From Scarcity to Strategy: Regenerative Planning in Uncertain Times

From Scarcity to Strategy: Regenerative Planning in Uncertain Times

In an era of climate disruption, political fatigue, and rapid change, planners are often asked to do more with less. But for many of us--and the communities we come from--that’s not a new challenge. This session explores what it means to design in circles: a planning philosophy rooted in return, feedback, and refinement. Through two resilience planning efforts--PLAN Danville and Climate Ready DC 2.0--presenters will examine how circularity shaped not just the process, but the practice: merging data with lived experience and refining climate strategies based on real feedback.

Kendra Hyson, ASLA, Urban Designer + Planner, SmithGroup,

Merrill St. Leger, AICP CUD, Senior Principal + Urban Design Studio Leader, SmithGroup, 

Renee Burton, AICP, Director of Planning, City of Danville

Kenya Troutman, Resilience Program Manager, DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency

Erin Garnaas-Holmes, Lead Resilience Planner, Urban Sustainability
Administration, DC Department of Energy and Environment

Kendra Hyson is a Planner and Urban Designer with SmithGroup in the firm’s Washington, DC office. Kendra’s work merges her background in landscape architecture with her diverse experiences in non-profit and government sectors to achieve holistic design outcomes. Her work champions community-based planning and design for social equity. She holds a master’s in landscape architecture from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Spelman College.

Renee Burton is the Division Director of Planning for the City of Danville. She has served the City of Danville in multiple roles for over twenty (20) years and has held the position of Director for the past 3 years. Renee obtained her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech in Environmental Policy and Planning and her master’s degree in business administration at Averett University.

Merrill St. Leger is a Senior Principal and Urban Design Studio Leader at SmithGroup. In over 25 years of practice, Merrill has led community planning and revitalization projects, mixed-use development/TOD master plans, and campus planning projects from visioning and conceptual design through municipal approvals and implementation. She is known for her creative and collaborative style, her commitment to inclusive and equitable engagement, her focus on sustainable urbanism and mobility, and her passion for enhancing public life for all. Merrill is the immediate Past Chair of the APA Sustainable Communities Division.

Kenya Troutman is the Resilience Program Manager in the Resilience Bureau at the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. She maintains oversight of the District’s resilience strategy, Resilient DC, and works on several related initiatives to include blue-green infrastructure projects, community engagement, resilience hubs, and emergency operations.

Erin Garnaas-Holmes leads climate adaptation planning for the District of Columbia with the Department of Energy and Environment’s Urban Sustainability Administration. He coordinates the implementation of Climate Ready DC, the District’s plan to prepare for extreme weather, and Keep Cool DC, the District’s extreme heat adaptation strategy.