CivicCon Sparks Community Conversation CivicCon—short for civic conversation—is a new community-focused speaker series created by Forward Janesville to bring residents, businesses and civic leaders together around the ideas shaping Janesville’s future. The series was launched to foster informed dialogue, civic engagement, and shared understanding around complex issues impacting community growth and quality of life. While many Forward Janesville events are member-focused, CivicCon was intentionally designed as a free, public forum where community members can learn from national experts, ask questions and engage in meaningful conversations about challenges facing Janesville and communities across the country. The inaugural CivicCon event, Making Cities: Design Matters, was held in January and featured nationally recognized urban designers Victor Dover and Joe Kohl. Nearly 300 attendees gathered at the Janesville Performing Arts Center to explore how thoughtful design, planning and collaboration influence thriving communities. Dover and Kohl shared examples from cities across the nation and discussed how walkability, housing diversity, mixed-use development, and community vision all contribute to long-term economic vitality and quality of life. Building on that momentum, Forward Janesville hosted its second CivicCon event in May: The Affordable City, featuring housing policy expert and author Shane Phillips. The event focused on one of Janesville’s most pressing challenges: housing affordability and supply. Phillips outlined an “all-of-the-above” approach centered on supply, stability and subsidy, emphasizing the importance of increasing housing options while protecting residents and supporting those facing affordability challenges. Together, the first two CivicCon events have sparked important conversations around growth, housing, development and the future of Janesville. As the series continues, CivicCon aims to remain a space where community members can come together to learn, engage, and help shape a stronger, more vibrant future for the region. Forward Janesville is grateful to the sponsors who have helped make CivicCon possible: Quint & Rishy Studer, Ryan, Inc., Tobin & Oakleigh Ryan, The Janesville Gazette, SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville, JP Cullen and Massas Investments. To learn more about CivicCon, view event recordings, and stay informed about future events, visit www.forwardjanesville.com/civiccon. www.forwardjanesville.com | 21
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