UNIVERSITY PARK — A design technique aimed at compact, pedestrian-friendly development — also known as traditional neighborhood development — will be the focus of a web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension.
Presenting the 75-minute webinar at noon on Jan. 19 will be Peter Wulfhorst, economic and community development educator with Penn State Extension, Paul Fritz, with the Chester County Planning Commission, and Ron Henshaw, director of planning and development services in Cranberry Township. The presenters are also members of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
According to the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, traditional neighborhood development refers to “residences, shops, offices, workplaces, public buildings and parks interwoven within the neighborhood so that all are within relatively close proximity to each other.”
The design technique replicates historic development patterns found in American towns built in the pre-1950s, before the shift to low-density, automobile-dependent suburban developments.
“Traditional Neighborhood Development: Planning Walkable and Connected Communities” is the first webinar in the monthly Penn State Extension Winter/Spring 2022 Land-Use Webinar Series that runs through May. The series informs municipal elected and appointed officials, planners, landowners, farmers, and community organizations about land-use issues and decisions in their communities.
Other topics and dates in the webinar series include the following: “COVID-19 and Residential Property Sales in Rural Pennsylvania,” on Feb. 16; “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design,” on March 16; “NRCS and USDA RD: Funders That Planners, Municipal Officials and Other Community Leaders Should Know Well,” on April 20; and “How Do Agricultural Practices Relate to Planning in Pennsylvania?” on May 18. All of the aforementioned programs will be recorded and available for future viewing.
The cost of the webinar series is $50 for all five sessions, or $95 for all five sessions for those who want to receive AICP certification-maintenance credits from the American Planning Association. The cost also is $95 for all five sessions for professional engineers needing PDH credits. In addition, registered landscape architects can receive continuing-education credits for a fee of $65.
For any individual interested in a particular topic from the series, individual session registration is available for a fee of $15 per session.
For more information, contact Peter Wulfhorst at (570) 296-3400 or by email at ptw3@psu.edu. To register for the webinars, visit the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/land-use-webinar.
