Makeover Montgomery 5: Resilient Montgomery Conference Will Offer Fresh Ideas on all Aspects of Resilience

Registration is open for the Makeover Montgomery 5 conference scheduled for September 22 through 24; featuring keynote speaker Angela D. Brooks,President Elect of the American Planning Association, and past chair of the APA Diversity Task Force

The Montgomery County Planning Department in partnership with the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth, has announced the opening of online registration for the Makeover Montgomery 5 Conference (MM5). The three-day conference will be held from September 22 through September 24, 2022, in College Park and Wheaton and will focus on all aspects of planning for resilience in the areas of the economy, neighborhoods, infrastructure, and the environment. The cost of the conference is $40 through August 23 and $55 after that date. Attending the keynote address by Angela D. Brooks on September 22 is free to the public and does not require conference registration.

MM5 sessions will feature the following themes:

• Economic resilience
• Neighborhood and social resilience
• Environmental, climate, and infrastructure resilience
• Public health resilience

Register for MM5(opens in a new tab)

This is the fifth time this conference will take place with a focus on seeking regional ideas to help Montgomery County and other municipalities thrive. AICP and ASLA continuing education credits will be available and are currently pending. There may also be a virtual option for attendance depending on the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of the conference.

Makeover Montgomery 5 Conference Details

• Thursday, September 22: University of Maryland National Center for Smart Growth keynote speaker address by Angela D. Brooks at 7 p.m. at the School of Architecture Building (3835 Campus Drive, College Park, MD).
• Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24: Sessions held at M-NCPPC Wheaton Headquarters building (2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD 20902) across from the Wheaton Metrorail station.

Keynote and Conference Sessions

MM5 will begin at the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation on Thursday, September 22 at 7 p.m. with a keynote address by Angela D. Brooks, FAICP, President Elect of the American Planning Association, and past chair of the APA Diversity Task Force. With a career in planning spanning over 20 years, Ms. Brooks has positively impacted underserved, underrepresented, and disadvantaged communities through her work, both professionally and personally. She has built her career taking a nontraditional path of service to people who are often overlooked. Currently, Ms. Brooks is the Director of the Illinois Office of the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution that transforms how communities use housing. Ms. Brooks has participated in extensive housing and community development as a land use administrator, housing policy manager, and real estate development professional in local and county government agencies, non-profit, and a housing authority in both Washington and Illinois.

On September 23 and 24, conference sessions will be held at the M-NCPPC Wheaton Headquarters (2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, MD). Makeover Montgomery will bring together planners, architects, developers, real estate professionals, economists, social scientists, environmental advocates and community members to discuss cutting-edge ideas for ensuring that suburban and urban places of all types are more resilient with respect to the local economy, neighborhood and social conditions, the environment and climate, infrastructure, and public health.

On Saturday, September 24, the plenary session will feature a special design charrette moderated by Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson as three firms present their concepts for their vision of the Silver Spring Transit Center.

Sessions

Conference attendees will be able to choose from a variety of interesting and interactive conference sessions on September 23 and 24. Sessions in the economic resilience track will discuss small businesses, employee ownership, immigrant trends and more. In the neighborhood and social resilience and public health tracks, attendees will learn about innovations in Transit Oriented Development (TOD) planning, community engagement, zoning innovation, and more. The sessions in the environmental, climate and infrastructure track will challenge attendees to learn more about urban forestry, electric vehicles, innovative planning tools, and last-mile transit problems.

The 2022 event follows similar conferences held in 2018, 2016, 2014 and 2011 by the Montgomery County Planning Department and the University of Maryland.

Please visit the Makeover Montgomery 5 webpage for more information.