We have two major keynote speakers reserved and hope to have a legislative panel as well. Christopher Coes, Vice President of Land Use and Development for Smart Growth America in Washington DC will be our keynote.

Over the past nine years, Christopher has advised cities on community revitalization and sustainable and equitable economic development. He has facilitated numerous deal-making opportunities that have produced over $1 billion in new smart growth real estate deals. At the summit, he will speak on attainable housing, opportunity zones, and techniques for local communities to develop place-based, market-driven strategies aimed at encouraging economic growth while ensuring accessibility and social equity in great walkable communities.

Amy Dain, Massachusetts public policy analyst and author will also be speaking. She has spent twenty years working on state and local policy issues in Massachusetts. Notably, she wrote “Housing and Land Use Policy in Massachusetts: Reforms for Affordability, Sustainability, and Superior Design”, organized StatNet, a network of city and town managers who meet to learn from each other about data-driven decision-making and recently created an intensive multifamily housing study for the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance.