Program

The Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute was established to conduct education and research programs on legal and public policy issues related to land use and development. For more 30 years, RMLUI has been leading a discussion in the West about the challenges presented by growth and innovative ideas for addressing them.

2021 Western Places | Western Spaces Conference
Bouncing Forward: Building Thriving, Healthy & Equitable Communities

Since our last Western Places | Western Spaces conference in 2020, we have seen a world of change with a global pandemic that disrupted economies and re-ordered our notions about how and where to work and live. At the same time, the impacts of climate change are increasingly evident in the ferocity of our wildfire seasons and extreme weather events. And the inequities in our society―highlighted in the disproportionate impacts of COVID across communities―have become impossible to ignore.

We don’t want to “bounce back” to business-as-usual. Instead, the focus for RMLUI’s 30th Western Places | Western Spaces conference will be on how to bounce forward and build communities that are thriving, healthy, equitable places for both people and nature. Through design, planning, and other creative approaches, we will look at how our built environment contributes to health, wellness, and economic vitality, while also reducing our impact on climate change.

Visit the Western Places | Western Spaces event website to see a full schedule of events.

Conference Highlights

Because of the pandemic and limits on available space at the University of Denver, our conference will be virtual this year and will take place over the month of March. All sessions will be accessible on the RMLUI Attendee Hub, which will be accessible to registered attendees. Learn more on the event website.

March 25: Housing Affordability & Zoning Workshop
This practice-focused workshop will consider the causes and effects of the current housing affordability crisis in Colorado (and elsewhere), will examine the role of zoning in limiting the development of affordable forms of housing, and will consider legal and policy reforms that can help remove barriers and increase the availability of workforce and “missing middle” housing.

Earn Continuing Education Credits
As always, we will be offering AICP and CLE continuing education credits for this year's conference sessions, including ethics credits. Accreditation is currently pending, but we will post more information when it is available.