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• Forum on the First Ring A Working Conference of the Community Connections Project 1 << t• Design Center for American Urban Landscape fel December 11 - 12, 1996 Earle Brown Continuing Education Center „ University of Minnesota, St. Paul , UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA WHY A FORUM? QDesign Center for American ' Urban Landscape First-ring suburban communities have long been mainstays of stability. Home to thousands of post-war families,these communities offered the promise of an attrac- The Design Center forAnterican Ur- tive, secure, and comfortable lifestyle: a rural setting, new homes in low-density ban Landscape is a research unit residential developments, accessible clusters of goods and services, high-quality within the College of Architecture schools. They were the wave of the future,the norm to which many aspired. and Landscape Architecture at the Forty years ter the first ring's initial surge of growth,however,the reality is slightly University of Minnesota. It was es- different. ' tese are communities in transition,and transition has brought with it a tablished with a grant from the Day- - ton Hudson Foundation, support set of corn lex and dynamic challenges: from federal,state and local govern- •reno rating and revitalizing an aging housing stock; ment agencies,and grants front non- • worl ing with outdated land-use'and transportation policies; profit organizations. Its mission is •addr ssing escalating human development needs;and to educate public and private deci- •recoi nizing environmental concerns and neglected natural resources. ' sion makers,professionals and citi- These chal °nges have not only given rise to a sense of urgency, but created the zens about the value of design as a opportunity to assess the tools the first ring will need as it moves into the next strategic partner with economic and century—to determine what it will take to maintain"livable communities.” human interests in the making of This task will fall to the full spectrum of community leadership within the first ring. community-based development The Design Center's "Forum on the First Ring" is intended to bring together elected strategies and sustainable urban; officials,city staff,and other civic leaders from more than thirty first-ring commu- landscapes. nities to discuss what strategies of promise are in place and what strategies we will The Community Connections Project need to create to move the region forward. and this conference are funded through a grant from the McKnight What We Hope to Accomplish Foundation. The forum is intended to accomplish four things: 1.Setting the Stage—exploring the public policy and physical planning context within which discussions about strategy must occur; 2. Identifying Models—sharing emerging municipal approaches to transit cor- ridors,natural systems,housing,and human services that might be replicated; 3.Evaluating Implementation Strategies—examining the obstacles and oppor- tunities to move promising strategies forward; and 410 For further information,call the 4.Adding It Up—developing areas of consensus about what to do next. Design Center: 627-1850 ext.313 We hope the forum will both take stock and set a course. The Design Center is eager to explore ways to support the efforts of first-ring communities to share infor- Photo:Richfield, 1954.Minneapolis Star& mation,create new development and policy tools, and work in concert for legisla- Tribune,Minnesota Historical Society tive and regulatory changes at the state and regional level.