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| #e.22710 | Friday 10:00AM to 2:00PM
March 22,
2013 | CM | 3.50 |
WNC Vitality Index WorkshopAPA North Carolina ChapterHickory, NC Free event In 2012, the NC Mountain Resources Commission and their technical advisers developed a vitality index for the western 27 counties of the state. The index is a web-based free public tool that includes over 160 different metrics to measure sustainability of environmental systems, population demographics and public health, the built environment including land use and transportation, and economic development and local economies. Other project partners include several land management federal agencies, the Board of Realtors, and Duke Energy.
This workshop will include training for planners to familiarize them with what information the tool includes, how to navigate the information for incorporation into various planning activities, and how the information can be used to remove or prevent “silos” between sectors. For example, how can knowing about the environmental conditions of our region better serve our economic development activities? How can an accurate understanding of our population demographics be used to better inform decisions about transportation infrastructure? How can we use this tool as a way to enhance public participation in an engaging interactive way? Attendees will be given one-on-one training using the index for various hypothetical planning scenarios. Then actual planning activities that are currently going on in the region will be explored by attendees using actual and up-to-date data available in the index. The goal is to familiarize them with the index, explore ways to enhance public awareness of issue connectivity, and then apply this information in actual on-going planning activities within that region.
Instructors: James Fox James (Jim) Fox is the Director for UNC Asheville’s NEMAC (National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center). In that position, he serves as the team leader and principal investigator for several major collaborations that include the USDA Forest Service Eastern Forest Threat Center, NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, the Renaissance Computing Institute and the Mountain Resource Commission. The center uses visualizations, web tools and decision support tools to address key societal issues that include forest health, climate, flood mitigation, water resources and future land use planning. Jim holds undergraduate degrees in Geology/Geophysics and Communications and a Masters Degree in Information Technology for Informal Education. His passion is utilizing community collaborations and leading-edge technologies to aid in complex decision making. Judith Francis AICP Judith M. Francis, AICP, has been involved in planning-related activities in Florida, Colorado, and North Carolina as a designer, planner, and Planning Director. She currently serves as the western programs coordinator for the North Carolina Department of the Environment and Natural Resources Office of Conservation Planning & Community Affairs. In that capacity, she provides staff support for the North Carolina Mountain Resources Commission and assists local governments in achieving their conservation objectives through ecological and economic analysis. She is the current President of the National Association of County Planners (an affiliate of the National Association of Counties), the current Chair of the APA County Planning Division and is active with the Executive Board of the North Carolina Chapter of APA. Ms. Francis has B.A. and M.A. degrees from Colorado State University and has focused her career on environmental issues and has been involved in numerous conservation activities of regional and national significance. Her work involves establishing partnerships between multiple levels of government, as well as non-governmental entities and non-profit organizations. Ms. Francis is also an adjunct faculty member at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina, where she teaches her students about historic and current planning techniques, the responsibilities of citizenship, and the role of democracy in the planning process. (2 Ratings)
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