportation, finance, and public involvement will present lectures
and host interactive breakout sessions on land development,
transportation, public engagement, revenue issues, and legal
frameworks.
ULI Chicago
ULI
Chicago offers “Planning Commissioner Online” in
collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago. This
internet-based course is designed to teach volunteer planning
commissioners about real estate development tools. Planning Commissioner
Online is a unique learning process, facilitated by experienced
practitioners. The class is geared for planning commissioners who want
to improve their skills and take part in participatory learning
activities that address the real-life challenges faced in today's
planning environment. Combining the convenience of online learning with
in-class experience, the four-week program is specifically designed to
address the issues of planning commissioners and their local
communities.
ULI Minnesota
ULI
Minnesota, the Local Initiative Support Corporation, the University
of Minnesota and Target proposed to spearhead a project to establish an
ongoing forum for mayors and ULI members to exchange ideas, advice and
expertise. The project convened the Regional Council of Mayors and
established an Executive Committee that includes 17 mayors.
The first all-mayors event was held in 2004. The mayors have decided to
focus on transportation as their current priority; future work will
include housing and growth on the edge.
ULI
Philadelphia
ULI
Philadelphia invites a member of the public or nonprofit sector to
speak at each executive committee meeting (about 6 times a year). With
attendance of about 40, these presentations provide an opportunity for
participants to exchange information about public and private
interests.
ULI Sacramento
ULI Sacramento's
Policy Program is a series of seminars on various major issues
in the region, designed to educate local decision-makers and
stakeholders. The desired outcome of the seminars is a more informed and
coordinated planning process addressing the projected growth in the
Sacramento region.
ULI San
Francisco
ULI San
Francisco recently prepared a guidebook designed to help Bay Area
city and county policymakers implement effective local conservation and
development practices. Called Smart Growth in the San Francisco Bay
Area: Effective Local Approaches, it focuses on a variety of smart
growth techniques, cites 25 specific local case studies, and provides
model procedures and ordinances.
The guidebook addresses:
- techniques for implementing compact;
- infill;
- mixed-use;
- transit-oriented and adaptive reuse development;
- strategies for addressing jobs-housing balance and inclusionary
housing, and;
- ways of gaining community support and infrastructure financing to
support the implementation of these smart growth approaches.
The District Council also organized a two-day leadership forum
to open the dialogue between ULI members and public officials in the
region. This forum was supported in part by a ULI
Community Action Grant. The curriculum included leadership
techniques, development economics, infrastructure financing and public
involvement. This invitation-only event brought together 50 elected
officials from cities and counties throughout the San Francisco Bay
Region. Three months following the event, a follow-up session solicited
feedback.
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