The Center for Community Progress is soliciting proposals for the 2012 Land Bank Conference, which takes place October 14-16 in Kalamazoo. If America’s cities and towns are to realize their greatest potential as attractive and welcoming – as drivers of the new American economy – they must be able to repurpose their vacant, abandoned, and foreclosed properties. A critical approach to this mission is the development of land banks: public authorities created to efficiently acquire, hold, manage and develop tax foreclosed property. The annual Land Bank conference attracts professionals involved with land banks such as: land bank staff and board of directors, for-profit and nonprofit developers, community foundations, real estate, greening initiatives, neighborhood revitalization, staff members from local and state government and elected officials.

Categories

• Activating Leadership and Forming Strategic Alliances

• Creating Effective Processes

• Organizational Development

• Reusing Land Sustainably

Suggested Topics

• Building coalitions; public–private partnerships; engaging the business community; citizen engagement; intergovernmental collaboration

• Land banking policy; tax foreclosure policy; property information tracking; coordinating public services

• Leveraging resources and financial stability; strategic planning; federal and state resources; marketing and communications

• Rethinking place; environmental impacts; historic preservation; urban agriculture; code enforcement; green infrastructure

Key Dates

• Submissions due | April 13, 2012

• Acceptance notification | June 15, 2012

• Schedule notification | Aug. 15, 2012

• Presentations due | Oct. 5, 2012

• Conference | Oct. 14-16 2012

Submit your proposal here.

Luke Forrest is Project Coordinator for the Center for 21st Century Communities. Contact him by email or Twitter.

Fall 2011 will bring a number of training, conference and funding opportunities for community leaders looking to increase environmental sustainability and/or speed implementation of complete streets:

• Global ReLeaf of Michigan is offering two free training sessions titled "Creating and Implementing a Community Forestry Management Plan". The sessions are August 23 in Midland and August 24 in Traverse City. The organization is also soliciting applications for assistance with community tree planting events this fall. For more details and/or to register, email globalreleafmi@aol.com or call 800-642-7353.
• The Michigan Department of Community Health is offering five Complete Streets Institute trainings beginning September 7. The Complete Streets Institute is a comprehensive and standardized 5-module training program designed to increase awareness of complete streets principles, support local advocacy efforts, and provide practical, realistic instructions and techniques to help communities create, adopt, and implement Complete Streets policies and projects. The curriculum was designed to cover all aspects of Complete Streets, from introduction of the concept (Module 1) to design applications in your community (Module 5). You pick the modules YOUR community needs to move ahead with success. For more information, click here.
• The US Department of Housing and Urban Development is offering $28 million in Sustainable Community Challenge Grants for local governments working to update master plans, zoning ordinances and other policies to promote mixed-use development and neighborhood sustainability. Applications are due September 9. Learn more here.
• MDOT is offering bicycle facility design training in eight communities across the state starting September 12. "Training Wheels" is an educational course on the planning and design of on-road bicycle facilities. It will consist of two hours of classroom instruction on the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities followed by an on-road, on-bike portion. For more information click here. 
• The national Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference is coming to Detroit May 10-11, 2012. This fall, the conference organizers are seeking proposals for workshops and panel presenters. Proposals are due September 30. Visit http://www.greenjobsconference.org/2012-Conference/Workshop-Proposals for the application guidelines and form. Michigan's Green Communities have made great strides in adopting policies and projects that create green jobs, so we encourage you to submit proposals and spread the word at the conference next year.

Stay tuned to the Center for 21st Century Communities blog for future updates, including an announcement about the 2nd annual Michigan Green Communities conference coming soon. You can also join the Green Communities group on micheen.org.

Luke Forrest is Project Coordinator for the Center for 21st Century Communities. Contact him by email, by calling 734-669-6323 or on Twitter @l4est.