Allison Altaras and Matt Brodahl Named Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute 2011 Student Award Winners

Two Denver Law students, Allison Altaras and Matt Brodahl, received the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute/Sturm College of Law Award at the 2011 Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute Conference held recently at the University of Denver.

The annual award recognizes students who academic achievement and community service while in law school demonstrate outstanding potential for impact in the sustainable development field. Ms. Altaras and Mr. Brodahl received a cash award from the Denver law firm of Isaacson Rosenbaum.

William Shutkin, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, said, "Matt and Allison have excelled in both the classroom and their work with the Institute. Their passion for the field and commitment to pursuing careers related to sustainable development make them the perfect choice for the award. They are tomorrow's land leaders, and will help us find ways to live more responsibly and equitably on the planet."

"The Next West: 20th Anniversary Land Use Conference" Successfully Concludes: "The Largest Gathering of its Kind in the U.S. West"

The 20th Anniversary Land Use Conference organized by the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute (RMLUI), the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy took place last Thursday and Friday.

This year's conference, entitled "The Next West," explored "both change and continuity in the region's communities and landscapes over the past two decades while beginning to look ahead to the next 20 years," according to Bill Shutkin, Director of the RMLUI.

The program included presentations by the nation's leading land use practitioners as well as some of the leading figures in developing land use policies including Ralph Becker, Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Jim Mazzocco, Planning and Development Services, City of Tucson, Arizona.

Among the most thought provoking panels (and there were many) were:

• Water: Beyond Dams and Diversions
• Embracing Sustainability in Community Plans
• Living Outside the City: Designing for Rural Communities
• Public Rail Transit in the Rocky Mountain West: The Potential of Regional Transit for Smart Growth in the 21st Century
• Federal Agency Planning and Initiatives for Sustainability in the Rocky Mountain West

Fred Cheever, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Law, pointed to the important of the conference and its wide appeal in the land use planning field when he described the event as "the largest gathering of land use lawyers, planners, and other professionals in the western United States and probably the whole country."

"The Next West: 20th Anniversary Land Use Conference" to be Held at Sturm College of Law March 3-4, 2011

The latest offering in the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute Conference series -- "The Next West" -- will take place at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law March 3-4, 2011.

“This year marks the 20th anniversary of the annual Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute Conference and, equally important, the emergence of a new kind of west," William Shutkin, Executive Director of the Institute, said.

"The 'Next West,' this year’s conference theme, is what awaits us as we grapple with the recent economic collapse, climate change, population growth and increasing constraints on our natural resources," he said. "It’s a singular opportunity to redefine and rebuild not just the region but the nation, disguised as an insurmountable challenge.

"That’s what this year’s conference is about -- engaging the tough issues of the day with an eye toward tomorrow’s opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship in the way we use our land and natural resources and the way we develop our communities and economies. From technology and transportation to housing and economic development, the land use playing field is vast and full of exciting opportunities for those willing to chase them.”

The Institute, which is located at the College of Law, serves the public as an interdisciplinary, non-partisan forum for land use and environmental issues in the Rocky Mountain West.

For more information about the conference, please click here.

"The Next West: 20th Anniversary Land Use Conference" to be held March 3 and 4, 2011, at Sturm College of Law

The Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute (RMLUI), headquartered at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, will hold its annual conference in Denver on March 3 and 4, 2011.

"'The Next West: 20th Anniversary Land Use Conference' presents a singular opportunity to explore both change and continuity in the region's communities and landscapes over the past two decades while beginning to look ahead to the next 20 years, to the 'New West,'" William Shutkin, RMLUI director said recently.

According to Mr. Shutkin:

"An extraordinary confluence of forces is changing the way communities across the West and the nation plan, grow and define their success. Climate change, technology, globalization, urbanization and a new wave of immigration are challenging old rules and patterns of development -- both physical and economic.

"As the region begins to emerge from the current economic crisis, professionals and citizens alike will need to understand the forces driving our land use and development patterns, forces that cut across geography, disciplines, fields and sectors. Like never before, they will be called upon to design new models that join prosperity, community and ecology in a bold vision tailored to the needs of a rapidly changing region in a radically changing world."

For information about the conference agenda, please click here. To register, please click here.

Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, Headquartered at College of Law, Begins Blogging on "Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit"

The Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute (RMLUI), which is affiliated with the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, has begun authoring a special section for the Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit blog. The special section can be accessed by clicking here.

The Triple Pundit blog describes itself as "an innovative new-media company for the business community that cultivates awareness and understanding of the triple bottom line" by providing "expert editorial coverage and group discussions on sustainable business in the 21st century."

In announcing that the RMLUI would join the Triple Pundit, William Shutkin, RMLUI director said, "Here, University of Denver Sturm College of Law students will report on emerging, novel and contested land use and development issues from a sustainability perspective. We believe the development of the American West, and indeed the entire planet, necessitates a closer and more responsible look at not only how we use natural resources but how we build our communities and economies. We invite you to comment and engage with us over issues of interest to you. And we invite you to suggest topics for us to research and report on from our unique perspective as law students. But most of all, we invite you to take these ideas and share them within your friends and colleagues so we can all be involved in a more informed and forward-thinking discussion about our future.

Allison Alturas, a law student, will edit the blog. Regular blog contributors include the following students: John Bartholomew, Chris Boeckx, Matt Brodahl, Dave DeNovellis, Stephen Gruber, Tripp Hall, and Lauren Suerth. To read more about the contributors click here.

Among the recent blog postings:

• "Colorado Awarded Partnership for Sustainable Communities Grant," by Dave DeNovellis, a College of Law Masters in Resource Law Studies student.
• "Microfinance Participants Refuse to Pay Following a Series of Suicides," by Andrew Moore, a College of Law JD student.
• "Small Businesses Will Help U.S. Keep Pace with Asia's Clean Tech," by Steven Gruber, College of Law JD student.

"Smart Growth and Sustainability: Principles and Practices" to be Offered in Spring 2011 and Taught by Professor William Shutkin

A new course that addresses smart growth and sustainability has been added to the University of Denver Sturm College of Law Spring 2011 curriculum. "Smart Growth and Sustainability: Principles and Practices" will be taught by William Shutkin, director of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute that is affiliated with the College of Law.

According to Professor Shutkin:

"To be successful and to ensure a resilient, prosperous America in the twenty-first century, sustainable development professionals will need to understand the many forces driving our land use and development patterns, forces that cut across geography, disciplines, fields and sectors – from global warming to globalization, housing to transportation, energy to economic development, public policy to politics. They will need to be prepared to work in and among many different contexts – urban and rural, commercial and residential, agricultural and recreational – and social groups – affluent and low-income, from an increasingly rich mix of ethnic and racial backgrounds. And most importantly, emerging sustainable development professionals will need a new mind- and skill-set capable of integrating the economic, social and environmental goals that define sustainability. Like never before, they will be called upon to design new business models, policies and strategies, to join profitability, community and ecology in a bold development vision tailored to the needs of a radically changing region in a radically changing world.

"This course is designed to help equip next-generation sustainable development professionals with the foundational knowledge and tools they’ll need to make the most of this extraordinary opportunity disguised as a singular challenge. It will introduce them to the companion concepts of smart growth and sustainability, nested frameworks for physical and economic development born of a desire to redress the perceived past failures of markets and public policies while providing an affirmative alternative for the future. It explores the policies, processes, techniques and capabilities required to effectively and creatively manage growth and land use change in the light of the dramatic shifts beginning to transform the way we approach and even conceive land use and development.

"With an emphasis on practical knowledge, the course will examine the history and fundamentals of the land use planning and regulation and growth management systems, covering a range of cultural, legal and ecological issues in the process. By way of case studies and best practices, we will focus on new, “sustainable” approaches at the intersection of real estate development, land use planning, economic and community development and environmental law and policy, and will try to anticipate innovations in practice, policy and technology on both the near and far horizons. We will also pay attention to the different scales – individual, corporate, community, region, state, nation and beyond – at which sustainability methods are applied and consider the many legal, political as well as cognitive/behavioral forces that influence land use and development patterns and practices."

The course works products and performance evaluation include:

• Preparation for and participation in each class session (15 percent): In advance of each class session, Professor Shutkin will randomly select up to 4 students to be discussion leaders for that session. The selected students will be required to carefully read the assigned materials, synthesize them and, with the session’s core questions (listed in the syllabus) as a guide, help lead the class. In addition, discussion leaders and class members as a whole should review periodicals (e.g., major newspapers or trade journals) and websites on a weekly basis so as to be able to introduce each week timely, late-breaking events or information bearing on the session’s subject matter.
• Personal/career vision statement (10 percent)
• Smart growth/sustainable development policy memorandum (25 percent)
• Innovation report and presentation (team) (50 percent)

The course will meet from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning Jan. 12, 2011.

Autumn Semester 2010 Gets Underway: New Developments in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program Announced

Today marks the first day of the autumn 2010 semester at the Sturm College of Law. And as befits the beginning of the new semester, we in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy program would like to mention some of the new people, topics and events that will become part of the program this semester.

New Professors
First, we'd like to welcome several new faculty members who will be teaching in the program:

• Tom Romero, who will be teaching Water Law, was a Professor at Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, MN, before coming to DU. A Denver native and a graduate of DU's undergraduate program, his research examines the legal construction of race relations in the metropolitan American West and Global South. He is currently completing a book-length manuscript on law and race relations in post-World War II Denver.

• William Shutkin, Director of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, has held faculty positions at the University of Colorado at Boulder, MIT, and Boston College Law School. He has founded and/or led four organizations in the sustainable development field.

• Annecoos Wiersema, who will be teaching Environmental Law and Administrative Law, joins the College of Law from The Ohio State University, where she was an Assistant Professor of Law. Her primary research is in international environmental law, focusing on how legal institutions can be developed that effectively protect species and ecosystems in the face of ecological complexity and scientific uncertainty.

Professors Romero, Shutkin, and Wiersema will join the College of Law's outstanding full-time and adjunct faculty in delivering a level of education and experience widely considered to be among the best in the U.S. and the world.

Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law
The College of Law has recently approved the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Certificate, which is intended to recognize a path of specialized learning within the JD program. All enrolled law students in good standing will be eligible for the ENRL Certificate. The certificate will require students to complete Administrative Law and either Environmental Law or Natural Resources Law and 12 credits in other approved environmental and natural resources courses. More information will be forthcoming shortly about the certificate.

ENRL Speaker Series
This semester will mark the beginning of the Environmental and Natural Resources Speakers Series in which leading individuals in the environmental and natural resources sectors will be speaking at the College of Law. The sessions, which will average one per month in September, October, November, January, February, March, and April, will begin on Sept. 15 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. The first speakers will be two former assistant secretaries of the U.S. Interior Department John Carver and Rebecca Watson. More information about this new series will be posted shortly.

ENRL Program and Activities Calendar
In the next several weeks, the ENRL website will include a calendar to program events and activities.

Environmental and Natural Resources Law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law: "Spring '10 Newsletter" Highlights Program Developments

A multitude of activities and events have been taking place in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy program at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

The Spring '10 newsletter captures the energy and excitement that is the foundation of the DU program, which has often been recognized as one of the nation's premier program. Please click here to read the latest newsletter.

You will find articles about the successful Rocky Mountain Law Use Institute 19th Annual Land Use Conference, the Water Law Review Symposium, Distinguished Natural Resources Practitioner in Residence Howard Kenison, and what the program's faculty have been writing and speaking about.

Our program is strong and vibrant and continues to grow and excel. Check out the newsletter. We think you will agree.

19th Annual Land Use Conference at the DU Sturm College of Law: "The New American Landscape"

The 19th Annual Land Use Conference, undertaken by the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and held on March 4 and 5, 2010, at DU will focus on "The American Landscape."

The conference will kick off on March 4 at 9 a.m. with the John A. Carver Jr. Distinguished Lecture and Keynote Address by Joel Kotkin, adjunct fellow with the Legatum Institute and author and distinguished presidential fellow in Urban Futures, at Chapman University in Orange, Cal. The second keynote address will be delivered by Tom Ragonetti, senior shareholder and director of the law firm Otten, Johnson, Robinson, Neff, and Ragonetti. Mr. Ragonetti, one of the country's foremost experts on land use issues, also teaches a highly popular land use course at the DU Sturm College of Law. To see the complete conference schedule click here.

This is an exceptional opportunity to learn from and meet some of the most forward-thinking leaders in the area of land use. Attending the conference will be well worth the time of any ENRGP student. And to make things even better, any student interested in volunteering is welcome to contact the institute at RMLUI@law.du.edu. Heather McLeod, program coordinator, will answer any question that students might have and get them started with the volunteer sign-up and separate registration process. Students who commit to four hours of volunteer time receive general conference registration at no charge. On the other hand, any students wishing to attend the conference will need to pay a student registration fee of $80 before Feb. 6 or $100 after Feb. 6. If you would like to register on-line, please click here.

Established in 1992 for the purpose of undertaking education and research programs on legal and public policy issues related to land use and development, the Institute is widely recognized for its interdisciplinary conferences, workshops, research projects, and nationally marketed publications and videos. The first annual land use conference was held in 1992 and by 1999 had grown to 700 participants, making it the largest land use law conference in the country.

The Institute, under the leadership of interim director Katherine Iverson, a graduate of the DU College of Law as well as a registered architect, has put together a great program that represents a wonderful opportunity for students in our program to learn from the best in the land use planning profession. This is yet another great reason why studying at DU includes so many "side benefits."