Workshop held to discuss urban planning

On Saturday at the Tyron Festival Theatre Foyer of the Krannert Center, CU-MTD and Mobility Implementation Plan (miPlan) hosted a “Green Corridors Handbook Scenario Planning Workshop.”

Twenty people attended the workshop, which focused on the future sustainability of the area.

An organizer of the event and a graduate student in Urban Planning, Trina Smith, said, “Sustainability is renewable energy, recyclable resources, and using long-lasting materials.”

Another organizer and graduate student Ryan Holmes said, “Sustainability is also about making the environment better so that people want to live in the city. Then they use their cars less and walk more.”

Four scenarios of different levels of sustainability within the community were presented for discussion. A few issues discussed were water conservation and fringe development, which is new housing on the outside of a city.

Lisa Valenziano, a graduate student in LER, said that the presentation was interesting.

“Urban planning is relevant because it creates jobs, affects many other fields, and deals with safety issues.”

City Council member Charlie Smyth said, “The presence of so many Champaign city officials here today shows their concern about finding a way to improve the downtown to campus conductivity. Good conductivity helps the downtown economically and helps maintain the quality of housing.”

Good conductivity simply means that there is a way for pedestrians and bicyclists to easily travel between campus and downtown Champaign.

“I learned a lot about issues that the city needs to address that I wasn’t previously aware.” said graduate student Lianne Young.

City Council member David Gehrig said about urban planning, “It is very important to think ahead as far as possible.”