The annual conference of the Tennessee Chapter of the American Planning Association, co-hosted by the Tennessee Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (TSITE), is coming to Knoxville September 21-23.

Membership in TAPA or TSITE is not required to attend the conference. The conference, Taking It to the Streets: Design for All Ages, will be an opportunity to collaborate, share, and discuss the latest trends and initiatives related to a community’s design for people of all ages and abilities. Practicing planners and engineers, residents, students, and elected and appointed officials can attend numerous technical sessions, network, socialize and learn from each other about the fields of planning and engineering and how those fields connect.

Chuck Marohn, president of Strong Towns, a national media nonprofit working to strengthen financial resilience in America’s towns and cities, will be the keynote speaker during the luncheon event. The luncheon is open to the public and will be held on Thursday, September 22, from 12:15-1:45 pm in the Summit Ballroom in the Crowne Plaza, 401 W. Summit Hill Drive. Conference attendance is not required to attend the keynote luncheon. The cost to attend the luncheon and keynote address is $25, and a reservation is required. Please RSVP to http://tinyurl.com/LunchWithChuck by Wednesday, September 14.

Mr. Marohn will lead this public presentation, centered on the question, “Why, despite all the growth America has experienced, do our cities struggle financially just to accomplish basic tasks?”  For the United States to be a prosperous country, it must have strong cities, towns and neighborhoods. Enduring prosperity cannot be artificially created from the outside but must be built from within, incrementally over time. The Strong Towns approach is a fundamental rethinking of how we work together to build lasting wealth and prosperity within our communities. In the second half of the presentation, Mr. Marohn will specifically speak about issues in Knoxville and will engage attendees during an open discussion. Public officials and local change-advocates are invited to attend.

For more information on Strong Towns, visit www.strongtowns.org. For more information about the TAPA/TSITE conference and keynote address, visit http://tinyurl.com/TAPA-TSITE-Conference-2016