SOLD OUT! UNIVERSITY PARK ALLIANCE SPEAKER SERIES PRESENTATION FEATURING MIAMI PLACEMAKING EXPERT CHUCK BOHL

CONTACT: Beth Houseman, 330-972-8859

SUMMARY: SOLD OUT! UNIVERSITY PARK ALLIANCE SPEAKER SERIES PRESENTATION FEATURING MIAMI PLACEMAKING EXPERT CHUCK BOHL

Akron, Ohio, February 4, 2010 — Chuck Bohl, associate professor and the director of the graduate program in Real Estate Development and Urbanism (MRED+U) at the University of Miami’s School of Architecture, will deliver his presentation, “Place Making: Developing Town Centers, Main Streets and Urban Villages,” to a sold out audience as part of the University Park Alliance (UPA) Urban Innovators Speaker Series on Tuesday, Feb. 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Andrew Jackson House, 277 E. Mill St. in University Park, Akron.

Bohl is an expert on place making, community building and mixed-use development, and lectures and consults widely in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of a best-selling book on the subject published by the Urban Land Institute and is the co-founder and co-editor of the Journal of Urbanism, a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal for international research on place making and urban sustainability.

UPA’s Urban Innovators Speaker Series features world-class experts in economics, real estate development and transportation who will discuss key issues in progressive urban design that are central to attracting talent and spurring economic development. The program provides a platform for strategically examining how new thinking and imaginative action around the development of our core city centers and close-in neighborhoods, including the University Park neighborhood, can positively impact Northeast Ohio’s economic growth potential. “Good urban design helps create the vibrant urban places that attract and retain the creative talent Akron needs to recruit and grow businesses,” says UPA Executive Director Ken Stapleton. “Dr. Bohl will help us understand how to improve our places as well as real estate value and Akron's tax base.”

UPA’s Urban Innovators Speaker Series is organized in cooperation with support from the Greater Akron Chamber and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and in conjunction with promotional partners Western Reserve Public Media through its new show “Neotropolis,” Green City Blue Lake Institute, Torchbearers and GAR Foundation.

The final upcoming speaker in the series is Jason Schrieber, principal with Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates in Boston who will present “Mode Shift: Moving from Driving to Biking and Walking” on March 9. Joe Cortright, president of Impresa Economics in Portland, Ore. kicked-off the Speaker Series on Jan. 12 with his presentation “Attracting Talent Through the Development of Vibrant Urban Centers.”

Both the Feb. 9 and March 9 presentations are sold-out, however a waiting list is available. Call 330-972-8859 or email julie2@uakron.edu to be included on the waiting list.

About University Park Alliance

The mission of University Park Alliance is to revitalize and transform the diverse University Park neighborhood, a 50-block area immediately surrounding The University of Akron, through engaging the community and leveraging real estate and business investment. UPA was established through a major grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and is comprised of partners including The University of Akron, City of Akron, Summa Health System, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron General Health System, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, the Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Public Schools, and the University Park Development Corporation.

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