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USM Hosts Conference on Sustainable Development for Developers, Community Leaders, and Municipal Officials

March 22, 2004

A conference on sustainable development designed for professionals who make decisions on land use will take place at the University of Southern Maine in April. "Sustainable Development as a Tool for Responsible Decision Making: A Land Use Perspective," will be held from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday, April 8, in Luther Bonney Auditorium on the Portland campus. The conference will include discussions on sustainable development concepts, their current use in other cities, and ways to incorporate them into local projects and planning processes. Attendees will hear from speakers knowledgeable in land use, transportation, health, education, economics, and work together to develop an assessment tool that can be used to make decisions on local projects that affect land use.

The conference keynote speaker will be Mark Lapping, a professor at the USM Muskie School of Public Service. Among other speakers are the Greater Portland Chamber of Government's Land Use and Transportation Director David Willauer; USM Muskie School Professors Richard Barringer and Jack Kartez; and Bruce Hyman, a senior associate at Wilbur Smith.

The conference is funded in part by a grant written last summer by Muskie School student Elizabeth Trice, who organized the event. USM's Gloria S. Duclos Convocation on Environmental Sustainability awarded Trice funds to put on the conference which is designed for planning board members, city councilors, and professionals involved with public works, transportation, development, and land use. The event will be co-sponsored by the USM Muskie School of Public Service and the City of Portland. The registration deadline is March 31, and fees are $10 for the morning session or $15 for the entire day. A continental breakfast and lunch are included, and scholarships are available. To register, contact USM's Department of Conferences at 780-5951.

Editor's Note: For more information about the conference, contact Elizabeth Trice at etrice2@yahoo.com.

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