Strategic Community Solutions

Strategic Community Solutions

  • On January 8, 2018

 

National planning and education leaders considering their priorities.

 

Karen has been very busy with many clients this year. She led strategic planning retreats and planning sessions for a variety of clients. Among those was the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB), the national organization responsible for accrediting all the city planning programs (undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D.) in the country. It was interesting to design a retreat that allowed this Board and the national leaders of the profession to consider the anticipated changes in cities, planning techniques, political dynamics, higher education and students. The retreat ended with a new 5-year strategic plan that will help PAB work with colleges and universities to deliver education that equips the people who will plan our future cities. Karen also worked with the Board of the American Planning Association’s Texas Chapter to create their strategic plan.

 

A workshop designed to engage residents and property owners in imagining the future they want for Southwest Lewisville.

This strategy is directing action by the City of Lewisville, the Lewisville Independent School District, the University of North Texas and others.

 

Another great client this year has been the City of Lewisville. Karen led their City Council retreat in February, then worked with the staff and the City’s partners to conduct a design charrette for a potential Nature Center as part of implementing their Green Centerpiece initiative. She and a team of planners from Kimley-Horn and City Centric Planning are working with the City and the community on plans and action steps for two targeted areas as well.

Some of Karen’s other interesting clients and projects in 2017 included a General Plan for the City of Weatherford, assistance to the City of Fort Worth on their stormwater management plan update and their environmental plan, work with the City of University Park to address parking issues in a major retail area, and creation of an economic development plan for a district in the City of Richardson’s former Telecom Corridor. Thanks to assistance from Dickie+Associates, she also managed to update the Strategic Community Solutions website with a fresh look and new information.

 

Karen receiving the Texas Planning Legends award from APA Texas President Kim Mickelson.

 

At the annual conference of the American Planning Association’s Texas Chapter, Karen was surprised by an award recognizing her as a “Texas Planning Legend”! This was tremendously gratifying and completely unexpected – even clients with workshops the previous week managed to keep it a secret. Karen is the first of the Baby Boom generation to receive this recognition.

 3