I am belated in doffing my cap to APA NJ and NJ Future for a fantastic job organizing and hosting the 2023 New Jersey Planning and Redevelopment Conference. Studio Davis was proud to be a sponsor of this event—the first in-person event since the two groups joined forces three years ago—and it was a pleasure to get out of the office for a day for some wonky good times.
A few quick thoughts on the event:
1) The keynote speaker, Michael Ford, was fantastic. His talk on introducing Black children to architecture through a hip hop lens was both fascinating and inspirational, and I just loved the insights about how hip hop culture influences architecture, and how that influence might evolve.
I’ve often described my own planning practice in similar terms—I am trying to add an element of rock and roll to the planning craft in my case—so it really triggered all of my creative synapses hearing Ford.
2) So I guess “climate mitigation planning” is a thing now. It was sobering if not surprising to hear about efforts at the State level to plan for various aspects of climate change—sea level rise, extreme weather, and the like. Until recently, there was more of a focus on avoiding these extremes, but sadly it appears that humanity is missing the boat here, proverbially. So instead we must plan for the gathering storm, literally.
3) That said, just because there’s not really anything to be done to stem the (literal, proverbial) tide at the state level doesn’t mean we actively need to make the situation worse. But that’s exactly where State transportation policy is headed these days. There are proposals to widen the turnpike in both the North and South parts of the State; to widen the Atlantic City Expressway; and a general sense of auto-centric planning that feels ten years or more behind the times. I was particularly struck seeing big ol’ parking garages included in several “transit-oriented development” packages popping up across the state. “No, you’re just remaking Beaverton!” I wanted to shout.
4) Fortunately it is not all doom and gloom, as there are a number of efforts to placemake around transit throughout the state. I am spearheading a Transit Hub Plan in Passaic currently, so this was a fascinating track to explore. There are a number of great resources, from NJTPA’s Transit Hub Plan Guidebook to NJ Transit’s beautifully executed guide as a Storymap. Hearing from folks who developed these resources and others implementing them highlights the importance of this work and the opportunity therein.