Alys, our marketing VP, sent me the invite for this event, and it looks like fun–if you’re going to be in Charlotte on March 11, you might want to take a look!

Here’s the info:

AVOIDING THE McMANSION MELTDOWN: THE OPTION OF URBANISM
Strange days are upon the residents of many a suburban cul-de-sac. Once-tidy yards have become overgrown, as the houses they front have gone vacant. Signs of physical and social disorder are spreading. The subprime crisis is just the tip of the iceberg. Fundamental changes in American life may turn today’s McMansions into tomorrow’s tenements. The “one size fits all” suburban American dream is no longer enough for those who are looking to live in healthy, walkable communities.

Civic By Design Forum
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 | Forum 5:30pm – 7pm | book signing 30 minutes before and after
Levine Museum of the New South
200 East Seventh Street
Charlotte NC
Free and open to the public
Free parking at 7th street parking garage
RSVP, Brenda Campbell, Civic By Design, brenda@dpz.com

The effects of drivable sub-urbanism have begun to take their toll on our health and environment, with driving and long commutes being linked to an increased rate of obesity and higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions. In The Option of Urbanism: Investing in a New American Dream, Chris Leinberger*, explains why there is pent-up demand for walkable urbanism, and how the real estate and financial communities need to adapt to meet this growing need. While federal policies and the desire for the suburban American Dream encouraged financers and real estate developers to invest in sparse, drivable suburban development, the movement towards concentrated, mixed-income, and mixed-use neighborhoods has started sweeping across the United States.

The Option of Urbanism demystifies walkable urbanism. In the current issue of Atlantic Monthly, Leinberger details the effect of the McMansion Meltdown and how it will be affecting Charlotte and almost every other region in the country. See http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200803/subprime

*Christopher B. Leinberger is a developer, professor, consultant, and author whose work has focused on making progressive development profitable. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution and is director of the Graduate Real Estate Program at the University of Michigan. He is a founding partner of Arcadia Land Company, a progressive real estate development firm, and has written award-winning articles for publications such as The Atlantic Monthly and The Wall Street Journal.

Filed under: Events, I'On Group on March 5th, 2008