KTGY Principal Ken Ryan to Speak on "Elevating Design Through Public Involvement & Politics: Is It Possible?" at APA National Conference

speaker and moderator at the American Planning Association (APA) National Planning Conference, held April 13-17, 2013, in Chicago, IL. Ryan will participate in the session, "Elevating Design Through Public Involvement and Politics: Is It Possible?" on Sunday, April 14, at 5:30 p.m. End Quote

Orange County, CA (1888PressRelease) March 18, 2013 - Award-winning KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture + Planning, is pleased to announce that Ken Ryan, a principal and leader of the firm's Community Planning and Urban Design studio, has been invited to participate as a speaker and moderator at the American Planning Association (APA) National Planning Conference, held April 13-17, 2013, in Chicago, IL. Ryan will participate in the session, "Elevating Design Through Public Involvement and Politics: Is It Possible?" on Sunday, April 14, at 5:30 p.m.

Attendees of the session will learn how to work efficiently with government officials, staff, the community, and media to achieve success when dealing with controversial projects and limited resources. Thoughtful observations and insights by the speakers from both private and public sectors will highlight the opportunities and challenges in dealing with a variety of design, community and budget issues, and include real-world lessons to assist in navigating the outreach and approval processes more effectively. Panelists include: City Councilmember and past Mayor of the City of Diamond Bar Ling-Ling Chang; past Mayor of the City of Orange Carolyn Cavecche; Paul Fallon, President of Fallon Research & Communications, Inc., based in Columbus, OH; and Diane Gaynor, Executive Vice President and Partner with Roni Hicks & Associates in San Diego, Calif.

"In an increasingly acrimonious political environment, entitling and developing commercial and residential projects requires special care more than ever," Ryan said. "It is important to be able to walk the fine line between dealing with NIMBYs and the overall community at large, while protecting private property rights. Misunderstanding and community opposition can be roadblocks for even the best designs."

"However, the risk of the entitlement game can be greatly reduced by taking a thoughtful, strategic approach to the process. Increased anti-growth resident sentiment, political pressure, leadership voids and local citizen group clout demand that operative values of trust, openness, certainty and consensus building be integrated into the design and entitlement process," Ryan noted. "The approach should be concurrent and less linear."

This doesn't mean compromising design integrity, Ryan stated. "High design and consensus building are not mutually exclusive. In fact, careful execution of key consensus building principles can actually result in stronger, more powerful design solutions and a smoother process as well," added Ryan.

Ryan has served as leader on projects involving complex regeneration planning, urban infill, large scale master plans, transit-oriented development, resort/recreation studies, community participation programs and intergovernmental coordination. Through his experience as a past two-term Mayor and his ongoing involvement on numerous city and community advisory and governing boards, Ryan brings a unique perspective and significant entitlement experience to the planning process. One of his most current projects include the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC), a $184 million multimodal transportation facility that will connect Anaheim, Orange County, the entire Southern California region and beyond. KTGY serves as the Urban Design Advisor for the project and prepared ARTIC's Master Plan, ARTIC's Mixed-Use District Conceptual Development Guidelines and provided architectural design review services for the project. Ryan is a frequent speaker at Urban Land Institute (ULI), APA and other national and regional industry conferences, and has won numerous awards for his work, written articles for industry publications and is a guest on television broadcasts.

For more information about the American Planning Association Conference in Chicago, visit www.planning.org.

About KTGY Group
Celebrating 21 years in business, KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, is a national award-winning firm providing comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, market trends and financial performance. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, Calif., Denver, Colo., and Tysons Corner, Va. See www.KTGY.com.

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