Matrix planners, Celeste Werner, FAICP, and Ed Boik, AICP, are participating in the Planning Practitioner Talk that will be hosted by the American Planning Association and Arizona State University’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning on Thursday, January 12th. They will share how Coconino County and the City of Flagstaff have joined forces to preserve one of their largest economic engines, Arizona National Guard installation Camp Navajo, and the U.S. Naval Observatory (NOFS) through the collaborative planning effort — the Coconino Military Installation Sustainability (MIS) project. The project focuses on actions the community can implement to help preserve the military missions and promote regional resiliency.
Join Celeste and Ed to learn more about the project’s innovative strategies that include using state-of-the-art technology and unique and tailored methodologies to achieve project goals. MIS efforts use lighting and heat data collected from on-the-ground surveyors and drones entered into a specific GIS model to create a zoning code enforcement tool that identifies and documents non-conforming commercial outdoor lighting database. Other strategies include a public outreach campaign with graphically enhanced public outreach materials that promote dark skies, wildfire prevention, and community awareness of Camp Navajo’s and NOFS’s importance; draft state legislation; a public engagement strategy to protect the installations from incompatible land use encroachment; an industry feasibility study that identifies industries appropriate for the area and recommends strategies to support and grow the local economy — particularly through businesses that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risks; an installation resiliency report with a vulnerability assessment for natural and human-caused risks to Camp Navajo, NOFS, and local communities, such as wildfire, drought, and floods and defines implementable strategies to mitigate those risks.
