Asheville is changing again. From becoming a major urban area in the North Carolina mountains to becoming a major tourist destination, one can’t deny that the growth has brought a lot of good. However, too much of a good thing can turn to bad. Kristen will take her method of sharing her personal story of migration and change and resilience as it relates to the places she’s inhabited and encourage Ashevillians in attendance to embrace everything that makes Asheville Asheville and continue the path to sustainable and inclusive growth.
Kristen E. Jeffers is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Black Urbanist multimedia platform, author of A Black Urbanist (second edition forthcoming), creator of the public speaking course Plan to Speak and 1/2 of the podcast Third Wave Urbanism, as well as a freelance writer, urban planner and advocate.