ReForm Shreveport is proud to announce that it will host its next public engagement event featuring Cultivate Collaborative of Dallas, Texas. The event will take place Thursday, Aug. 23 and Friday, Aug. 24.
The special guest speakers include professional engineer and sustainability guru Kevin Shepherd along with urban designer and expert city planner Matt Lewis. Together, Kevin and Matt will expand on previous keynote speakers Chuck Marohn and Joe Minicozzi by taking concepts they discussed and teaching our community how to turn them into meaningful action.
“After meeting Kevin and Matt, I knew they were on the bleeding edge of taking new ideas and putting them into practice, said Tim Wright, founder of ReForm Shreveport. “Matt’s expertise in planning and zoning and Kevin’s expertise in municipal economic issues is remarkable. Their ability to change communities means we can too. I’m excited about this event and how we can all create a collective impact by focusing on our local issues in an interdisciplinary way.”
The topics of discussion will include ways to improve our planning and zoning system using proven methods to reduce approval times and expand redevelopment, discussions on how to create socially-conscious brick and mortar development which increases value and fosters community buy-in on development projects, cultivate a self-sustaining and fair economic development community that empowers local entrepreneurs, and help city officials and the public understand the true costs of infrastructure and public services to achieve a more balanced budget.
The event is sponsored by Shreveport DDA, Downtown Shreveport Development Corporation, Heliopolis Magazine, Highland Restoration Association, and Fusiform Design Workshop.
“Downtown Shreveport Development Corporation (DSDC) has been a strong partner with Re-Form Shreveport from the beginning. With Cultivate Collaborative, we can take that a step further with in-depth discussions and ways to turn talk into action. We hope that many people take advantage of this great opportunity to strengthen our neighborhoods and city.” Liz Swaine, DSDC Executive Director.
The Aug. 23 event will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Central Artstation, 801 Crockett St., with a reception, presentation, and discussion about what each of these topics means in the context of Shreveport and set the stage for how we can create a government and citizen-driven culture that make these outcomes inevitable instead of impractical.
The Aug. 24 event will begin at 9 a.m.,also at Artstation, with Kevin and Matt hosting a series of workshops aimed at government officials, developers, and small business owners on how to engage in modern practices that serve the community and create a more self-sustaining economy through policy and best practice. The general public is also invited to attend.
You can CLICK HERE to see the full schedule of events and to register for Friday’s workshops CLICK HERE.
