APA Policy Breakfast Invitation - Join us August 2!

From APA:

"Strong Cities, Strong Communities
August 2, 2012
8:00am – 9:00am (networking breakfast beginning at 7:30am)

American Planning Association
1030 15th St., NW, Suite 750 West
Washington, DC 20005

Featured Speaker
Mark Linton, Executive Director of the White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities

Please join the American Planning Association for a policy breakfast discussion on the Obama’s Administration’s creative interagency partnership, the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Initiative. Created last summer, the program aims to help economically struggling cities leverage resources to create lasting economic development and prosperity. This initiative brings together key federal agencies, including HUD and the Economic Development Administration, and is touted by the Obama Administration as a significant policy innovation to address challenges facing the nation’s urban communities.

The original pilot program focused on six cities that have experienced significant economic challenges, providing the cities with federal officials and other experts to offer their insight and help build capacity to focus on creative solutions. Recently, the Administration announced the availability of $11 million to expand the program beyond the original six cities and to create a new competitive grant program that allows cities to offer cash prizes for innovative economic development ideas. Mark Linton, the Executive Director of the White House Council on SC2, will discuss how this innovative program is helping cities leverage resources and find unique solutions in difficult economic climates and what resources SC2 plans to provide to cities in the future.

Join APA for an examination of this new federal initiative and a discussion of how federal policy can support economic development in urban communities. APA hosts quarterly policy breakfasts featuring leading experts, policymakers and thought leaders talking about the key issues affecting planning and community development. Light breakfast and coffee will be provided.

Space is limited. Please RSVP to govtaffairs@planning.org if you plan to attend."