Participants will visit the Enos Park neighborhood, which is adjacent to two regional hospital campuses, and then attend a session in one of the medical facilities. Memorial Medical Center, HSHS St. John’s Hospital, and SIU Medicine’s Center for Family Medicine fund a project to place community health workers (CHWs) within the Enos Park neighborhood to meet community needs and expand care in the heart of Springfield.

A brief walking tour through downtown Springfield will discuss the current state of historic preservation in Illinois, culminating in a tour of the recently renovation Governor’s Mansion.

In the early 20th Century the City of Springfield identified the need for water supply in the region and proposed the construction of a lake in their Comprehensive Plan, today located approximately 20 minutes from downtown. Decades later Jens Jensen was hired to construct waterfront gardens, and across the lake the University of Illinois – Springfield campus was built. Participants will walk the gardens and learn about the critical role the lake and university play in contemporary Springfield and complete the panel session in a UIS facility.

Beginning at the conference hotel, participants will walk throughout downtown Springfield on a guided tour, spanning from the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, to the state capitol complex, to the Old Capitol, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Speakers will highlight the city’s central business district urban design and functionality, while also discussing recent redevelopment projects and ongoing planning efforts.

Pedestrians could walk from Lincoln’s home to the State Capitol, strolling past some of Springfield’s most popular recent redevelopment, the Governor’s Mansion, museums, and one of the most important infill blocks in the City, except one stretch of Jackson Street has always been a private parking lot. In 2018 that will change as Springfield adds a public plaza and pedestrian corridor, linking Lincoln to the Capitol grounds for the bicentennial. Participants will discuss pedestrian corridors, tourism, urban design, and infill projects as part of a walking tour.

It is our hope that by reaching out to the youth of the community and educating them in the theories and practices of our profession we will make our communities even better places to live and work. This workshop will allow students to create their own ideal community.

Participants will travel 45 minutes east to Decatur, Illinois for a panel session at the headquarter offices of the port that will discuss the importance of transportation infrastructure and the logistics industry in Illinois economic development. The Midwest Inland Port is a multi-modal transportation hub that serves both domestic and international logistics demand. The speakers’ discussion will continue at Taproot, a restaurant located on historic Merchant Street in downtown Decatur.

After a twenty minute drive north of the city, participants will find the Rolling Meadows Farm & Brewery nestled among the wooded, rolling hills and bluffs the Sangamon River valley. After a tour of the farm, grounds, and production facilities, participants will hear from a series of speakers discussing the recent growth in craft agricultural businesses in central Illinois and increased demand for agritourism destinations – and what role these sectors can play in economic development.