New Jersey Future Staff To Speak at APA-NJ Conference

January 15th, 2015 by Elaine Clisham

Documentary film Shored Up to be shown in special screening

Reflecting the diversity of issues on which New Jersey Future will be working in 2015, its staff will be leading four of the sessions at APA-New Jersey’s upcoming annual conference.

First, on Thursday, Jan. 29, David Kutner, New Jersey Future’s local recovery planning manager, will present a newly-developed interactive mapping tool that can help communities calculate the risk to their tax base of projected sea-level rise. The tool, built in conjunction with Princeton Hydro, can calculate various levels of loss at the parcel level depending on the extent of sea-level rise and storm surge. It has been used in the communities in which New Jersey Future is assisting with post-Sandy planning work as a way of prioritizing recovery and adaptation initiatives, and it can be used in any municipality for initiating the critical but difficult conversation about what must be done differently in the face of rising sea levels. (Assessing Financial Exposure to Sea-Level Rise, Thursday, Jan. 29, 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM.)

On Friday, Jan. 30, Chris Sturm, senior director of state policy, will moderate a panel on best practices in implementing green infrastructure, focused on tools such as model ordinances and innovative financing mechanisms that are designed to advance green infrastructure off the drawing board and into standard stormwater-management practices. Green infrastructure can not only help to manage stormwater but can also serve to create healthier, “green” communities, particularly in more urban locations, and provide much-needed local jobs and public amenities. (Moving Green Infrastructure From “State of the Art” to “Standard Practice,” Friday, Jan. 30, 9:30 – 11:00 AM.)

Also on Friday, Research Director Tim Evans will continue the conversation about creating great places to age in New Jersey that was begun with the publication of last year’s report on the topic. This session will examine which places are already well positioned to accommodate aging residents in terms of community design, accessibility to transit, and choice and affordability of housing, and will review practical steps all municipalities can take to help their residents stay as they age. (Creating Good Places To Age in New Jersey, Friday, Jan. 30, 3:15 – 4:45 PM.)

Friday afternoon, conference attendees are invited to a special screening of the film Shored Up, a thought-provoking, post-Sandy look at issues related to coastal development and coastal flooding from extreme weather in New Jersey and North Carolina. This Sundance award-winning documentary explores the likely impact of sea level rise, the effects on development of federal subsidies for both beach replenishment and flood insurance, and the politics and emotions that surround these topics. More than two years after the storm, these issues remain of critical concern to planners and policy makers. The screening will be followed by a moderated discussion. (Shored Up screening, Friday, Jan. 30, 3:15 – 4:45 PM.)

Finally, please join New Jersey Future at the Old Bay Restaurant in New Brunswick after the conference ends on Friday, for an informal get-together. Meet New Jersey Future staff, New Jersey Future members, and professionals in the field. Even if you’re not going to the conference, please feel free to join us! No charge, cash bar. (Meet and Greet, Old Bay Restaurant, 61 Church St., New Brunswick, 5:00 PM – ?)