Workshops

RMLUI's training programs provide professional development opportunities for the practice community. Expand items in the list below for program information, videos, and session materials.

• Colorado River Crisis Seminar Series

  This seminar series examines the impacts of the Colorado River on communities across the West. It begins with a discussion on the ecological status of the Colorado River and the legal framework allocating its water. Additional topics include the impacts on rural communities, the intersection of land use planning and smart water use, and innovative practices for addressing water shortages in the future.

  
  Videos

  • Week 1: Connecting Land Use & Water - A Call to Action
  • Week 2: The Agricultural West
  • Week 3: The Urban West

  
  Presentations

  Find additional presentations and workshop resources from 2022 on the Past Conferences page.

• Affordable Housing Solutions Workshop

  Communities across the West are experiencing unprecedented housing access and affordability challenges: increasing demand, rising prices, insufficient supply, and a failure of the market to deliver the types of housing that are most needed. Homelessness is on the rise for those at the bottom of the economic ladder. Middle-income people increasingly struggle to find affordable rents. And homeownership is unattainable for many. This workshop examines some of the root causes of these challenges, and considers land use solutions that are working across the housing spectrum.

  
  Materials

  • Housing Affordability & Zoning Workshop Part 1
  • Housing Affordability & Zoning Workshop Part 2

  
  Presentations

  Find additional presentations and workshop resources from 2021 on the Past Conferences page.

• Tackling the Housing Affordability Crisis in Colorado: Zoning Reform as Part of the Solution

  Housing affordability has reached a crisis point in Colorado ― not just in the Denver Metro, but in many areas of our state. The Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute has been collaborating with the Colorado Housing Affordability Project to understand how zoning affects housing affordability and to propose zoning reforms that could help make housing more available and affordable.

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• An Introduction to Land Use Law

  This workshop covers the basics of land use law, including where to find the laws, the history and role of land use planning, and an overview of the legal tools and limitations that govern the regulation of land use.

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• Fracking & Takings: A Forum on Colorado's Ballot Initiatives

  The 2018 November ballot in Colorado includes measures that would impose 2500-foot setbacks for oil and gas development and that would expand the definition of a compensable taking in Colorado's Constitution. Sturm College of Law Professors Jan Laitos and Kevin Lynch describe what these measures seek to accomplish and how they might impact development in our state.

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• Building & Sustaining Public Open Spaces: A Dialog

  Join us for a dialog about the City and County of Denver's Yes for Denver Parks ballot initiative and the hows and whys of managing accessible and equitable public spaces across the Metro Denver region. The panel, moderated by Susan Daggett, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, will include perspectives from multiple jurisdictions and the region's non-profit community. Panelists include Jolon Clark, Denver City Council President; Dana Coehlo, Metro Denver Nature Alliance; Harriet Crittenden LaMair, High Line Canal Conservancy; and Matt Robbins, Jefferson County Open Space.

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• Linking Land Use & Water: Tools to Grow Water-Smart

  Colorado's statewide water plan acknowledges the impacts of population growth to our state's agricultural heritage, our river systems, and our limited water supply. It also recognizes the need for communities that are water-wise and that, by design, help to stretch Colorado's water resources and preserve our high quality of life.

  This full-day workshop explored the legal framework that underlies Colorado's efforts to regulate water use and to provide best practices for local communities. In bringing together land use planners, water providers, policy makers, lawyers, and other stakeholders, the workshop provided the foundation for strong, interdisciplinary planning efforts that integrate water and land use planning to maximize water efficiency and conservation.

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  Workshop Materials

  • Workshop Agenda
  • Applicability Matrix
  • Guidance Manual
  • Flyer: Integrating Water Efficiency into Land Use Planning in the Interior West
  • Table of Contents: Integrating Water Efficiency into Land Use Planning in the Interior West
  • Western Resource Advocates: Land Use Planning for Water Efficiency

  
  Presentations

  • Feinglas, Stu – Linking Land Use & Water
• Citizen Engagement Workshop: Putting the Civility Back into Civic Engagement

  This workshop provided training on best practices in engaging neighborhoods and communities in the land development process. Front Range planners heard from the experts about strategies for effective community outreach and engagement, as well as discussed challenges and approaches with their peers on the Front Range.

  
  Workshop Materials

  • Workshop Agenda
  • Larry Schooler's Presentation
  • Ken Snyder's Presentation
  • Bill Fulton's Presentation