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Mobile Workshops

Mobile workshop registration is $35 per person and can be added during conference registration. If you have already registered and would like to add a workshop, please contact the conference office for assistance. If the workshop you would like to attend is sold out, you can join a wait list to be notified here.

Please dress appropriately for the weather, as workshops take place outdoors and may involve walking. Comfortable walking shoes and a reusable water bottle are recommended.

October 7 | 8:15 AM-10:45 AM

1A | Planning for a Culturally Rich Community

Moderator: Lesley Bain
Speakers: Noel Frame, Bill Blake, Christine Richardson

 

This session uses the City of Vancouver, Washington, as an exemplar of how planning for arts and culture can help accomplish planning goals for vibrancy, connectivity, and quality of life. Since completing the Arts, Culture, and Heritage Plan in 2018, Vancouver has made huge strides in support for creative endeavors. In the first half of the session, speakers cover types of art and cultural plans, public benefits of arts and culture, roles that cities can play in cultural space, the economics involved, and options for funding sources. The second half is a 20-minute walk past public art in Downtown and Fort Vancouver to the arts hub, which is now operating in the City-owned former regional library while the design for renovating the building is in process. We will hear from the current arts hub operator and the consultant working on the economic and operational model for its future.

October 7 | 9:15 AM-10:45 AM

1B | Tree City USA

Speakers: Jessica George, Lauren Danner, Melissa Johnston

Experience the urban forest at the heart of downtown Vancouver on this guided walking tour of Esther Short Park. Just steps from the Hilton, the park has served as a community gathering place since 1853, when it became the first public park in the Pacific Northwest.

Join City of Vancouver Urban Forestry staff and members of the Urban Forestry Commission for a walking tour of the park's remarkable collection of heritage trees, including majestic cedars, giant sequoias, maples, lindens, and one of the city's designated Heritage Tree groves. Along the way, discover how the park's trees reflect more than a century of community history and stewardship.

Start the conference with a refreshing walk and explore firsthand how the urban forest preserves history, strengthens sense of place, and provides environmental, climate resilience, and quality-of-life benefits. Participants will also learn about Vancouver's urban forestry initiatives, including its Tree City USA designation and Heritage Tree Program, and how these efforts help create a healthy, resilient, and livable city.

October 7 | 2:55 PM-4:25 PM

2A | Active Transportation In Practice: Exploring Vancouver's Complete Streets and C-TRAN Routes

Speakers: Emily Benoit, Taylor Eidt

Experience Vancouver’s integration of complete streets, active transportation safety and transit enhancements into the next phase of the city’s and system’s growth.

October 7 | 2:55 PM-4:25 PM

2B | Walking Tour of Vancouver's Waterfront | SOLD OUT

Speakers: Chad Eiken, Mark Person, Matt Harding

Walking Tour of Vancouver's Redeveloped Waterfront Area to learn how a former industrial site with no public access became a vibrant mixed-use district despite many obstacles.

October 8 | 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

3A | Context Matters: A Tour of Bike and Transit Infrastructure in Vancouver's Core | SOLD OUT

Speakers: Taylor Eidt, Kate Drennan

This mobile tour by bike will take participants through some recent high-profile multimodal projects in central Vancouver, with stops to look at buffered and protected bikeways, Vancouver's first two-way cycle track, and a variety of Vine station platform designs that integrate protected bike lanes with bus rapid transit. Planners from the City of Vancouver and C-TRAN will lead discussions on project challenges, from complicated design constraints to navigating community desire. Join for a taste of some of the best multimodal offerings in Central Vancouver.

Supported by Bike Clark County

October 8 | 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

3B | Interstate Bridge Replacement Program Tour: Building the Bridge to What's Next

Speakers: Steven Witter, Angela Findley, Emma Johnson, Michael Bomar, Grant O'Connell, Katherine Kelly, Aidan Simpson

Explore what’s next for the aging Interstate Bridge as plans advance for a modern, multimodal crossing that enhances safety, seismic resilience, mobility, and access for all users across the Columbia River. This mobile tour will highlight a critical investment in the I-5 corridor and one of the West Coast’s most important freight and travel routes. Through a brief orientation and guided tour of key locations with partner agencies, participants will see how the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program is addressing complex challenges in a constrained, bi-state urban environment. This session will showcase collaborative planning across communities, agencies, and tribal partners; risk-informed decision making; environmental compliance and permitting; and design solutions for transit, active transportation, river navigation, and community connectivity.

Join the program team to gain practical insights, experience the corridor firsthand, and discuss best practices for delivering large-scale infrastructure projects.

October 8 | 2:45 PM-4:15 PM

4A | From HB1220 to HB2266: Vancouver's Approach to Shelter and Homelessness Solutions

Speakers: Chad Eiken, Laura Hodgson, Adam Kravitz, Ren Autrey, Jamie Spinnelli

Join Vancouver’s Community Development Director and Homelessness Response Manager, a Washington State Department of Commerce representative, and the operator of a Vancouver Safe Stay community for a mobile workshop that bridges state housing law and on-the-ground homelessness response. The session opens at the conference venue with a 30-minute presentation on the City of Vancouver’s homelessness response program and state laws related to the siting and regulation of emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing (STEP) – namely HB 1220 (2021), which requires these uses to be permitted, and HB 2266 (2026), which addresses barriers to their implementation. Attendees will then walk to a “Safe Stay” community for a 40-minute guided tour led by the site operators. The session will include time for Q&A and discussion. Planners will leave with a clear understanding of how to implement the law in their own communities, practical shelter operations insights, and awareness of state compliance resources - drawing on Vancouver’s experience as a case study.

October 8 | 2:45 PM-4:15 PM

4B | Main Street Promise Walking Tour: Renovated Streetscape of Lower Main Street

Speakers: Ryan Lopossa, Michael Walker

Walking Tour of Vancouver's Reconstructed Lower Main Street to learn about this beautiful and functional enhancement to this historic retail street in downtown. Tour will showcase innovative design features to improve safety and aesthetics, and will focus on the City and Vancouver's Downtown Association's extensive efforts to support the local business community during construction.

October 9 | 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

5A | Providence Academy: Architecture, Rehabilitation, and Adaptive Reuse

Moderator: Anthony Tortorici

Speakers: Holly Chamberlain, Jessica Engeman

This mobile workshop examines the history, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse of Providence Academy, originally constructed in the 1870s as the House of Providence for the Sisters of Providence. Presentations by Holly Chamberlain, Director of Historic Preservation at The Historic Trust, and preservation consultant Jessica Engeman will explore the building’s history, ongoing preservation, and continued public use. Participants will tour key spaces within the landmark, including the infirmary, attic, Providence Hall, and south garden. Designed by Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart, the Academy is one of only two remaining buildings attributed to her and the only one still in active use. Attendees will gain practical insight into the planning, partnership, regulatory, and stewardship considerations involved in rehabilitating and adaptively reusing historic buildings, including lessons applicable to downtown revitalization and preservation efforts in other communities.

October 9 | 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

5B | Explore the Port of Vancouver

Moderator: Michael Bomar, Erin Masterson

Come take a bus tour of the Port of Vancouver, USA. Get a behind-the-scenes tour of the marine terminals and industrial centers that make the Port of Vancouver a major economic engine in Southwest Washington.

You’ll hear about the port’s history, learn what makes a marine terminal tick and find out how over 7 million metric tons of cargo moves in and out of the port every year.

Photo I.D. is required to attend the tour