2023 Nebraska Planning Conference – The Aftermath

Kearney has weathered the Nebraska Planning Conference once again. The mass of planning and zoning geeks that infiltrated this Nebraska community have left. But attendees of the 2023 Nebraska Planning Conference have left tired, but better trained to deal with the planning and zoning issues in their daily jobs.

Three days of sessions provided an excellent learning opportunity in the planning and zoning field.

Rural Planning at the Nebraska Planning Conference

As it was a planning conference in Nebraska, planning and zoning issues for small towns were at the forefront of much of the discussion. Some of these sessions were:

• Solar 101
• Tax Increment Financing Update
• Fostering Grassroots Community Building
• A Planner’s Guide to Economic Incentives
• What Happens when Goliath comes to a Small Town
• Solar @ Scale
• The Kearney Water Trail: From Flatwater to Whitewater
• Nebraska’s Statewide Strategic Housing Framework
• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
• Tackling Downtown Revitalization Using Main Street’s Toolbox
• Downtown Design

Welcome Keynote Speaker: Ed McMahon

Each year the Nebraska Planning Conference (#NEPC23) has two different keynote speakers. A Welcome Keynote that speaks on the first day of the event, and a Conference Keynote that speaks the following morning. This year’s Welcome Keynote was Ed McMahon of Urban Land Institute (@UrbanLandInst).

The video below has a number of similarities to his presentation at the conference. Overall, it was a very eye-opening keynote presentation that really started your mind to think about the importance of uniqueness in place.

Conference Keynote: Shiela Shockey

Sheila Shockey of Sockey Consulting (@heyshockey) followed up Ed’s great speech with one of her own about How to Deal with a Karen or a Chad. Provided below is a short video she used in her presentation. But to fully understand her great points on how to deal with those tough individuals in your community, it is highly recommended to check out her presentation in person.

Annual Awards Banquet

Beyond the regular educational offerings, the Nebraska Planning Conference also holds an awards banquet where the organizations that put the event on hand out their awards. the Nebraska Planning and Zoning Association (@NPZA) and the Nebraska Chapter of the American Planning Association (@APA_Nebraska) hand out a few treasured awards each year.

It just so happened this year that I was selected for two awards, one from each entity, for my work with the associations and for the regular rambling I do on this blog! I am humbled to be a recipient of the NPZA President’s Award and APA’s Grassroots Initiative Award.

Throwing Bags for Scholarships

One of the highlights of the conference was the inaugural Nebraska Planning Conference Cornhole Tournament! Sixteen teams faced off in the tournament, with proceeds going to a scholarship fund for planners at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL).

NEPC Cornhole Tournament

Closing out the Nebraska Planning Conference

Once again, NEPC proved to be an affordable source of planning and zoning information for small-town city clerks, planning commissioners, and rural county zoning administrators.