AMENITIES Celebrations & Animation of the Downtown Cities are not only commercial or education centers; they are gathering places and celebration places, and they should reflect this vibrancy. Communities can learn how to foster celebrations which can draw visitors, tourists, and residents alike for eating, shopping, and peaceful gathering, and also foster everyday strategies to give life and excitement to a city center, such as outdoor performance series and sidewalk vendors. Animation can also refer to design strategies such as gateway and wayfaring signs, creative landscaping, urban lighting, and common design standards. Both celebrations and animation contribute to creating a vibrant and competitive place, and require creative leadership to be involved. MODERATOR: Robert Krumbine – Senior Vice President for Events, Charlotte Center City Partners PANELISTS: John Elkington – President, Performa Entertainment Real Estate Corinna Moebius – Principal, Bordercross Communications Douglas Rice – Executive Director, ARTWalk, Rochester, NY Design & Urban Design: Building the Livable & Creative City High quality design and planning can help the private sector increase profits by stimulating new employment opportunities and economic growth. The quality of public sector design – government buildings, museums, public housing, libraries, and post offices – also has a huge influence, as governments collectively are the largest builders in the nation. Collaboration is the key between architects, urban designers, landscape architects, and artists to creating these special places of value to the broader community in the built environment. MODERATOR: Deborah Ryan – Coordinator, Charlotte Community Design Studio, University of North Carolina Charlotte PANELISTS: Doug Echols – Mayor, City of Rock Hill, SC Jennie Stultz – Mayor, City of Gastonia, NC Terry Whitley – Town Councilman, City of Oakboro, NC Housing: Living Above the Store As the needs and desires of the population continually evolve, cities have found that it is in their interest to understand how to integrate residential space into the urban fabric. Mixed-use development promotes vibrancy in communities, and allows people greater access to amenities. When communities are mixed-use, people can live, work, play, and learn all in the same neighborhood and ultimately create stronger ties to the community around them. MODERATOR: Clay Grubb – President, Grubb Properties, Charlotte, NC PANELISTS: Bill Struever – President, Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse Wendy Holmes – Vice President, Resource Development, Artspace John Knott – CEO & President, The Noisette Company, LLC, Charleston, SC Kids' Places in the Central City Like adults, children also need cities that feel livable to them, and even more than adults, children require kid-friendly and efficient public transportation, safe bike routes, properly scaled street furniture, comprehensible signs and colorful graphics, attractive gathering spaces and adequate recreational facilities. Facilities as varied as extreme sports parks, public libraries, museums, community centers, and more have the power to provide healthy, exciting, and safe places for kids within an urban environment. MODERATOR: David L. Armstrong – Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald (Former Mayor, City of Louisville, KY) PANELISTS: Lois Kilkka – Library Services Manager, ImaginOn, Charlotte, NC Deborah Craig – President, YouthNet of Greater Kansas City Kathy Dwyer Southern – President & CEO, National Children's Museum, Washington, DC New Anchors: Beyond the Field of Dreams There have been waves of 'anchors' for cities from renewed sports stadiums to blockbuster aquariums.  These large-scale amenities have the power to act as gathering places for visitors and residents and to spur further development in the surrounding neighborhoods.  Recently, communities have looked beyond these typical choices towards more diverse attractions such as libraries, museums, and other cultural facilities to act as anchors and set them apart from other communities. MODERATOR: Michael Smith – President, Charlotte City Center Partners PANELISTS: Edward Uhlir – Executive Director, Millennium Park, Inc, Chicago, IL Meredith Taylor – Special Projects Manager, Friends of the High Line, New York, NY Robert O'Rourke – Mayor Pro Tem, City of El Paso, TX Public Art/ Place Making Public art animates public spaces; gives people something to talk about; lets artists, community groups, and others comment on the environment around them; and at the same time creates something of lasting value for society that reflects the culture of the community. There are many “placemaking” strategies communities can learn to build important public-private partnerships and to draw residents into the process of creating public art and great places. MODERATOR: Jean Greer – Vice President of Public Art, Arts & Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg PANELISTS: George Heartwell – Mayor, City of Grand Rapids, MI Thomas Sayre – Artist Liesel Fenner – Public Art Manager, Americans for the Arts     CREATIVITY Branding/Image Creating a “brand” for a city is important not only to outsiders but to its current residents as it promotes pride, value, satisfaction, and expressions of anticipation of things to come. Communities must consider their own priorities, strengths and comparative advantages when formulating a marketing strategy. The challenge is how to identify the most appealing assets that represent the entire community, how to market them fairly and tactfully, and how to use these assets to accomplish larger livability goals. MODERATOR: Winn Maddrey – President & Founder, Blue Nine Partners PANELISTS: Kay Barnes – Mayor, City of Kansas City, MO Gene DePrez – Americas Leader, Global Location Strategies/Plant Location International, IBM Business Consulting Lucy Meade – Marketing & Developmnet Director, Renaissance Partners, Inc, Richmond, VA Creative Industry Districts Cities have always been a breeding ground for creativity – it is here that the critical mass of artists, entrepreneurs, and intellectuals can be found. Cities are where people share ideas and cultures, where interaction leads to new ideas. Creating specialized districts revolving around the creative industries can foster innovation and revitalize neighborhoods into 24 hour economic and cultural hubs. PANELISTS: Larry Houstoun – Principal, The Atlantic Group Mary Ellen Williams – District Administrator, Scientific & Cultural Facilities District, Denver, CO David Feehan – President, International Downtown Association (MODERATOR) Cultural Planning and Funding for Tomorrow Culture is big business, and there is new appreciation of the key role it can play in the sustainability of a city or neighborhood, especially when thinking about attracting new and younger residents and retaining current residents. Communities that have good cultural infrastructure in place that can match dollars to programs and plan for innovative cultural events and programs have a competitive edge and ultimately can better provide for everyone in their communities. MODERATOR: Robert Bush – Senior Vice President, Cultural & Community Investment, Arts & Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg PANELISTS: Lucas B. Held – Director of Communications, Wallace Foundation Lee Keesler – President & CEO, Arts & Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Mary Berryman Agard – Principal Consultant, Hyperion Associates Financing the Creative Economy & the Livable City Finding the money to finance infrastructure and cultural and technological improvements to cities is never easy, and often involves complex relationships between the public and private sectors to maximize the return on various tax and other revenue sources. It is always most effective when the balance is right so that both the private and public sector benefit from new projects. Creative financing tactics can help to bring in the right industries and the right amenities to complement these industries so that everyone ‘wins’ in the end. PANELISTS: Patricia Bean – County Administrator, Hillsborough County, FL John Hanbeme – Senior Vice President, McCormack Baron Salazar Richard Ward – Senior Principal/Chairman, Development Strategies, Inc (MODERATOR) Tourism and Visitation Tourism and hospitality are major growth areas for the 21st century and communities of all sizes and notoriety can use tourism as an economic engine and a community development strategy. These strategies are most effective when they reflect a community’s culture, when they are used by the community, and when they bring in sustainable economic activity. By investing in resources for local citizens and then sharing these resources effectively with the world, communities can attract people to visit, invest in, and move to the community, and provide opportunities to bring new money and diverse industries that complement the tourism industry. MODERATOR: Bennish D. Brown – Executive Director, Rock Hill/York County Convention & Visitors Bureau PANELISTS: Becky Anderson – Executive Director, HandMade in America, Inc, Asheville, NC James H. Carr – Senior Vice President of Research, Fannie Mae Foundation Tim Newman – CEO, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority     EQUITY Citigroup is a proud sponsor of the Equity Track   Affordable Housing Issues surrounding affordable housing affect every community, and many communities have taken positive, innovative steps towards ensuring that there is enough available low-income and workforce housing. With such varied strategies, communities have the option to pick the one that will benefit them the most and create the most equitable and diverse environment. MODERATOR: Ruth Samuelson – President, ruth: Philanthropy in Motion PANELISTS: Abdul Sm Rasheed – CEO, North Carolina Community Development Initiative Nancy Crown – Senior Vice President, Bank of America Mike Meyer – Assistant Director, San Jose Department of Housing, San José, CA Aging Population & the Livable City – Sponsored by Despite the growing ranks of the elderly in American communities, community planners and civic leaders have focused relatively little attention upon their special physical and social needs, interests, and potential contributions. Amenities that directly benefit the elderly, particularly those living independently, such as resting places, readable signage, educational and wellness programs, and public transportation, make communities more livable for everyone. Furthermore, communities can find ways to harness the creative power of their experienced elderly through civic engagement and volunteer opportunities that can make a stronger community for the young and old. MODERATOR: Manus J. O'Donnell – Assistant County Administrator for Human Services, Hillsborough County, Fl PANELISTS: Billy F. Van Pelt – Aging in Place Initiative Project Facilitator, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Nancy LeaMond – Group Executive Officer, Social Impact, AARP Jody Kretzmann – Co-Director, Asset-Based Community Development Institute, Northwestern University Diversity in the Creative Economy Diversity comes in many forms from cultural to economic to ethnic to sexual orientation. It has been discussed that communities that embrace diversity are more sustainable within the creative economy. All communities should consider what resources they have or can create from ethnic restaurants to affordable housing to performing arts to variety of industries to increase and maintain diversity. MODERATOR: Dianne English – Executive Director, Community Building Initiative, Charlotte, NC PANELISTS: Gordon Quan – Managing Partner, Quan, Burdette & Perez, P.C. (Former Mayor Pro Tem, City of Houston, TX) Carol Bebelle – Executive Director, ASHE Cultural Arts Center, New Orleans Angeles Ortega – Executive Director, Latin American Coalition, Charlotte, NC Healthy Cities for All Healthy cities do more than provide adequate health care facilities and doctors. They also provide for the overall wellness of their population, and encourage citizens to improve the welfare of themselves and those around them. This includes comprehensive care ranging from conception to old age, and involves a broad array of public facilities like schools, clinics, libraries, and parks that are accessible and affordable to all. MODERATOR: Mark Dessauer – Communications Officer, Active Living by Design, School of Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill PANELISTS: Lucille Bish – Director, Community Services, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Canada Dr. E. Winters Mabry, MD – Health Director, Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Larry Bryant – Mayor, City of Forrest City, AR Labor Force/Job Training/School to Work The three key barriers to a smooth transition from school to employment are a lack of basic skills, lack of training in appropriate work attitudes and competencies, and lack of information about education and employment options. If communities can encourage programs that help their disadvantaged youth and adults to learn how to thrive in the creative economy, they improve the quality of life for more people and also reduce the need to import ‘creatives’ from other places to stay competitive. For example, programs that encourage students to “learn as they earn” can help fill employment needs as well as create a community of skilled trades people. MODERATOR: Elaine L. Craft – Director, South Carolina Advanced Technology Center of Excellence PANELISTS: Sarah Butzen – Senior Policy Associate, Regional Technology Strategies, Inc., Carrboro, NC George Poling – Executive Director, Metropolitan College, Louisville, KY Richard Metzger – Executive Director, Young Artists/Young Aspirations, Inc, New Orleans, LA     SUSTAINABILITY Duke Energy is a proud sponsor of the Sustainability Track   Greenways & Open Space The livability of a city is defined by not only what is built, but also by what is not built. From the vast expanse of the Mall in Washington, D.C., to the heavily used vest-pocket parks in Manhattan to the greenways that are popping up in mid-size and smaller cities all over the place, open space provides visual relief, relieves the human spirit, and offers opportunities for outdoor cooperation and community. Furthermore, the environmental benefits of absorbing air pollution and filtering runoff by protecting open space is as important to air quality as cutting industrial emissions and waste. MODERATOR: Tracy Russ – President and Principal, Russ Communications Groups, Inc. and Interactive Decisions, Inc. PANELISTS: Davis J. Cable – Executive Director, Catawba Lands Conservancy David Miller – Mayor, City of Elkhart, IN George Driver – President, Partners for Livable San Diego Peter Harnik – Director, Center for City Park Excellence, Trust for Public Land Metro Funding Strategies Financing the quality of life for the creative region involves pooling resources across political boundaries. Methods such as Bi-State financing, asset district funding, and many more offer solutions for regions looking to create mutual benefit programs that will increase the standard of living for the most number of people and increase the overall status of the region. MODERATOR: Richard C.D. Fleming – President & CEO, St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association PANELISTS: William Dodge – Principal, Regional Excellence Consulting Myron Orfield – President, Institute on Race and Poverty Ronnie Bryant – President & CEO, Charlotte Regional Partnership Regional Visions that Work The last 10-15 years has seen a surge in regional plans that take a long-term look at where a community wants to be in 5, 10, or even 20-40 years from now. In perfecting the art of visioning for the future, experts have learned that there are some fundamental steps that make these plans more possible, practical, and beneficial to the most number of people. MODERATOR: Al Sharp – Executive Director, Centralina Council of Governments PANELISTS: Gianni Longo – Principal, American Communities Partnership Jim Murley – Director, Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions, Florida Atlantic University Randy Broome – Director of Economic and Business Development, Duke Energy Thinking Green & Smart: Sprawl, Energy, Water, and Waste When communities ‘think green,’ they pay attention to the way their development patterns and infrastructure influences the environment around them and they take measurable steps to improve their environmental impact. Communities can learn how the impact of wastewater and sewage treatment facilities, landfills, reservoirs, and other sites in urban areas can be mitigated through creativity in negotiation and multiple use design, and result in parks and other public amenities to further improve the quality of life. Communities can also concentrate on how to balance growth so that they are not unnecessarily taking over the surrounding landscape. MODERATOR: Dr. John E. Wear – Founding Director Catawba College Center for the Environment PANELISTS: Jane Bender – Mayor, City of Santa Rosa, CA Jennifer Sprout – Director, Local Market Development, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Mark Hollis – Director of Environmental Policy and Affairs, Duke Energy Carolinas, Governmental Affairs Transportation Strategies Conversations about transportation strategies can range from large-scale systems such as light rail, buses, or subways, to small-scale systems such as foot and bike paths that promote general walkability. All of these systems encourage more energy efficient, and thereby more environmentally responsible, commuting. Communities can also explore creative methods for dealing with automobile traffic and parking issues. Communities that have better transportation links will be more likely to foster interaction and innovation and have happier residents with more free time to engage with the community. MODERATOR: Debra Campbell – Director Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission PANELISTS: David G. Burwell – Senior Associate, Transportation, Project for Public Spaces, Inc Clarence W. Marsella – General Managers, Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO Ronald Tober – Director of Public Transit, City of Charlotte, NC