Workshops, Trainings, and Events
Special Trainings, Events, and Workshops
The Fundamentals of Urban Real Estate Development: The Basics for Every Brownfield
Sunday, May 4
Noon - 5:00 p.m.
Cobo Center
Cost: Free
Downtowns are often exceptional locations for development opportunities that are good for the environment and good for the local economy. So if you're someone that's interested in urban redevelopment, what do you need to know? What are the real estate risks and rewards? How do you identify opportunities and assemble parcels? How to obtain financing and what happens when there is a gap? What are the constraints (regulatory, environmental, economic, community) that could impact development? Who are the stakeholders and how do you balance their needs and desires? Is the project going to be profitable?
This half-day workshop will teach you how to make a difference in urban redevelopment, while making money.
Registration for this workshop is free, but to secure your spot you'll need to register by sending an e-mail to realestate@asti-env.com or call 800.395.2784. To attend this workshop you will also need to be registered for Brownfields 2008.
Environmental Justice Forum
Sunday, May 4
5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN LOCATION - Updated March 11, 2008
Location: Asian Village, 521 Atwater, Detroit, MI (short walk directly east of COBO Center along the Riverwalk).
Co-sponsors: Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, Sustainable Community Development Group, Inc., City of Detroit, US Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Michigan State University
(Note: NIEHS Brownfields Minority Worker Training Program Grantee Meeting will take place prior to EJ Forum from 4:00-5:00)
Cost: Free
A popular event at every brownfields conference. The EJ Forum returns this year to cover environmental justice & health disparities, worker health, safety & training, institutional controls, community involvement, and EPA & ATSDR brownfields programs. The forum is targeted to community activists and hazardous materials workers, but all conference attendees are welcome to join in the discussions.
View the agenda here
No special seperate registration is required. To attend this workshop you will also need to be registered for Brownfields 2008.
CEOs for Downtowns: Business Leaders and Urban Investment
Tuesday, May 6
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Cobo Center: Room W1-55
Renewed attention to America’s urban cores and downtowns has started to turn the tide in many cities, once thought to be in a steady state of decline. As live, work, and play options attract a new generation of urban dwellers, hollowed out cities are beginning to fill in with new economic and social activity. Much has been done in many places, but its no secret that there is a long way to go still, and many places have not benefited from the new urbanism. During this special presentation, you will hear from several CEOs of major corporations that have decided to “invest” in the downtown marketplace. Listen to why they think downtowns are important and why they chose to lead their company back to the urban core and not the metropolitan fringe. Speakers and the moderator on the session include:
Moderator
- Dennis Archer (invited) is currently the chairman of the law firm Dickinson Wright. Prior to his current position he served as the Mayor of Detroit (1993-2001) and a state of Michigan Supreme Court Justice (1985-1993). He was also the first African-American President of the American Bar Association.
Speakers
- Dave Bing is a prominent Detroit area entrepreneur and founded the Bing Group, which is a diversified base of manufacturing companies that provide products to customers in a variety of industries. Rookie of the year in 1966 and a perennial all star in the National Basketball Association, Dave Bing played twelve seasons at the professional level before entering the business world.
- Dan Gilbert is the chief executive officer of Quicken Loans one the leading direct to consumer mortgage firms. He is also the majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers
- Peter Karmanos is the chairman and chief executive officer of Compuware, a major software company that he founded in 1973. He is also a co-owner of three professional hockey teams, including the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.
No special seperate registration is required.
*NEW* Tour: The View from Detroit: Windsor, Ontario’s Central Riverfront Parks
Tuesday, May 6
12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $20 per person
The City of Windsor, Ontario in conjunction with the National Brownfields Association is offering a special tour of some of Windsor's exceptional waterfront redevelopment projects. Sign up today!
Beginning in 1999, the city of Windsor initiated a comprehensive planning and design process to transform 95 acres along the city’s waterfront into exciting public space to bring residents and visitors closer to the Detroit River. Join Windsor officials to explore the Sculpture Garden, Festival Plaza, Riverfront Bistro and Memorial Fountain. Windsor has been settled since colonial times, and the Central Riverfront Plan reflects themes of cultural heritage, diversity and sustainable development. This tour will cross an international border. Be sure to bring valid identification proving citizenship. Check the U.S. State Department’s guidelines for international travel to and from Canada, however, your best bet is to bring a valid passport. The tour is limited to thirty participants. A box lunch will be provided.
Registration for this tour is through the National Brownfield Association in Chicago.
Call Crystal McKeown at 773-714-0407, extension 117.
Registration for this tour closes on April 23, so if you're interested sign up soon!
Health Impact Assessments for Healthy Places: A Training Workshop
Wednesday, May 7
9:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Cobo Center - Room D3-16
Cost: $80
The origins of both community planning and public health are rooted in the goals of protecting the public from outbreaks of disease and improving the quality of life for all.
Health impact assessment (HIA) is one of the ways that communities can begin to address these issues. HIA is broadly, “…a practical assessment of policies, programs and projects that may affect the public’s health, and which provides recommendations to maximize positive health effects and minimizing the negative health aspects of proposals, policies and projects.” HIA can be used to take a proactive approach to integrating health considerations into Brownfield redevelopment decisions.
Join us for a full day training workshop on Wednesday, May 7, 2008. This interactive workshop will combine planning tools with public health priorities for hands- on learning experience. We encourage all public Health staff, planning professionals, key community stakeholders and others interested in using health impact assessments (HIA) tools to design healthy communities to attend and learn about new development strategies. Registration is limited to 75 people, so sign up today!
Fee: $80; Pre-registration is required. Register now by clicking here.
Brownfields 2008 Design Charrette
"Envisioning Greener Cleanups and Sustainable Reuse"
Tuesday, May 6
8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Cobo Center
Cost: Free
At Brownfields 2008, our Design Charrette will unite federal, state and local public and private sector initiatives to reduce the environmental footprint of site cleanups and promote sustainable reuse. This extended session will bring technical and visual information to focus on the following four areas:
Create new opportunities to protect the environmental and public health by examining efforts to make brownfields cleanup and revitalization processes more sustainable. Rather than merely focusing on redevelopment, this charrette will begin with the site investigation and cleanup, proceed through the construction and redevelopment, and end with the long-term site operation.
The goals of this Design Charrette are to:
- Learn and share ideas and site approaches that: minimize stormwater runoff; minimize contaminant exposure; minimize greenhouse gas emissions; minimize other air pollutants; maximize public health benefits; and, maximize ecological function at site.
- Develop integrated design approaches for local brownfield sites within Detroit which carefully consider the social, economic, environmental, and public health goals for the affected neighborhoods
- Create a community of practice to advance national efforts to green cleanups and further sustainable revitalization and reuse efforts.
Or come by briefly on Tuesday morning to see the action and the designs as they emerge. Be sure to pick up an agenda and information sheet when you register for Brownfields 2008!
No special seperate registration is required. To attend this workshop you will also need to be registered for Brownfields 2008.
Life After Phase I: US EPA Workshop on Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup
Wednesday, May 7
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Cobo Center
Cost: Free
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization is leading a half day training workshop that addresses the steps following the Phase I All Appropriated Inquiries activities in the brownfield redevelopment process. The purpose of the training is to provide brownfield grantees, lenders, and project developers with an overview of the Phase II environmental site assessment and cleanup process.
No special seperate registration is required. To attend this workshop you will also need to be registered for Brownfields 2008.
Environmental Law Symposium
Thursday, May 8
Location: University of Detroit-Mercy, School of Law
Brownfields Symposium - Legal Liabilities -- What's Left After the Amendments to CERCLA
Members of the State Bar of Michigan and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law will conduct a Brownfields Symposium in connection with the National Brownfields Conference 2008 being held May 5-7 in Detroit, MI. The Symposium will be held on May 8, 2008 from 8:30 to 1:00 p.m. in the Atrium of the Law School which is located at 651 E. Jefferson in downtown Detroit within walking distance of Cobo Hall, the location of the Conference. The Symposium is similar to the one sponsored by Boston College at the 2006 National Brownfields Conference. The topic of this year's Symposium is Legal Liabilities -- What's Left After the Amendments to CERCLA. Presentations will include analysis of third party liability issues, legal mechanisms to protect buyers, and a discussion on the importance of due care in maintaining liability protection.
Registration is free to Conference Attendees and the public. You can register via email to prior to May 2, 2008. Mark the subject of your email with: Brownfield Symposium RSVP. Be sure to include your contact information. Registration will be accepted on site if space is available.