As part of Smart Growth America’s free technical assistance program for local governments, Smart Growth America’s Vice President of Policy Development and Implementation Bill Fulton gave a presentation on “Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health” to community members and government officials in Fairfax, VA on June 6, 2013.
Ed Gonzalez served as a Houston police officer for over 18 years. On the beat, he developed a keen sense of the connection between an active community and a safe one. Now he’s working to create a Houston where more residents can enjoy tight-knit, walkable neighborhoods.
Ed Gonzalez currently serves both as a City Council member and Mayor Pro Tem of Houston, and is a member of Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council Advisory Board. Gonzalez notes that many people may not realize that Houston is the fourth largest and most diverse city in America. Gonzalez’s own District H contains a thriving entertainment district, neighborhoods known for historic architecture and landmarks in Texas’ African American and Latino history.
On Wednesday, May 22, LOCUS Managing Director Christopher Coes joined a panel discussion on America’s new infrastructure needs and livable communities as part of The Atlantic’s Generations Forum.
Moderated by Sommer Mathis, Editor of The Atlantic Cities, the panel also included Sarah Zanton of The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and Sarah Rosen Wartell, President of the Urban Institute. Together they discussed how demographic changes in the United States are affecting the country’s development needs.