VLI Archives - Synchronicity Newsletter

2023 Smart Growth Summit

For more than 25 years, Vision Long Island has made a huge difference in our communities, connecting great people and generally helping all sorts of folks wrap their heads around the challenges and opportunities to improve our built environment on LI. Their 2023 Smart Growth Summit is happening Friday, December 1, 2023 from 8am-4pm.

It will feature over 1,000 local community, business and government, downtown revitalization and community development leaders. There will be nearly 20 workshops, 100 speakers, a trade show, and a concurrent Youth Summit. The breakfast “State of the Towns and Villages” session and luncheon alone are worth the program price.

This is a great way to get an in depth, inside scoop on important local issues, including infrastructure, redevelopment, energy, human needs, small business, walkability, transportation and many others.

The LI Smart Growth movement generally attracts great people who care about the future of our communities. For an idea of the quality of folks who attend, check out these in-depth interviews hosted by Eric Alexander featuring a broad range of local leaders. You can also check out Vision’s YouTube channel to see important discussions they’ve hosted in the past, as well as people, projects and policies that they have highlighted.

It’s really valuable stuff. Best to come check out what they’re talking about now!

Check out their website for details and get on their email list!

For over 20 years Vision Long Island has been honoring individuals, organizations, and projects that advance the growth of our downtowns and infrastructure. Specific focus areas include transit oriented development, affordable housing, environmental sustainability, traffic calming, transportation enhancements, clean energy and community based planning.

2023 affordable housing ATAT Awards beautification biking Chamber of Commerce Civic clean energy community development Complete Streets Concern Housing economic development Entertainment Environment Environmental Sustainability FirstNet food insecurity Georgica Green Glen Cove Harry Halhotra Human Services Jean Kelly Kathy Wisnewski Long Island Main Street Alliance main street Main Street Alliance May May 2023 Mineola Nassau County native plants Park Grove Development parks Peter Scully Philanthropy Pink Tie PSEG Public Health Residential Riverhead Rob Kammerer Safety Town SCWA Sewage Small Business Smart Growth Smart Growth Awards social media Southampton St. Joseph's University Steel Equities Suffolk County Suffolk Transit Town of Hempstead Town of Islip Traffic Calming Transit-Oriented Development Transportation enhancements Vimeo Vision VLI Walking Water Westhampton Beach

21st Annual Smart Growth Awards: LIVE and In-Person!

2020 affordable housing Awards beautification biking Chamber of Commerce Civic clean energy community development Complete Streets economic development Entertainment Environment Environmental Sustainability financing food insecurity Human Services In-person event live and in-person Long Island Main Street Alliance main street Main Street Alliance National Grid native plants NYS Budget parks Philanthropy Pink Tie PSEG Public Health Residential Sewage Small Business Smart Growth Smart Growth Awards social media Traffic Calming Transit-Oriented Development Transportation enhancements Vimeo Vision VLI Walking Water

The Summit is Coming! We Get to GO!

Can’t say it enough: These in-depth interviews hosted by Eric Alexander featuring a broad range of local leaders are fantastic. Learn and get inspired by these amazing Long Island community members….We do!

Honestly, like they always seem to, the good folks of Vision Long Island have done an incredible job of turning the challenges of the COVID-19 era into new opportunities to highlight people making a huge difference in our communities, and generally helping those folks wrap their heads around the challenges and opportunities of today.

Still. We’ve REALLY missed being able to see these folks in person. We are so excited that the Smart Growth Summit is being held November 17-19, 2021 and will have an in-person component on the final day!

Check out their website for details and get on their email list!

2021 20thannualsummit Civics Community Energy Eric Eric Alexander Local Local Business Local Leadership Main Street Alliance Networking November November2021 Planning Smart Growth Smart Growth Summit Stakeholders Vision vision long island VLI

2020 Smart Growth Summit Review

While the event was very long, and dug into many deep challenges, it was an overwhelmingly hopeful affair, grounded in real people doing real things, so much so that folks kept watching long after 5pm on Friday! In summary:

2020 affordable housing American Heart Association beautification biking Black Lives Matter Chamber of Commerce Civic community development Complete Streets Coronavirus December economic development Empower Solar Entertainment Environment Family & Children's Association financing food insecurity Human Services Jeff Reynolds John Cameron Joye Brown Long Island Main Street Alliance main street Michelle Gervat National Grid native plants NYS Budget Orsted Wind parks Philanthropy Pink Tie PSEG Public Health Residential Sewage Small Business Smart Growth Smart Growth Summit social media Supervisor Plenary Transit-Oriented Development Vimeo Vision VLI Walking Water

Vision Smart Growth Awards, Summit

We also deeply missed being able to gather with 1,000 community leaders at a live Smart Growth Awards this year. We are grateful for all our sponsors at Vision Long Island do to advance Smart Growth, their focus on serving Main Street (especially now!) and for their endeavors — like so many other nonprofits — to ensure their important work continues.

The online version was still deeply valuable. You can read a brief description of the honorees here. Check out their YouTube page for a video of the event itself, as well as great videos at the sites with the honorees.

Please also continue to check out the Long Island Main Street Alliance for news and information aimed at helping Long Island’s small businesses.

The Smart Growth Summit will also be virtual this year!

“In a time of social distancing and being unable to meet in person, the 19th Annual Long Island Smart Growth Summit is an event that takes on more importance as we seek to assist our local communities through economic recovery guided by placemaking principles.

This year, due to the ongoing pandemic, we will be holding a virtual program that will feature workshops, technical worksessions, and plenary sessions on regional and local issues facing downtown redevelopment, complete streets projects, infrastructure investment, regulatory relief and economic recovery through the Coronavirus.

For years, Vision has brought together thousands of civic members, chambers, community-minded developers, environmentalists, design professionals, labor, academics, seniors, young people, and minority owned businesses along with federal, state, county, town and village officials from Long Island and the region.

We need your continued energy and participation to help shape recovery efforts so the many years of progress made in our local communities is not lost.”

When: December 2nd through 4th

For More Info and to Register: Visit their Eventbrite page

2020 affordable housing beautification biking Chamber of Commerce Civic community development Complete Streets Coronavirus COVID economic development Entertainment Environment financing food insecurity Human Services Joye Brown Long Island Main Street Alliance main street Michelle Gervat National Grid native plants NYS Budget October October 2020 parks Philanthropy Pink Tie PSEG Public Health Residential Sewage Small Business Smart Growth Smart Growth Summit social media Supervisor Plenary Transit-Oriented Development Vimeo Vision VLI Walking Water

We Repeat: Main Street News is a Must-Read

We’ve said it before, we’re going to keep saying it:

THIS IS VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT.

Vision Long Island and the Long Island Main Street Alliance publish the Main Street News. This is a grounded, productive, community-oriented force for those who care about the economic aspects of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s sobering, comprehensive and helpful.

While these issues are bursting with a broad range of information and resources, some key issues lately involve strong advocacy for local leadership, particularly in terms of local zoning, helping local businesses prepare for reopening, and focusing on the need and what’s being done to help folks meet basic human needs.

There’s some substantive good news in there, too.

Check out their website. Follow their Facebook.

Vision is one of our strongest advocates for Long Island downtowns, and has been generally connecting diverse local stakeholders to learn and work together for the betterment of our communities for over 20 years. We strongly believe they are a huge reason why there’s as much healthy communication and collaboration in the name of true public service and community development on Long Island as there is today. We are grateful to call them a sponsor.

2020 beautification biking Chamber of Commerce Civic community development Coronavirus economic development financing food insecurity June June 2020 Long Island Main Street Alliance main street Main Street News Philanthropy Public Health Small Business Smart Growth social media Vision VLI Walking

Main Street News is a Must-Read: What’s Open, How Folks Are Doing, What You Can Do.

THIS IS IMPORTANT. Vision Long Island, one of our region’s strongest advocates for Main Street is now releasing daily issues of their new Main Street News. as it endeavors to keep up with events as they unfold. Check out their website. Follow their Facebook.

It’s a sobering, comprehensive review of important, information that includes a range of local initiatives, resources and ways you can help.

There’s news about what’s open, how folks are doing and whatever they can find to help folks weather the storm.

So go there and get informed. In general, some updated ideas that have seemed good to us include:

Find your favorite local businesses on social media. Call them on the phone See what they’re doing. Buy their stuff.
Buy Gift Certificates. Consider simply sending a donation to your favorite local business
Restaurants are closed, but many can still do takeout/delivery. This article, which seems very well resourced, helped us feel informed and a lot safer about doing that!
Realize many of these places care about their own health, your health and the community more than most ever realized. Know that many local shops are going out of their way to safely keep on keeping on — Much of Main Street — not just the eateries — are now offering curbside service and even delivery. Look up their website/social media. Even if they aren’t advertising it, call them to inquire!
Special events are hugely important for organizations. Had an event cancelled? Send a donation! You can check our newsletter archives to find 100s of great local organizations
Strongly consider supporting policy proposals that directly support individuals, small businesses and local governments. While they are going out of their way to come up with creative means of keeping going, there is only so much they can do,
Just be kind — Especially to the cashiers, service providers and others working through this. Just. Be. Kind.

2020 beautification biking Chamber of Commerce Civic community development Coronavirus COVID economic development financing food insecurity Long Island Main Street Alliance main street Main Street News March March 2020 Philanthropy Public Health Small Business Smart Growth social media Vision VLI Walking

Thank You To Our Supporters!

This is a great way to get an in depth, inside scoop on important local issues, including infrastructure, redevelopment, energy, human needs, small business, walkability, transportation and many others.

It’s really valuable stuff. Best to come check out what they’re talking about now!

Check out their website for details and get on their email list!