Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program, the Urban Land Institute and the University of Hawai'i Center for Smart Building and Community Design will host a one day workshop at the University of Hawai'i on Tuesday April 12, 2005 where national nd local experts will discuss strategies for Implementing Smart Growth in Hawai'i.

Experts in the field and community leaders will participate, including the UH School of Architecture Associate Professor Dr. Stephen Meder. His innovative and nationally recognized work as Director of the UH Center for Smart Building and Community Design seeks to positively address issues related to urbanization and the impacts on the natural and human environments in coastal areas. Other speakers include senior staff in the Environmental Protection Agency's Washington, D.C. Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation, and local developers who have utilized Smart Growth practices for both economic and environmental gains. Also in attendance will be representatives from local and state governments.

Our nation's coastal communities are facing unprecedented pressures ranging from unplanned development and population growth to unchecked natural resource exploitation and insensitivity to culture values. In Hawai'i these issues are particularly pronounced due to the close connection between our tourism based economy and healthy coastal ecosystems. Hawai'i's geographic isolation and dependence on imported energy coupled with limited land and natural resources can not support unfettered growth.

The workshop aims to bring local and national expertise together for the benefit of those interested in practicing Smart Growth in Hawai'i. While highlighting successful experiences achieved elsewhere, one focus of the workshop will be on how to implement Smart Growth practices while recognizing our state's unique interests and challenges in supporting the economic, ecological and cultural vitality of our coastal communities.

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