Vermont Journal of Environmental Law

Vermont By Design: Next Steps

VJEL & VLS Land Use Institute

August 1, 2006

Report of a Conference Held at Vermont Law School February 24, 2006 and Proposed Implementation Plan

On February 24, 2006, Vermont Law School's Land Use Institute sponsored a day‐long conference entitled "Vermont by Design: Next Steps" to consider means of implementing Vermont by Design: Challenges and Recommendations on Improving the Structure of Planning in Vermont, the final report of the Vermont Council on Planning, issued in January 2006 (available at http://www.sover.net/~vcrd/new_v2/vpcouncil.htm). The Council was established in September 2004 by the Vermont Council on Rural Development to develop systematic recommendations concerning planning in Vermont. Vermont by Design contains specific recommendations designed to further the goals of advancing governance, authority, and leadership in the planning system; improving coordination and collaboration in the planning process; expanding education and training; and addressing issues of growth and scale. At the February 24 conference, individuals from all sectors of Vermont's planning community, including the drafters of Vermont by Design, other experts, state and local government officials, and private consultants, met to assess and analyze the report and consider means of carrying out its recommendations.

Cite to this book using the following format:
Vermont Law School Land Use Institute, Vermont By Design: Next Steps (Vt. J. Envtl. L. 2006), available at http://www.vjel.org/books/pdf/PUBS10002.pdf.

The present report, prepared by the Land Use Institute, is intended to follow up on the February 2006 conference by:

(1) Summarizing the vision and recommendations of Vermont by Design as presented in January 2006.

(2) Summarizing the plenary proceedings and the conclusions of the break‐out sessions at the conference.

(3) Proposing next steps for implementation of the January 2006 report by restating the principal challenges as seen at the conference, establishing a Consortium of stakeholders to take the steps necessary to address those challenges, and setting forth a draft implementation Plan to be refined and carried out by the Consortium.

Appended to this report are the original Vermont by Design recommendations, the agenda of the February 24 conference, a list of those who attended, and the remarks of Professor Richard O. Brooks of Vermont Law School and Governor James Douglas. A video of the plenary sessions of the conference is also provided below.

Conference Audio/Video (Feb. 24, 2006)
Part 1 (WMV, 67M)
Part 2 (WMV, 72M)
Part 3 (WMV, 47M)