2002 State Preservation Conference - Georgia Communities at the Crossroads

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

Statewide Preservation Conference to Examine Smart Growth

National Trust President Richard Moe, other national experts to speak at Macon event

ATLANTA - Creating livable centers, a challenge for planners, developers and preservationists alike, is the focus of a new smart growth conference to be held Feb. 28 - March 1 in Macon.

Georgia Communities at the Crossroads: Growth Strategies and Solutions, which also serves as the annual statewide preservation conference, is designed to help communities strategize solutions for their future using smart growth techniques.

Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Don Rypkema, principal of the Real Estate Services Group and an industry leader in the economics of preserving historic properties, will give the keynote address. Stanley Lowe, vice-president of the National Trust's Community Revitalization program, will give the closing address.

Expert speakers from around the state and nation will conduct workshops, lectures and field sessions, examining individual projects and smart growth components of the community planning process.

Panelists will discuss strategic planning and tool kits for better communities and for the private sector. A number of sessions will address issues affecting new and existing intown development, such as the challenges of commercial revitalization, innovative real estate deals and the inclusion of green space. Additionally, topics relating to both downtowns and neighborhoods, including transportation planning, vernacular architecture, archaeology, working with local governments, and neighborhood school revitalization are included in the

agenda. Strategies and solutions for preserving Georgia's farmland heritage will also be offered.

Participants will learn about Macon's smart growth issues in field sessions examining the city's intown neighborhoods, neighborhood schools and downtown.

Earlybird registration deadline for the conference and for reservations at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, conference headquarters, is Feb. 19. For more information and a list of the conference sessions, call (404) 881-9980 or visit www.georgiatrust.org.

Sponsors: The Georgia Trust and the Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of National Resources, Macon Heritage Foundation, The Urban Land Institute, Atlanta Chapter, and NewTown Macon. Also supported by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities and through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly.