Recognized as a national leader in sustainable community development with nearly 20 years experience as a citizen planner, federal policy analyst, local government planner, non-profit executive, and writer.  Successfully advances integrated community design through blogging, policy, and working with local stakeholders to best match transportation, water and land use to the local context and vision.

WRITING AND JOURNALISM

Author of the blog “Planning Edges” and contributor to “This Week in Sarasota,“ an online newspaper covering events and urban affairs in Sarasota.

FLORIDA HOUSE INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Board Member and Executive Director |February 2012 - December 2012

Responsible for repositioning one of the U.S.’s first a green demonstration houses into a resource for participatory planning, visioning, civic technology, and sustainable design.  Duties include management, community outreach, fund raising, grants, event planning, and web design.

SMART GROWTH AND GREENOUSE GAS REDUCTION COORDINATOR

Sarasota County Office of Planning and Development Services | February 2008- December 2011

Clean Technology and Economic Development – With County and State partners, created strategies and regulatory support for sustainable economic development: (1) identifying markets beyond early adopters, (2) determining Sarasota’s green business and clean technology strengths, and (3) building basic business acumen through improved networking and small business visibility

Multi-Objective Planning - Developed draft comprehensive plan language for multi-objective development and transportation planning to include land use, regional and local mobility, water resource protection and economic development.

Electric Transportation – Participated in creating a local neighborhood electric transportation “cluster” to integrate  charging stations and low speed electric vehicles into transportation, land use, tourism, and economic development plans.

Redevelopment - Worked with interdisciplinary team of professionals to shape legislative and policy programs for redevelopment in Sarasota County.  Responsible for drafting legislative proposals, comprehensive plan amendments, concurrency options and zoning code language to align zoning and planning language.  Provided outreach to community and civic leaders on transportation and land use.

Transit Oriented Development – Teamed with Dr. David Brain of New College, Sarasota County and the Sarasota County Area Transit Authority to develop a public participation program on transit oriented development and redevelopment.

NISENSON CONSULTING, Principle, Sarasota, Florida | 2006- Present

Planning for Neighborhood Friendly Density – Authored August 2012 edition of Zoning Practice on designing proactively to limit the impacts of higher density development.  

Town of Bluffton, South Carolina –Assisted in formulation of unique joint watershed and land use plan to control stormwater runoff and its impacts on the May River.   

United States Environmental Protection Agency – Developed national guidance on stormwater controls to meet new regulatory requirements under the Clean Water Act, as well as model ordinance language for joint smart growth and stormwater programs.

Ventura County, California –Developed watershed plans to integrate a new generation of water and stormwater requirements with land use programs and General Plans.  

Trust for Public Land and Smart Growth Leadership Institute – Provided policy innovation to align land development and water resource policies to support source water protection in Ohio, Maine and New Hampshire. 

State of California, Ocean Protection Council (2007) – Developed state policies to support wider implementation for Low Impact Development.

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Senior Project Manager and Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C. | 1999-2006

Planned, developed and managed environmental and smart growth projects, including contract and grants management:

Stormwater:

Developed a multi-office program within EPA to integrate smart growth techniques into stormwater regulatory programs. 

Authored manual on using smart growth techniques as stormwater best management practices, including associated training and outreach materials for integrating zoning codes and stormwater requirements.

Advised the U.S. Green Building Council for integrating stormwater into existing buildings (EB) and neighborhood design (LEED-ND).

Transit Oriented Development and Transportation:

Managed research project on evaluating the performance of transit oriented development.

Served on coordinating committee for Railvolution, an annual conference on TOD

Conducted workshops on transit oriented development, focusing on the policy and implementation features of Arlington, Virginia’s transit program.

Neighborhood Form and Community Development:

Managed and contributed to research on smart growth and emergency response solutions for street design with the Local Government Commission.

Contributed to “Choosing Our Community’s Future,” a cooperative project between EPA and Smart Growth America.

Outreach and Civic Engagement:

Directed EPA’s participation as partner in the Smart Growth Network (1999-2003).

Coordinated EPA’s involvement in the annual Partners for Smart Growth conference, including program development, speechwriting, and other major aspects of conference planning (2000-2005).

Served on the Railvolution planning committee (2003-2005).

CITIZEN PLANNER | 1995-2006

Transit Oriented Development:

Served two terms on Arlington Virginia’s Transit Advisory Commission (2003-2005).  Provided information and feedback to County staff and decision makers on investment, routes and operations for regional subway and bus systems (METRO) and bicycle infrastructure.

Neighborhood Form and Community Development:

Served as Board member for the Clarendon Alliance, a public private partnership for investment in the Clarendon area (2003-2005).

Served as civic association president of the Lyon Park Citizen’s Association (1997-1999).  Provided extensive comments on behalf of the community for development proposals, county investment and comprehensive planning amendments.

Co-founded Citizens for Redeveloping Clarendon Sensibly to promote Arlington’s established land use plans for the Clarendon metro station area (1995).

PUBLICATIONS

2012 – American Planning Association, Zoning Practice, Density and the Planning Edge. (featured in November 26, 2012 edition of Atlantic Cities)

2011 – Planetizen “A Little More Complete – Making way for Neighborhood Electric Vehicles.”

2011 – Stormwater, “Ahead of the Learning Curve”

2009 – Stormwater magazine, “Zoning Code Audits – from the Watershed’s Point of View.”

2008 – Urban Land Magazine, December/January 2008 issue, “Stormwater Regulations.”

2008 - Water Resources and Land and Use Planning Watershed-based Strategies for Ventura County, with the Local Government Commission for the California Water Resource Board.

2008  - “State and Local Policies Encouraging or Requiring Low Impact Development in California” consultant to TetraTech for the California Ocean Protection Council

2007 – Planetizen and Landscape Architecture magazine, December issue, “A Browner Shade of Green.”

2006 – “Zoning Practice,” Watershed Planning, American Planning Association

2006 –  “Using Smart Growth Techniques as Stormwater Best Management Practices” EPA publication

2006 “Why 2006 Matters for Transit Oriented Development,” January issue of Getting Smart, ICMA publication

2005 – “Hidden Credits – Using Smart Growth Techniques to Manage Stormwater under Phase II,” October issue of Public Management magazine, ICMA

2005 – “New Stormwater Laws - What Smart Growth Advocates Need to Know,” published in Planetizen

2003 – “Getting to Smart Growth, Volume II,” contributor, EPA publication.

RECENT PRESENTATIONS

2012 – SRQ Assets, marketing presentation for asset mapping.

2012 – Congress for the New Urbanism, Rainwater-in-Context Speed Presentations (video)

2011 – Sarasota County Sustainable Communities Workshop, “Recharging the Economy, Saraota’s NEV Cluster.” 

2010 – Center for Watershed Protection webinar – Better Site Design

2009 - New Partners for Smart Growth conference, Albuquerque, N,M., Merging watershed and Land Development Codes and Plans

2008 – International Erosion and Sediment Control Conference – All day workshop on Low Impact Development and Smart Growth, Orlando, Florida

2007 – California Association of Stormwater Quality Administrators, Costa Mesa, California, workshop on impervious cover and land development ordinances.

2007 - New Partners for Smart Growth conference, Los Angeles, California, workshop on barriers to smart growth and infill

2006 - National Stormwater Coordinators Meeting, Burlington, Vermont

RECENT AWARDS

2007 – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Partner of the Office of Water Award.

EDUCATION

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Masters in Education, 1988

Meredith College, Raleigh, North Carolina

Bachelor of Science in Biology, 1984

CONTACT

Email – lisa[at]nisenson.net

Phone – 941-822-0338

Mobile – 202-744-6854

LinkedIn address

Twitter - @nisenson

Facebook – www.facebook.com/lisa.nisenson

Pinterest – Lisa Nisenson