Walkability expert Jeff Speck to hold free event in Spartanburg, November 7

Walkability. It's one of the keys to future prosperity in every city and has been a crucial lens to help focus downtown development in Spartanburg in recent years, and at a free event next month, area residents will have the opportunity to learn about the importance of walkability from the person who literally wrote the book on the topic. Walkability expert Jeff Speck will share his thoughts on creating a more walkable Spartanburg at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church on November 7 at 5:30 p.m. Jeff Speck is a city planner and urban designer who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors' Institute on City Design and created the Governors' Institute on Community Design. Prior to his federal appointment, Mr. Speck spent ten years as Director of Town Planning at DPZ & Co., the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Since 2007, he has led Speck & Associates, an award winning private design consultancy serving public officials and the real estate industry. He is a co-author of Suburban Nation, which the Wall Street Journal calls "the urbanist's bible." His 2012 book, Walkable City was the best selling city-planning book of 2013-2016. Just released, Walkable City Rules: 101 Steps to Making Better Places, takes Walkable City from ideas into action, and was named a Planetizen "Top Ten Book of the Year." His TED talks and YouTube videos have been viewed more than 4.5 million times. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Speck to get a taste of what attendees can expect at this exciting event.