The 2018 Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) will be held in Savannah from May 16-19, 2018. CNU is an international nonprofit organization working to build vibrant communities where people have diverse choices for how they live, work, and get around. They believe that well-designed cities and neighborhoods are crucial for our health, economy, and environment.

Each year, CNU initiates Legacy Projects in the Congress' host region to empower local leaders, advocates, and residents to implement new urbanist principles and build places where people and businesses can thrive and prosper. Each Legacy Project culminates in a three-day workshop on site to explore opportunities, identify crucial roadblocks, engage local residents in visioning, and generate top-of-the-line design and placemaking strategies and deliverables.

This year, Savannah was selected for two Legacy Projects that would occur March 2-5, 2018. The first is a project on Savannah's eastside, from East Broad Street to Waters Avenue and Victory Drive to Wheaton Street. The second is on Savannah's southside, generally between the Georgia Southern Armstrong Campus and the Savannah Mall.

As part of the City’s commitment to the CNU Legacy Project, a match by the City of $15,000.00 is required for each project to cover the CNU team’s expenses. The estimated value of the CNU staff time dedicated to the two projects is $300,000.00.

Additionally, CNU offers a discounted bundled registration package for local governments, allowing 20 persons to attend the conference for $10,000.00.

The City of Savannah's total sponsorship package, which would include registration and Legacy Project funding, is $40,000.00. Funding is available in the Other Grant Match Funding [Account 101-8114-51745] to support this request.

Approval