Please note the date and time change of this event (previously scheduled for Thursday). It is now being held on Monday, December 12 at 11:30am.
How can you build Strong Towns principles right into your government's plans and strategies?
In this webcast, Strong Towns member Kevin Shepherd will discuss how his firm is integrating municipal finance and Strong Towns concepts into comprehensive plans, capital improvement project prioritization and neighborhood revitalization strategies. Kevin will review how he’s used concepts such as land productivity ($/acre) analysis, service costs, incremental development and strong citizens to guide a small north Texas community on the verge of growth through their planning process. He will also talk about recent presentations he’s made to the Government Finance Officers Association and Texas APA and the takeaways from planners and finance directors who participated. Chuck Marohn will help to host this presentation and lead Q&A at the end.
About Kevin Shepherd
Kevin is a Principal and co-founder of VERDUNITY (vur-doo-ni-tee), a Dallas-based community consulting firm focused on planning and designing neighborhoods that are fiscally and environmentally resilient. Kevin earned his Civil Engineering degree in 1994 from Texas A&M, and spent the first 17 years of his career working for large engineering firms designing infrastructure and site development projects. In 2009, his career changed course when he was offered the opportunity to serve as National Director of HDR’s Community Planning & Urban Design practice and member of the firm’s Sustainable Solutions Leadership Team. It was during this period that Kevin realized that many communities across the country were headed down a path that was depleting our natural resources and that would lead many cities to fiscal insolvency.
In 2011, he left his position with HDR to start VERDUNITY so he could help communities address these challenges. Kevin and his team help community leaders identify and implement development strategies that engage residents, reduce infrastructure costs and enhance quality of life. He’s an early supporter of Strong Towns and serves on the Board for the North Texas Chapter of CNU. Kevin writes and speaks regularly on the topics of Strong Towns, fiscally based planning, economic gardening, small scale development and the economic benefits of open space. Learn more about VERDUNITY and schedule an introductory call or workshop at www.verdunity.com.
This webcast is available exclusively to Strong Towns members. If you’re not a member, sign up and we’ll send you the webcast link. If you’re a member but did not receive an invitation for the webinar in your inbox, please contact Rachel, our Communications Specialist, and she’ll make sure you get it.
(All photos courtesy of Kevin Shepherd)