Ari Bruening
President and CEO
Envision Utah
Ari Bruening has extensive experience in visioning and implementation efforts for regions, large areas, and critical growth-related topics. Currently, Ari is involved with Land Use Review for Attainable Housing with DWS Housing and Community Development and Guiding Our Growth, a statewide conversation about Utah’s future. Previously Ari led the Your Utah, Your Future statewide vision that engaged 52,845 Utahns to tackle eleven different topics, as well as the recommended State Water Strategy, the Point of the Mountain vision, the Vision for Teacher Excellence, and numerous other critical efforts. Prior to joining Envision Utah, he managed visioning and entitlement projects for the San Diego region; Laie, Hawaii; the 175,000-acre Superstition Vistas Arizona state trust land parcel; and the 300,000-acre Deseret Ranches of Florida landholding near the Orlando International Airport. He represented Kennecott Land Company in the land use planning and approval effort for over 90,000 acres.
Session(s):
Guiding Our Growth and Regional Visioning »
2023 Fall Conference, September 29, 2023 11:10 amBoth Utah and Idaho are rapidly growing! Should planners take a sprawling development or a centered approach? Should we make investments in transit and bicycle pedestrian infrastructure or roads? Rapid growth brings both opportunities and challenges for our communities, and advancing one goal may require compromises on another. Join us for a two-part presentation that explores the what and the how of regional planning and Guiding Our Growth: A Statewide Conversation about Utah’s Future. Come learn about how Utahns want to see their communities grow and help inform what state and local decision-makers should do with this information. Both Utah and Idaho planners are invited and encouraged to attend.
Housing affordability toolkit: what do cities have to do with it and tools to implement »
2023 Fall Conference, September 29, 2023 10:10 amHousing affordability in Utah has eroded over the past few years, threatening Utahns’ peace of mind and financial security. Ordinances, codes, and policies can impede or promote housing affordability. At the direction of Housing and Community Development, Envision Utah worked with expert stakeholders in policy, land use, and housing to identify regulation types that impact housing affordability and attainability. Please join us for what is likely to be a lively discussion.
State Planning Coordination Q & A Panel »
2022 Fall Conference, September 9, 2022 10:10 amJoin us for a Q and A panel to discuss state planning coordination.
Water in Planning: How Land Use Affects Water Use and How Utahns Feel About It »
2022 Fall Conference, September 8, 2022 1:15 pmFor years, Envision Utah has been facilitating community visioning efforts at geographies ranging from the entire state to the local community. In many of those processes, we've worked with water experts to model the water consumption impacts of different land use choices. We've also engaged the public to ask them how they prioritize water conservation and how far they're willing to go to reduce per capita use. This conference session will present the results of these various planning efforts. How much does density alone change water consumption, even without changes in landscaping? What level of landscaping changes will Utahns support? How do Utahns feel about landscaping changes versus other strategies, like shifting water from agriculture to urban uses?
The Swiss Army Knife for Housing: Communications, Data and Best Practices »
2022 Fall Conference, September 8, 2022 10:00 amUtah is in a housing crisis with prices having doubled in just the last 5 years. This session will present a handful of new communications and analytical resources to help planners as you help your community grapple with and adapt to these challenges. These resources are helpful technically for planners to understand how to proceed and also critical for having a community conversation about housing.
= Keynote
