Grow Smart Academy
2023 Grow Smart Academy
Register for Grow Smart Academy
Program Overview:
Grow Smart Academy is a free, four-session program designed to educate Lexingtonians on land-use planning and its relationship to our community’s economic development, environment, and quality of life.
If you’re interested in learning more about how land use impacts your daily life — from public transit, walkability, housing affordability, greenspaces, climate, and livelihood — join us at Grow Smart Academy to learn more about these local issues from community experts.
Additionally, this program changes from year-to-year — so alumni are encouraged to register again.
Keynote Speaker
Jeff Speck, city planner, and author
Jeff Speck is a city planner and author who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and created the Governors’ Institute on Community Design. Prior to his federal appointment, Mr. Speck spent ten years as Director of Town Planning at DPZ & Co., the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Since 2007, he has led Speck & Associates, an award-winning private design consultancy serving mainly American cities.
With Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Mr. Speck is the co-author of Suburban Nation, which the Wall Street Journal calls “the urbanist’s bible.” His 2012 book Walkable City was the best-selling city-planning title of the past decade and has been translated into eight languages. He is also the principal author of The Smart Growth Manual and Walkable City Rules.
Jeff Speck has been named a fellow of both the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Congress for New Urbanism. He was the 2022 recipient of the Seaside Prize, whose former awardees include Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander. His TED talks and YouTube videos have been viewed more than six million times. Watch them below:
“Four Ways to Make a City More Walkable”
Locations:
This program will be held in person at various locations around Lexington.
Session One: Intro to Smart Growth | Monday, May 8, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Transylvania University – William T. Young Campus Center, Room No. 131BCD
Transylvania University — 361 N. Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508
Bikes, Bubbles, and Brunch: A Networking Happy Hour | Saturday, May 13, 12-2 p.m. | The Grove
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- The Grove, 200 W. Main St.
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- A networking happy hour
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- Food, drinks, new friends, and urban exploration
Session Two: Growing Our City | Tuesday, June 13, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Red Mile Gaming & Racing
Session Three: Sustainability and Transportation | Tuesday, July 11, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Red Mile Gaming & Racing
Session Four: Promoting Our Farms | Tuesday, August 15, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Spy Coast Farm – Education Center, 3487 Newtown Pike
Spy Coast Farm — 3487 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511
Disclaimer: If you are interested in only attending Intro to Smart Growth for the keynote presentation by Jeff Speck, there is space to indicate so on the registration form below — however you will not receive a Grow Smart Academy certificate of completion.
Accessibility: If you have any language or accessibility needs, or a need for transportation support to attend each session, please contact info@fayettealliance.com.
Time:
The four Grow Smart Academy sessions are held in the evenings to best accommodate the majority of schedules for citizens — from 5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. We know, right during dinner time.
That’s why dinner will be provided to each registered guest at every session. You can communicate your dietary restrictions and preferences with our team when filling out the registration form.
Session Details:
Session One: Intro to Smart Growth
Tuesday, May 9, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Transylvania University
Session One will serve as our kick-off event to Grow Smart Academy where we will provide basic concepts and examples of smart growth, which will be expanded upon in the following three sessions.
We will feature Jeff Speck, a city planner and author who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. He has been named a fellow of both the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Congress for New Urbanism. He was the 2022 recipient of the Seaside Prize, whose former awardees include Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander. His TED talks and YouTube videos have been viewed more than six million times.
Disclaimer: Everyone is welcome to attend Jeff Speck’s keynote presentation at Session One, even those who cannot participate in all four weeks of Grow Smart Academy. Please register in advance here and indicate that you will only be attending this session so we can accommodate all guests.
Speakers:
Jeff Speck, city planner, and author
Jeff Speck is a city planner and author who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and created the Governors’ Institute on Community Design. Prior to his federal appointment, Mr. Speck spent ten years as Director of Town Planning at DPZ & Co., the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Since 2007, he has led Speck & Associates, an award-winning private design consultancy serving mainly American cities.
Brittany M. Roethemeier, Executive Director, Fayette Alliance
Networking Happy Hour: Bikes, Bubbles + Brunch
Saturday, May 13 | 12-2 p.m. | The Grove, 200 W. Main St.
This free event encourages Smart Growth Academy students to network and explore our city while enjoying delicious small bites from the Luna food truck at The Grove. Registration to the event, and attendance to Session One, gets you a free drink ticket and a raffle entry for a pair of Railbird Music Festival tickets. The Fayette Alliance team will be on-site with information on walking and biking the Town Branch Trail through downtown Lexington.
Session Two: Growing Our City
Tuesday, June 13, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Red Mile Gaming & Racing
Lexington’s planning and land use policies, set out in our Comprehensive Plan, outline the vision for how we live, work, and play. This session connects land use policy to our everyday quality of life.
Join us as we hear from LFUCG’s Division of Planning staff about the 2045 Comprehensive Plan and how the plan works to address challenges facing our city. We will discuss the goals and objectives of the updated plan and how you can continue to advocate for smart growth as the Comprehensive Plan moves through the Council this year.
Session Three: Sustainability and Transportation
Tuesday, July 11, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Red Mile Gaming & Racing
The integration of green infrastructure within our urban core provides an opportunity to mitigate the impacts of climate change while improving the quality of life for citizens and the vibrancy of our city.
Lexington-Fayette County’s productive rural landscape is green infrastructure, and farmland provides the opportunity to sequester carbon to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Limiting urban sprawl is critical to sustainable and equitable growth for all Lexingtonians.
Attendees will learn about improvements to public transit, ongoing projects like Imagine New Circle Road and Imagine Nicholasville Road, as well as how the city is looking at a Complete Streets initiative and utilizing large amounts of federal funding for infrastructure. Additionally, gain insight into three alternative future scenarios projected through 2040 and what they mean for the future of agriculture.
Session Four: Promoting Our Farms
Tuesday, August 15, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | Spy Coast Farm
Promoting our beautiful and productive Bluegrass farmland is a key part of Fayette Alliance’s mission. Our unique farms contribute to our identity, economic development, and quality of life. Fayette Alliance advocates for sustainable, responsible, and innovative growth because we know that balancing our irreplaceable Bluegrass farmland and growing an equitable city for all is what makes Lexington-Fayette County extraordinary.
This session will expose our attendees to the significant ways our farmland impacts our community and why smart growth and farmland preservation are important partners in Lexington’s thriving community. Our rural land acts as the factory floor of our signature agricultural industries, providing a wide range of diverse employment opportunities (a $2B annual county economic impact and providing 1 out of 12 jobs), and supporting a growing local food movement that connects more people to the land every day.
Sponsors:
