^ GOVERNORS' INSTITUTE on community design Helping Leaders Shape the Future The Governors' Institute on Community Design is a national, nonpartisan program created specifically to assist governors, their cabinet, and top staff as they make investments in their communities and guide growth and development in their states. By harnessing the expertise of leading practitioners and academicians in key fields, including land use policy, design, transportation, energy, development, and regional economics, the Governors' Institute helps each state's executive team as it makes choices that can shape the future of communities throughout their state. Why Governors? state-level decisions impact growth and development throughout the state in crucial ways. States can set the rules of the game, provide significant funding, and can also provide direction, guidance, and support to local communities as they address the opportunities and challenges presented by growth and development. State leaders and citizens alike increasingly view quality of life and quality of place as key to the long-term economic competitiveness of their communities. Recognizing the critical role state policies can play in achieving this end, gover- nors around the country are now grappling with often intertwined issues related to transportation, energy, air quality, housing, parks and open space, watershed protection, availability of drinking water, sustainability, economic development, and competitiveness. le rules oi game that make a difference in Inow oca communities grow. $. Governor Parris N. Glendening It makes sense to try to encourage action at tlie state level, because states can do so much to enable better design, better planning, better development, and ultimately better communities. Governor Christine Todd Whitman Sharing Knowledge & Experience The Governors' Institute recognizes that each state faces its own particular challenges related to growth and development. Working with a governor's cabinet and staff, the Institute develops workshops tailored to address the specific priorities of a governor and the unique needs of his or her state. Each workshop brings together one governor and his or her cabinet and staff to work with nationally renowned experts and practitioners on specific issues identified by the governor prior to the workshop. Governor Carcieri (Rhode Island) addresses participants at the first Governors' Institute workshop in Providence, March, 2006. Governors' Institute workshops are designed to: Provide state leaders with practical, action-oriented strategies to create vibrant, economically competitive communities; Highlight the connections between economic development, transportation, land use, housing, energy and the environment; Bring together a broad range of decision-makers and create the basis for coordinated action among state agencies; Encourage increased cooperation between state and local governments. How the Governors' Institute Works Just as no two states are alike, no two workshops are alike. Each workshop is designed to address the specific priorities of the host governor. Nevertheless, there are common elements. • Governors' Institute workshops are developed individually for one governor and his or her cabinet and staff and held at a convenient location in the host r*-^*'^ • The host governor identifies the challenge; the Institute provides the national experts who can offer potential solutions. • All workshops are preceded by at least one pre-workshop reconnaissance trip by Governors' Institute staff. with the governor's cabinet and staff. Workshops take place over two days, with the first day consisting of expert Workshops are generally small, top-level meetings, with all discussions confidential, but they can be structured differently at each governor's request. Each governor agrees to be personally present to welcome the experts and on the second day. Further participation by the governor is encouraged. Other designated participants, including cabinet secretaries and staff, are present for the entire workshop. The Institute's work does not end when the workshop concludes. A final set of written recommendations is delivered to the governor following the session and additional follow-up assistance and information are made available. The host state may be asked to make an in-kind contribution, such as providing the venue for the event. Expertise The Governors' Institute brings together experts from a variety of fields, providing governors with a wealth of knowledge and experience. The Institute's cadre of experts includes groundbreaking practitioners and researchers in government, smart growth, planning, design, transportation, and land use. The team of experts for each workshop is specifically tailored to the topic and to the priorities and needs of the host state. Governors Council Executive Comnnittee Governor Parris N. Glendening Former Governor of Maryland; President of the Smart Growth Leadership Institute Tamar Shapiro Director, Governors' Institute on Community Design Governor Christine Todd Whitman Former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; former Governor of New Jersey John W. Frece Associate Director, National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, University of Maryland, College Park Governors' Institute on Community Design 1707 L Street, NW, Suite 1050 Washington, DC 20036 www.govinstitute.org B 202-207-3355 ext. 24 202-207-3349 [¥] info@govinstitute.org The Governors' Institute on Community Design receives major funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is managed by the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, a program of Smart Growth America, in cooperation with the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education at the University of Maryland, College Park. ^ dijKSssr., ^ Smart Growth LEADERSHIP Institute issj Smart Grov^th ^^H America^ gill I Printed on Recycled Paper