SILVER SPRING – Planning Director Rollin Stanley will deliver the keynote address at DesignDC, a three-day conference that draws regional architects, planners and urban designers.
Sponsored by the local chapters of the American Institute of Architects, the conference runs from July 14-16 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Stanley will deliver his presentation on Tuesday. Discount registrations are available for the keynote speech.
During his talk, “We Can Do Better: A Frank Discussion about Design and Growth in the ’Burbs,” Stanley will discuss how changing demographics, community visions and environmental goals influence the design of communities. More specifically, Stanley will outline a new paradigm for design that incorporates elements such as local culture, nearby food sources, and infrastructure.
The suburban landscape, particularly the Washington area, is undergoing huge changes. Using comparisons to rapidly urbanizing areas around the world, Stanley will make the discussion relevant to our region by using current efforts to promote strategic growth in Montgomery County.
Stanley’s presentation comes as Montgomery County runs out of new land to develop – now just 4 percent of the county’s total land area – forcing planners to look at infill options in built areas. Montgomery planners drafting the 2009-2011 Growth Policy are trying to formalize that approach. The growth policy, a biennial initiative, has guided growth by matching development to the availability of roads and schools. Stanley is leading the effort to redirect the growth policy to create incentives for sustainable growth near transit rather than incentives that encourage building in rural areas.
Stanley has been director of the county Planning Department, one of the largest planning agencies in the country, since February 2008. Stanley has steered staff and the Planning Board toward new ways of thinking about growth that focuses on sustainability, diversity, design and the environment. Since his arrival, planning staff have incorporated that vision in five new master plans – for Germantown, Gaithersburg West, White Flint, Takoma and Kensington – to be delivered within a year.
Learn more about the AIA conference.
WHO:
Montgomery County Planning Director Rollin Stanley
WHAT:
Keynote address at DesignDC conference
WHEN:
10:15 a.m. Tuesday, July 14
WHERE:
Washington Convention Center
801 Mt. Vernon Place NW
Washington, D.C.