In this session, Marques will present what actually defines a true starter home, and why we need more of them today, covering the core traits that set them apart, from traditional singles and duplexes to the multi-generational variations common in the early 20th century. The session breaks down why these housing types worked and what's been lost today. You will leave with a clearer picture of the true starter home, and a stronger case for bringing them back.

Southern Urbanism founder Aaron Lubeck is one of the designers and builders leading congregational training of 20 selected churches this year through the Faith-Based Housing Initiative (faith-housing.org). He will walk through why these projects matter, and why faith housing is the most unprecedented opportunity in American townbuilding ever.

ACUs are small, affordable commercial spaces built into residential projects. They fill an incremental gap that neither traditional retail nor home occupation rules were designed to address. You will learn what distinguishes ACUs from mixed-use zoning and how a handful of cities have now written code that actually enables them.

Finding the right site is only half the battle—knowing how to plan it well makes all the difference. In this session, Elizabeth Ward Williams walks through real project examples of residential infill development on sites ranging from 1 to 10 acres, designed in a cottage court fashion that prioritizes walkability, community, and character.

Raising capital can feel intimidating—especially when self-doubt, fear of rejection, lack of connections, or uncertainty about where to start begin to take over. In this powerful 60 -minute session, Bruzenskey Bois breaks down the mindset shifts, strategies, and real-world experiences that helped him navigate the challenges of asking for funding, building investor relationships, and confidently pitching opportunities.

Housing is complicated.  Demographics are changing.  infrastructure is expensive both at the scale of the lot and also at the scale of the town.  Zoning is a treacherous swamp to navigate.  If that’s not hard enough, building codes make it even hard to traverse these challenges.  

Presented by Eric Kronberg

This session will help you understand how project incentives and grants actually work in real deals. You will learn how common public and philanthropic funding sources function, what problems they are designed to solve, and why they add complexity to projects. The session breaks down key mechanisms, typical requirements, and the stakeholders involved, from funders to local governments to lenders.

Presented by Jen Acosta

The Abundance Elected Network launched in 2025 following the release of the book "Abundance" by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, and has rapidly grown to include 150+ mayors, council members, county supervisors, and commissioners from 32 states.

In this session, discover what connects these local leaders and how they're applying abundance principles to foster incremental development in their communities. Learn about the network's core philosophies, real-world implementation strategies, and opportunities to collaborate with this growing movement of officials who are rethinking how cities and towns can grow sustainably and equitably.

Presented by Giselle Hale

Christopher Alexander's pattern language is more admired than applied — until now. Architect Ross Chapin draws from his experience designing pocket neighborhoods to show how patterns become practical design moves, from street layout to the layers of personal space that make people feel at home. See how pattern language shapes real site plans.

Presented by Ross Chapin

Residential segregation wasn't an accident — it was built by deliberate, unconstitutional government policy, and we have a responsibility to undo it. Drawing from Just Action, Leah Rothstein will explain how we got here and share concrete strategies for challenging segregation at the local level through housing policy, development practices, and community advocacy.

Presented by Leah Rothstein

Join us with author Mike Hathorne, as he discusses what his book “The Great Housing Reversal” uncovers about America’s housing future. We’ll explore the largest demographic shift in housing since WWII, changing where people want to live and how value is created and what the next generation wants: smaller homes, walkable neighborhoods, and real connection, while sprawl leaves cities with unsustainable costs.

Presented by Mike Hathorne

Join us for a conversation on building durable comprehensive plans that survive political change. Norman's AIM 2045 demonstrates how community-identified principles—walkability, housing diversity, green space—create legitimacy and shared decision-making frameworks. Learn how principles-first planning transforms engagement into governance and keeps implementation on track.

Presented by Matthew Peacock

Historic places carry more than bricks and mortar — they hold stories, cultural memory, and the potential to inspire new economic growth. Yet, too often, these spaces are undervalued or overlooked in favor of new construction. This session reframes historic redevelopment as both a financial and cultural investment. By combining entrepreneurial insight with community-centered storytelling, developers, investors, and stakeholders can unlock new value in old spaces while honoring the legacy of those who came before.

Presented by Dr. Valecia Dunbar, Regina M. Lewis

Sometimes finding viable development sites requires thinking back to traditional people-centric methods that AI cannot perform. This interactive session explores creative approaches to site identification that go beyond listings, broker packages, and AI services. Learn how to utilize people, technology, and curiosity to discover hidden opportunities before they hit the market.

Presented by Chris Allcorn

Join us to learn how to scale affordable urban homeownership with Frolic Community's innovative co-op model. Proven in Seattle and now expanding to California, this approach leverages cooperative ownership structures to make homeownership accessible through reduced down payments and developer-homeowner partnerships from day one.

Presented by Josh Morrison, COO and Co-Founder of Frolic Community, this virtual session will cover co-op economics in action, the collaborative development approach, and pathways to launch your first community-centered infill project.

Presented by Josh Morrison

Developers can build the kind of housing Americans actually want— walkable, connected neighborhoods that improve quality of life and strengthen local economies. Yet decades of U.S. policy and zoning have made these places nearly impossible to deliver, leaving enormous unmet demand on the table.

Culdesac has spent the last seven years proving that building mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods in the United States is a scalable model that delivers what residents and cities actually want. This Small Bites session will offer a practical, actionable look at how Culdesac did it, and how your city or development project can, too.

Presented by Ryan Johnson

Join us for an in-depth look at AARP's comprehensive national housing agenda and the innovative policy approaches gaining traction across the country. We'll explore how accessory dwelling units, missing middle housing, transit-oriented development, and universal design principles are converging to expand housing choices for older adults—and creating more inclusive communities for everyone.

Presented by Samar Jha

Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to enhance your financial acumen and drive success in real estate development. Jenifer Acosta will guide you through practical exercises, highlighting key concepts such as income estimation, expense optimization, and deciphering the financial story a pro forma tells. This session is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to translate your project's financial goals to investors effectively.

Presented by Jenifer Acosta

This session is about exploring unconventional development opportunities through the Faith-Based Housing Initiative, a groundbreaking program that connects developers with faith leaders to transform underutilized church properties into much-needed housing.

Presented by Aaron Lubeck

This session walks through the practical steps to explain how simple code repairs interact with your existing built environment. Spoiler: just because you change the code to allow a thing doesn't mean that thing is going to spring up everywhere!

Presented by Ivy Vann

Our most beloved cities were built incrementally—house by house, block by block. Today, regulatory barriers too often block the small-scale development our communities need. For over 30 years, the Institute for Justice (IJ) has fought at the intersection of litigation, legislation, and grassroots organizing to restore the freedom to build and grow organically.

Presented by Bob Belden, Trisha Dey, and Zoe Tishaev

Rich Rogers explores how investment crowdfunding fills critical gaps in real estate capital stacks. Through practical examples, learn how both for-profit and nonprofit developers structure offerings to fund challenging project phases—from predevelopment to tax credit monetization—while reducing costs compared to traditional financing.

Presented by Rich Rogers

Krista Nightengale will share how Better Block transforms neighborhoods through tactical urbanism, not massive budgets. She will demonstrate how temporary interventions—paint, planters, pop-up installations—help communities and officials envision vibrant public spaces, building momentum for lasting change through grassroots collaboration.

Presented by Krista Nightengale

What makes a block, a street, or a plaza feel timeless, vibrant, and enduring? Great places share universal building blocks that have shaped successful communities for centuries. This session introduces incremental developers to essential elements of urbanism, helping translate conceptual design ideas into actionable strategies that enhance both community and financial value.

Presented by Will McCollum

Jim Heid will discuss his award-winning Cottage Court project, achieved through thought partnership, not rezoning.  He will explain how community context helped him enlist elected officials, planning and public works staff as collaborators in creating what the community wanted, not what code dictated. 

Presented by Jim Heid

Created for real-world use and rooted in patterns that already exist in Maine towns, the Maine’s PlaceCode Library offers a calibrated approach to zoning reform. Ivy will share how communities are applying this tool, what challenges it helps solve, and how practitioners can get trained to use it effectively.

Presented by Ivy Vann

Your project looks finanicially promising. So how will it repay investors, and when? How long before you can liberate your equity to take on a new project? This session will help you make sense of the Multi-Year Cash Flow, a common tool for forecasting how your project will perform over time.

Presented by Jennifer Krouse

When does a small project become a big regulatory headache? In this Small Bites session, we’ll unpack the development “triggers” that can add complexity, cost, or delay to your project. From subdivision and zoning ordinances to stormwater rules, fire and building codes, and even how finance and market expectations influence your path—this conversation will help you spot the thresholds that matter most and navigate these pivotal points to avoid common missteps.

Presented by Elizabeth Ward Williams

What makes a pocket neighborhood truly work? In this one-hour session, Ross Chapin—the architect who literally wrote the book on pocket neighborhoods—will break down the essential design features that define a successful project. Drawing on over three decades of experience, he’ll share practical insights to help developers and architects create housing that fosters connection among residents, earns acceptance from surrounding neighbors, and leads to long-term financial viability.

Presented by Ross Chapin

Historic properties are some of the most charming and well-performing projects, but they come with challenges. Understanding the different levels of historic preservation and incentives can be difficult, especially when assessing a potential project. In this talk we’ll cover the basics of historic preservation at each level including local, state, and federal regulations and what they mean to a project

Presented by Ivan Gonzalez