Created for real-world use and rooted in patterns that already exist in Maine towns, the Maine’s PlaceCode Library offers a calibrated approach to zoning reform. Ivy will share how communities are applying this tool, what challenges it helps solve, and how practitioners can get trained to use it effectively.
Jim Heid will discuss his award-winning Cottage Court project, achieved through thought partnership, not rezoning. He will explain how community context helped him enlist elected officials, planning and public works staff as collaborators in creating what the community wanted, not what code dictated.
What makes a block, a street, or a plaza feel timeless, vibrant, and enduring? Great places share universal building blocks that have shaped successful communities for centuries. This session introduces incremental developers to essential elements of urbanism, helping translate conceptual design ideas into actionable strategies that enhance both community and financial value.
Krista Nightengale will share how Better Block transforms neighborhoods through tactical urbanism, not massive budgets. She will demonstrate how temporary interventions—paint, planters, pop-up installations—help communities and officials envision vibrant public spaces, building momentum for lasting change through grassroots collaboration.
