TEACHING & PRESENTATIONS
The Walker Collaborative’s Phil Walker has lectured and/or served on design juries for several universities for various planning-related issues.
He has taught urban planning courses to planning officials and professionals throughout the state of Alabama as part of the University of North Alabama’s continuing education program. His book on downtown planning is required reading for several collegiate planning courses, including those at the University of Massachusetts and Arizona State University.
In 2018, Phil Walker was appointed by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) as a Site Visitor to help evaluate collegiate planning programs across the country.
Some of the universities Walker has lectured at or served on design juries for include:
Watch A Presentation from Phil Walker
“Initiating and Implementing a Downtown Plan” • Mississippi Main Street, Nov. 3, 2021
“Planning For Tryon’s Future” • Tryon Downtown Development Assoc., May. 7, 2015
Representative Presentations
- Destination Downtown Conference (Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi Main Street Associations)
September 12, 2024 – Vicksburg, Mississippi
Session: Reviving the Black Downtown - Memphis Area Association of Governments Conference: March 24, 2024 – Memphis, Tennessee
Session: Harnessing Growth Through Planning - Destination Downtown Conference (Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi Main Street Associations)
September 21, 2021 – Starkville, Mississippi
Session: Initiating and Implementing a Downtown Plan [view video above] - American Planning Association’s National Conference: April 13, 2019 – San Francisco, California
Session: Design-Based Comprehensive Plans - Alabama/Mississippi American Planning Association Fall Conference: October 11, 2018 – Oxford, Mississippi
Session: Dollars, Heritage & Race: Creating a Downtown Plan for Natchez, MS - American Planning Association’s National Conference: April 23, 2018 – New Orleans, Louisiana
Session: Dollars, Heritage and Race in Natchez - Kentucky Chapter of the American Planning Association Spring Conference: May 19, 2017 – Lake Cumberland State Park & Resort
Session: Downtown Planning for Smaller & Midsized Communities - Alabama Planning Institute – University of North Alabama: September 30, 2016 – Gardendale; February 3, 2017 – Madison; February 24, 2017 – Sylacauga; February 25, 2017 – Phenix City
Session: Coding for Smart Growth - Alabama & Mississippi Chapters of the American Planning Association Annual Conference, October 8, 2015 – Orange Beach, Alabama
Session: A Tale of Two Cities: Planning in Oxford & Starkville - Killeen Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet, September 24, 2015 – Killeen, Texas
Session: Why History is Important - Downtown Tryon Development Association, May 7, 2015 – Tryon, North Carolina
Session: Planning for Tryon’s Future [view video above] - Alabama & Mississippi Chapters of the American Planning Association Annual Conference, November 13, 2014 – Tupelo, Mississippi
Session: Old Stuff = New Dollars: Historic Preservation as Economic Development - 2014 Twin States Conference of the American Society of Landscape Architects (Alabama & Mississippi ASLA Chapters), March 14, 2014 – Oxford, Mississippi
Session: Heritage Tourism Planning in the Mississippi Hills - University of North Alabama’s Continuing Education Series, September 25, 2012 – Enterprise
Workshop: Turning the Past Into Dollars – Economic Development Through Preservation & Heritage Tourism - 2012 Annual Conference of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Planning Association, September 20, 2012 – Bentonville, Arkansas
Session: When Good Downtowns Do Bad Things: Lessons A to Z - 2012 Destination Downtown Conference, September 18, 2012 – Rogers, Arkansas
Session: Downtown Planning for Smaller & Midsized Communities - 2011 Florida Main Street Conference, September 16, 2011 – DeLand, Florida
Session: Downtown Planning for Smaller & Midsized Communities - University of North Alabama’s Continuing Education Series, June 8, 2011 – Auburn, Alabama
Workshop: Community Enhancement Through Zoning & Design Standards - 14th Annual Planners’ and Zoning Administrators’ Conference, April 27, 2011 – Madison, Alabama
Workshop: Community Enhancement Through Zoning & Design Standards - 2011 Annual Conference of the American Planning Association, April 12, 2011 – Boston, Massachusetts
Session: Zoning Repair for Downtowns - 2011 Annual Conference of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Planning Association, March 11, 2011 – North Little Rock, Arkansas
Keynote Speech: Downtown Planning for Smaller & Midsized Communities - 2011 Annual North Carolina Main Street Conference, January 28, 2011 – Shelby, North Carolina
Keynote Speech: Downtown Revival in a Fiscal Crunch - 2010 Annual Conference of the American Planning Association, April 12, 2010 – New Orleans, Louisiana
Session: Downtown Planning for Smaller & Midsized Communities - 2010 Annual Spring Conference of the Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association, March 17, 2010 – Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Session: Downtown Planning for Smaller & Midsized Communities - 2009 Annual Conference of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Planning Association, November 12-13, 2009 – Hernando, Mississippi
Sessions:
– Smart Growth Planning, Small Towns, the Livable Community: Is Your Plan Helping or Hurting?
– Planning Commissioners Workshop: The Comprehensive Plan - African-American Preservation Alliance Conference, August 4, 2006 – Memphis, Tennessee
Session: Historic Neighborhood Initiatives – Jazzing Up Urban Neighborhood Commercial Districts - Texas Downtown Association Annual Conference, November 11, 2004 – Bryan, Texas
Sessions:
– Keynote Speech: Reclaiming Main Street Through Downtown Planning
– Design Review for Quality Development - ABPP 7th Annual National Conference on Battlefield Preservation, April 21, 2004 – Nashville, Tennessee
Session: Reading the Land – Cultural Resource Analysis & Battlefield Preservation
“This draft is one of the most thorough and comprehensive planning documents I have ever read. Being used to NPS planning documents that are largely boiler plate and fluff and short on substance that serve little purpose than checking a box for park managers, I am truly impressed by your work.”
“TWC was incredibly professional and easy to work with, making the whole process smooth from start to finish. Their guidance was spot-on and really helped us move forward with confidence. The work they delivered was top-notch – detailed, thoughtful, and super well done.”
“You and your team did a fantastic job with this comprehensive plan.
It clearly reflects a high level of care on your part.
We feel like the City of Midway really got its money’s worth.”
“Downtown Planning for Smaller and Midsize Communities is excellent for anyone working in revitalization. The book covers all of the aspects that help create a healthy downtown and a successful revitalization strategy. It’s the big picture of what makes a downtown function and the importance of having a plan. It reminded me what initially interested me about the field.”
“The reason the City continuously hires The Walker Collaborative, even over the course of multiple political administrations, is because they do a good job. Phil is good at listening to his clients and the public in general, and he takes the time to understand the various existing conditions in a thorough manner. His solutions for our community always seem to be the most technically sound and pragmatic path to take, so we value his recommendations.”
“I received lots of feedback from participants that your presentation was well presented, informative, and professional. It left everyone with confidence in the project and proposed changes.”
“The Walker Collaborative did a tremendous job of helping to forge the initial vision for our heritage area. The economic study prepared by Phil Walker and persuasively presented by him in five communities throughout the region was instrumental in confirming the potential of our proposed heritage area and solidifying widespread political and public support.”
“From all accounts, The Walker Collaborative knows what it’s doing when the aim is downtown revitalization… What we like most about this process is the strong desire this organization has to get public input…
The Walker Collaborative seemed to truly care about getting local buy-in.”
“Mr. Walker assembled a talented team…that have dramatically changed the neighborhood for the better.
The plan has since been used as a model strategy for the revitalization
of other similar neighborhoods in Tupelo.”
“… the City hired The Walker Collaborative (TWC) to craft a detailed revitalization strategy in 2013… Issues addressed included uses and development along the Coosa River … Although budgets are tight, we have used the plan to make steady progress in revitalizing the district… The City of Wetumpka was quite pleased with the services and end product provided by The Walker Collaborative.”
