MORELAND HILLS, Ohio — Mark Fenton, a nationally recognized advocate for active transportation and former host of America’s Walking on PBS television, will deliver the keynote address at the fifth annual Ohio Land Bank Conference, Sept. 21-23, at the downtown Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square.
Fenton, a public health, planning and transportation consultant and adjunct associate professor at Tufts University, will speak during the conference’s luncheon Sept. 22.
About the conference
The conference is hosted by the nonprofit Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s Thriving Communities Institute and is expected to draw more than 250 people from around the state. The conference will feature 21 sessions covering issues such as repurposing of vacant and abandoned properties, building community support and methods of acquiring properties and then getting them into the hands of responsible owners, according to Robin Darden Thomas, land bank program director for Thriving Communities Institute.
A first-day session will focus on the basics of land banking. There will also be mobile workshops to view actual projects rejuvenating blighted properties. Register online at www.wrlandconservancy.org or by calling 216-515-8300. For additional information, email Robin Darden Thomas at rthomas@wrlandconservancy.org.
