Ted Knowlton, AICP
Chief Planner, Deputy Director
Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC)
Ted is the Chief Planner and Deputy Director at the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC), the Metropolitan Planning Organization for greater Salt Lake City, Utah. Ted has dedicated his career to forging strongly supported, coordinated plans among communities, the private sector, and government agencies, aiming to enhance shared quality of life and sustainability. While serving as the Planning Director at Envision Utah, Ted created humanizing engagement practices now used in an estimated 80 regional planning efforts around the country. Envision Utah’s impact is estimated to have helped reduce sprawl by 140 square miles within Utah. Ted also launched and scaled WFRC’s Transportation and Land Use Connection program (TLC) for communities. TLC has implemented 150 projects and is enabling 50,000 new housing units to be built near public transit. His innovative work has garnered significant recognition, including two prestigious Daniel Burnham awards from the American Planning Association. Ted holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University and serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Utah. He is also a City Councilor for the City of North Salt Lake.
Session(s):
Corridors Versus Centers: Match of the Century »
2025 APA UT Fall Conference, October 10, 2025 10:15 amCity and town centers are a key part of Utah's approach to handling growth. But what about corridors like a "Main Street"? Do they matter too? We'll talk about the pros and cons of centers versus corridors and explore how to lean into corridor planning as a way to make our cities more lovable, vibrant, and affordable.
Seeing is Believing: New City and Town Center Visualization Resources »
2025 APA UT Fall Conference, October 9, 2025 11:30 amCenters are the heart of a community where people gather, where public spaces, commerce, housing, and transportation choices meet. A new State-funded website with exciting new vignettes and 3D panoramas of centers is available for use by cities and towns to support community planning, zoning, and economic development discussions. Learn how images and 3D panoramas were developed with input from Utah planners, and how you can use them to implement centers in your community.
APA Debates: The Great Growth Debate »
2025 APA UT Spring Conference, May 9, 2025 9:15 amUtah continues to grow quickly as it has for decades. Where and how growth unfolds is a constant debate in each community. What freedom should communities have to say no to growth? --OR-- What responsibility does each community have to say yes? How should we all look at IF and WHERE growth should be prohibited, allowed, encouraged, or even required? Come join a friendly debate that will bring the audience into the conversation.
Making Sustainable Plans in a Hyper-Partisan World »
2025 APA UT Spring Conference, May 8, 2025 1:15 pmIn today's hyper-partisan political climate, the pursuit of sustainable solutions faces unprecedented challenges. This session will explore how to develop and implement effective sustainability plans amidst political divisions. We will delve into strategies to build consensus across the political spectrum, and use communication strategies that resonate with diverse audiences.
“Park-it-once”: amplify your town center by rethinking the approach to parking »
2024 Spring Conference, May 10, 2024 11:15 amTypically each business or home provides parking for itself. At any time of day this means lots of empty parking. The shift is to think of parking like we do with water and electricity: consolidating production to improve efficiency. Park your car once and visit multiple places on foot. Come with your questions as we look at case studies of communities that have implemented and learned lessons in using a “park once district” in their city or town center.
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