The West of the future will be warmer and more populous, and as a result, will face significant challenges with respect to our water supplies, our ability to withstand unpredictable weather patterns and extreme storm events, and our capacity to preserve our economy and our quality of life while adapting to the coming changes. The climate is changing, but we can do something about it.  

Land use planning, water planning, and disaster mitigation are just a few of the tools available to help prepare for an uncertain future. We can work now to prepare our communities and landscapes for the impacts we are sure to experience. We can use design to create places that are more sustainable and adaptable. We can use integrated water and land use planning to help stretch dwindling water supplies. We can use our natural systems to create more resilient communities that are cooler and more connected. And we can work to ensure that the communities of our future are more equitable, affordable, and inclusive.

For RMLUI’s 29th Western Places/Western Spaces conference, we will be looking at the ways in which we can use design, planning tools, and creative approaches to better plan for a future that will be different from the known past. The Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy is partnering with us to develop a track focused on integrating land use and water planning. In addition, we will consider how our built environments, using mixed use design, transportation infrastructure, and even building codes, can help reduce our impact on climate change and create a more comfortable and sustainable living environment. We will explore how our natural systems and outdoor spaces can be designed for greater resilience, cooler micro-climates, and more water-wise landscaping. We also will focus on rural resilience and how to adapt sustainability innovations and new technologies to small towns and rural communities. Finally, we will consider how climate change is likely to affect our natural resources—from our recreational playgrounds to our economic engines—and discuss ways in which our land use strategies can or should adapt in anticipation of changes across our Western landscapes.    

 Questions?
Please contact us:
Email: rmlui@law.du.edu
Phone: 303-871-6319
https://www.law.du.edu/rmlui/conference