Don't miss this one: The deadline is fast approaching to register for this premier smart growth conference - the January 13th deadline is just over a week away! Avoid late fees and reserve your place NOW at this not-to-be-missed event!

Book your hotel room: The deadline for our $133 group rate (single/double) at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina is January 11. We expect the block of rooms for this event to sell out by then, so don't delay and make your reservations NOW! To make your reservation, call (800) 325-3535 and indicate you are attending the New Partners conference. Reservations made after January 11 will be accepted on a space-available basis only, and the group rate is not guaranteed.

Earn professional credit: The conference program features over 100 dynamic plenaries, breakouts, implementation workshops and trainings. Almost all of these sessions have already been accredited for AICP planners through APA-CM and/or through ASLA for landscape architects. We have also applied for credit for several sessions for architects through the AIA.

Something for everybody: The multi-disciplinary program is packed with sessions on numerous cutting-edge smart growth and sustainable communities issues, including 15 tracks on public health, housing, transportation, economic revitalization and equitable development. The conference also features 13 tours of local model projects throughout the San Diego region, including bike and walking tours on Sunday, Feb. 5.
Networking opportunities: This year, there are about a dozen opportunities within the program for participants to network around timely issues such as the challenges of smart growth in small towns and rural areas; environmental justice; visioning tools for planning scenarios; federal sustainability partnerships; and health impact assessments!

Get started a day early: A dynamic pre-conference workshops on Feb. 1, "Advancing Equity through Planning" (1:00-5:30 p.m.), will draw on the experiences of HUD's Sustainable Communities Regional Planning and Community Challenge grantees and their partners from community-based organizations to shed light on the barriers and opportunities for creating fair and equitable planning and growth. Visit the Special Features page of the conference web site for the agenda. ($18 registration fee)

Meanwhile, at the day-long workshop on "How to Require Walkable, Diverse and Economically Successful Places People Will Love," you can explore form-based coding, the antidote for conventional zoning regulations that can impede mixed-use, walkable and diverse neighborhoods. Learn more from the experts at the Form-Based Codes Institute about the components and process of a form-based code and the smart growth urban design it can implement. For details and to register: regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1012625

Three-day pre-conference tour: Join walkability expert Dan Burden on a 3-day, pre-conference tour of San Diego-area smart growth, "Exploring San Diego's Downtown, Neighborhoods and Suburbs" (Jan. 30- Feb. 1). This action-packed tour will take you from downtown San Diego to old classic neighborhoods, new neighborhoods and suburban downtowns. Each stop will be an opportunity to learn how a wide range of smart growth strategies are being implemented in communities of all sizes and shapes in this vibrant region. Visit http://www.newpartners.org/features.html to get more details and to register!
Register NOW! For more details on the conference program, tours and pre-conference events, and to register today, visit http://www.NewPartners.org. The registration deadline is Friday, January 13.

See the New Partners for Smart Growth conference web site: www.NewPartners.org

For more information:
Melissa Harper-Barton, Local Government Commission
1303 J St., Suite 250, Sacramento, CA 95814 US
phone: 916-448-1198 ext. 327; email: [email protected]