Bridging the Future is the theme for the 42nd annual Neighborhoods USA Conference, which will be held in Omaha May 24th through the 27th. Conference Coordinator, Roxanne Nielsen, says they expect around 800 attendees. She says a number of local events are planned in connection with the conference, including Neighborhood Pride Tours and a Film Streams showing of “Citizen Jane, Battle for the City.”
One of the keynote speakers this year is Fred Kent, President of Project for Public Spaces. They have helped create and improve public spaces around the country and the world for 40 years; they call it “placemaking.”
“Placemaking is really about people in a community taking responsibility for their future. And the idea of place is a profound idea because good places breed healthy lives. What I’m really going to be talking about is how placemaking can be a transformative force in every neighborhood and every community and on every street, whether it’s a big or small part of the city, and that it can have an impact very quickly.”
This will be a return visit to Omaha for Kent. Years ago, he consulted on “Lively Omaha,” which became “Omaha by Design.” He also led a placemaking session for Omaha’s riverfront development.
For more information, the website is NUSA.org, and early registration ends on April 15th.