Citizens Planning Academy: Fall 2025 Presentations and Resources

Presentations, resources, and other information from the Fall 2025 Citizens Planning Academy sessions can be found below.

session 1: Wednesday, September 24

Presentation:

• Introduction to City and Regional Planning, Keith Brockington, Transportation Planning Manager, Greenville County| GPATS

Additional resources:

• Greenville County Maps Online- GIS 
• Greenville County Comprehensive Plan
• Five Year Review of Greenville County Comprehensive Plan
• GVL 2040 Comprehensive Plan (The City of Greenville)
• GVL 2040 Notification List - Public Engagement link 
• Greenville- Pickens Area Transportation Study (GPATS)
• Greenville Transit Authority Goals & Priorities 
• Sign up for Upstate Forever Land Planning & Policy e-newsletter updates 

SESSION 2: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1

Presentation:

• Bike Walk Greenville: Advocating for mobility choices in Greenville County, Mary McGowan, Chair, Board of Directors & Jasmine Vanadore, Executive Director, Bike Walk Greenville

Additional resources:

• Strong Towns Website 
• Escaping the Housing Trap by Charles L. Marohn & Daniel Herriges
• Bike Walk Greenville
• Walkable City Rules by Jeff Speck
• Checking Road Ownership in South Carolina 
• SCDOT Online Work Order Request Form
• Greenville Cares 
• Downtown Transportation Master Plan Survey 
• Trees Upstate PowerPoint 
• Who Owns the Roads
• Sign up for Bike Walk Greenville Newsletter
• Sign up for Upstate Forever Land Planning & Policy e-newsletter updates 

SESSION 3: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8

Presentations:

• Principles of Smart Growth, Jean Crowther, AICP, Principal Planner at Alta Planning + Design
• Zoning for Smarties: Introduction to Zoning, Michael Forman, AICP, Conduit Planning LLC

Additional resources:

• STRONG TOWNS, Daniel Herriges
• Conventional Development Versus Managed Growth: The Costs of Sprawl
• Smart Growth America
• Shaping Our Future Return-on-Investment Study
• Missing Middle Housing
• Shaping Our Futures Upstate South Carolina 
• Sign up for Upstate Forever Land Planning & Policy e-newsletter updates 

SESSION 4: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15

Presentation:

• Greenville County: Current Projects in Planning – Draper Carlile, Planning Director & Josh Henderson, Zoning Admin/Deputy Planning Director of Greenville County

Additional resources:

• Greenville County Planning
• Greenville County Comprehensive Plan Five Year Review
• Greenville County Long Range Planning
• Board and Commissions Calendar of Events
• County Council and Standing Committee Meetings Calendar
• County Code Enforcement
• Sign up for Upstate Forever Land Planning & Policy e-newsletter updates

SESSION 5: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22

Panel Discussion and Q&A: Roles and Perspectives in Local Planning Processes

• Dorothy Dowe – Councilmember, City of Greenville: ddowe@greenvillesc.gov
• Mario Brown – Affordable Upstate, Developer: mario@affordableupstate.com
• Alex Cahill – Planning & Development Director, City of Greer: acahill@cityofgreersc.gov
• Ashana Taylor – Associate Development Planner, City of Greenville: ataylor@greenvillesc.gov

Additional Resources:

• The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
• Greenville CARES
• Valerie Holmes – PE, Assistant City Engineer - Traffic: vholmes@greenvillesc.gov
• City of Greenville Planning & Development Department
• City of Greenville Development Code
• City of Greer Planning Division
• City of Greer UDO
• Affordable Upstate

session 6: Wednesday, October 29

Presentation:

• Equity in Planning, Amber Stewart, Advocacy & Community Engagement Director, Greenville Housing Fund, astewart@greenvillehousingfund.com

Additional Resources:

• The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, Richard Rothstein
• Segregated by Design 
• Sterling Neighborhood Study 
• Mapping House Inequities, Greenville, SC
• Greenville Housing Fund
• Housing Continuum
• Broken Ground, Season 8: Plantation Pollution
• Center for Heirs' Property:
  • Legal Questions: Mikayla Mangle, mmangle@heirsproperty.org, 843-745-7055 ext:269
  • Forestry and Land Use Questions: James Williams, jwilliams@heirsproperty.org, 843-745-7055 ext:309