Some 200 participants were on hand this week as Schenectady Mayor Brian U. Stratton hosted played host to the "Revitalizing NY Summit" that took place at Proctor's Theatre on October 7th. Jointly sponsored by Empire State Future and the New York State Department of State, the event featured Smart Growth America President Geoff Anderson and noted author Norman Mintz, who highlighted the list of conference speakers.
Rebuilding New York's economy through sustainable development was the theme of the major, one-day public conference. New York's Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez attended a pre-conference dinner at the the Stockade Inn, and Mayor Stratton joined Peter B. Fleischer, Executive Director of Empire State Future, and Philip Morris, CEO of Proctors, in opening remarks to the attendees on Wednesday.
Mr. Mintz, Director of Design for the 34th Street Partnership in New York City and co-author of Cities Back from the Edge: New Life for Downtown, was the event's luncheon speaker. Several other expert panelists addressed a wide range of Smart Growth and economic development topics, including the link between land use and economic revitalization, and the statewide need for sustainable growth throughout New York.
"Smart Growth, sustainability and economic development are no longer mutually exclusive; in fact, they actually strengthen and reinforce each other in the New Economy," said Secretary Cortés-Vázquez. "This conference is a call to action to collaborate across silos, pool our resources, and create the types of communities that achieve economic, environmental, social and fiscal stability."
"Our objective is to have a purposeful public discussion of the range of land use and development issues that are vital to New York's recovery, and its future," said Peter B. Fleischer, Executive Director of Empire State Future. "We want to inform and inspire at a level that can make a real difference in how we meet our economic challenges."
Billed as a Summit of public and private sector presentations, the event explored practical ways to revitalize New York statewide through sustainable economic progress and Smart Growth community development.
Participants included Assemblyman Sam Hoyt of Buffalo, legislative staffers, state agency leaders, municipal officials, practitioners of economic and community development, planners, educators, health professionals, developers, contractors, students, environmental advocates, and several other New Yorkers interested in building a more sustainable Empire State.
Summit speakers discussed innovations and initiatives that have taken root in recent times, as well as some new ideas that have been proposed but are not yet realized. The conference provided an opportunity to strengthen connections among interested people working on common civic improvement goals.
Empire State Future was formed in 2007 and functions as a coalition of 30 groups supporting Smart Growth principles in New York.
