Events

Rural Renaissance: Revitalizing America’s Hometowns through Clean Power on June 27 at 1 p.m. will imagine thriving rural communities in the United States where local, renewable energy sparks investment, vitality, and equity. Panelists from Island Press and Groundswell will discuss the pathways to clean power in rural America and strategies for achieving them. This session is presented in partnership with Island Press and will not be livestreamed.

What if scrapping one flawed policy could bring U.S. cities closer to addressing debilitating housing shortages, stunted growth and innovation, persistent racial and economic segregation and car-dependent development? Zoning maps across the country have come to arbitrarily dictate where Americans may live and work, forcing cities into a pattern of growth that is segregated and sprawling. In Nolan Gray's new book, Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It, argues that it’s time for America to move beyond zoning as a necessary — if not sufficient — condition for building more affordable, vibrant, equitable and sustainable cities. Hear from the author as he lays the groundwork for this ambitious motion by clearing up common confusions and myths about how American cities regulate growth and examining the major contemporary critiques of zoning.