UF to host symposium debating costs of sustainable development in Fla.

April 13, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The department of urban and regional planning in the College of Design, Construction and Planning at the University of Florida will host the symposium “Sustainable Development: Is Going Green Worth the Green?” from 2 to 5 p.m. April 15 in the Reitz Student Union Room 282.

The symposium will gather a diverse panel of experts from a cross section of interest groups to debate the costs and benefits of sustainable development in Florida as well as the alternative strategies available to address the concerns that have inspired a statewide “green” movement. Participants will discuss three critical issues: how to define and measure sustainable development, how to regulate it and how much developers and the public are willing to pay.

The discussion will be moderated by Barry Rutenberg, president of Barry Rutenberg Homes in Gainesville. Tim Jackson, president and CEO of Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Inc. in Orlando, will be the symposium’s keynote speaker. Other panelists will include:

• Adam C. Bolton, president of Robinshore Inc. in Gainesville and president of the Builder’s Association of North Central Florida
• Cecelia Bonifay, attorney and chair of the Green and Sustainable Development Practice Group at Akerman Senterfitt Attorneys at Law in Orlando
• Dennis Church, vice president of planning and development at Bonita Bay Group in Bonita Springs
• Charles Gauthier, director of the community planning division at the Florida Department of Community Affairs

“Established last year, our department’s annual Planning Day symposium provides a platform for planners, researchers, government officials, stakeholders and the general public to discuss the planning issues critical to the state of Florida,” said Zhong-Ren Peng, department chairman. “This year’s topic of green development is particularly important given the current movement for ‘green’ building, our state’s natural vulnerability to climate change, and the current economic and real estate market conditions. A debate on this issue of the real cost and benefit of ‘green’ development, both in the short term and long term is needed to ensure the success of any sustainability movement in Florida.”

The symposium is free and open to the public; however, registration is required. For more information about the symposium and to register to attend, please visit www.dcp.ufl.edu/calendar/planning-day-2009.