Come Play Rising Tides Roulette! What Will You Do As The Climate Changes?

"Matt Bucchin, AICP, LEED Green Associate is currently a Deputy Practice Leader at Halff, out of their Austin office. He has over 27 years of public and private sector experience at the city, state, and special district levels of government. Over the last 12 years, Matt has worked as a … Read More

"Matt Bucchin, AICP, LEED Green Associate is currently a Deputy Practice Leader at Halff, out of their Austin office. He has over 27 years of public and private sector experience at the city, state, and special district levels of government. Over the last 12 years, Matt has worked as a planning consultant and project manager on comprehensive, park, environmental, corridor, active transportation and downtown master planning processes and zoning and land development code projects. He currently oversees all the planners at Halff and leads their Smart Cities initiative. Beyond his primary job duties, he has also taken leadership roles for several American Planning Association (APA) initiatives including being the Past Chair for the APA’s Sustainable Communities Division, project manager for APA’s Smart Cities and Sustainability Initiative (2014-2018) and Interest Group (2020-present). Previously, Matt was the co-author of APA’s 2022 Climate Mitigation and Adaptation PAS Report (#601) and contributing author and editor for APA’s Climate Change Policy Guide (2020) and the Rebuilding America Green Infrastructure Sub-Task Force Report (2011). Matt currently leads the Environment and Healthy Communities subcommittee for APATX’s legislative and policy efforts and is part of USGBC’s LEED for Communities Technical Advisory subcommittee." Read Less

"Julia Murphy is the City of San Antonio Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer and is on the team working on the City’s first climate action and adaptation plan, focusing energy efficiency, modern transportation, green infrastructure, and air quality. Signature projects include implementing the Mayor’s Youth Engagement Council for Climate Initiatives, establishing … Read More

"Julia Murphy is the City of San Antonio Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer and is on the team working on the City’s first climate action and adaptation plan, focusing energy efficiency, modern transportation, green infrastructure, and air quality. Signature projects include implementing the Mayor’s Youth Engagement Council for Climate Initiatives, establishing the EVSA Electric Vehicles San Antonio program, land conservation over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, implementing the first modern bike share network in Texas, and establishing the Hardberger Park Conservancy. In addition, Julia teaches courses in Urban & Regional Planning at the University of Texas at San Antonio in the College of Engineering and Integrated Design. In this role, she specializes in sustainability, environmental assessment and climate mitigation and adaptation policy. Julia is a LEED Accredited Professional and Certified Planner. She serves on the board of the Texas Land Trust Council and is a member of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network and Urban Land Institute. She has Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Science degrees from the University of Texas." Read Less

"Karen S. Walz FAICP is the Principal in Strategic Community Solutions LLC, a professional consulting firm that helps clients build successful and sustainable communities. Ms. Walz has over 45 years of experience in strategic planning, public engagement, facilitation, comprehensive planning and plan implementation. Her work experience includes East and West … Read More

"Karen S. Walz FAICP is the Principal in Strategic Community Solutions LLC, a professional consulting firm that helps clients build successful and sustainable communities. Ms. Walz has over 45 years of experience in strategic planning, public engagement, facilitation, comprehensive planning and plan implementation. Her work experience includes East and West coast communities, as well as Texas, the Midwest and Western U.S. Clients include cities, counties, metropolitan regions and non-profit organizations. Client communities range from towns of a few thousand people to cities with over one million residents and counties covering 13,000 square miles. Ms. Walz served as the Project Manager for “Vision North Texas”, a coalition of private, public and non-profit organizations carrying out a regional visioning initiative for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Karen S. Walz received a Bachelor of Science degree with distinction in Environmental Earth Sciences from Stanford University and a Master of City and Regional Planning from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Karen Walz was inducted as a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners in 2006. Ms. Walz’ work has been recognized by numerous awards and commendations." Read Less

Ms. Miller, AICP began her career at the City of Austin, as the master planner for the redevelopment of Mueller Austin. In New York City, she led the development of a plan for the Brooklyn Waterfront that resulted in the creation of a multimillion-dollar greenway. Post 9/11, Miller served the … Read More

Ms. Miller, AICP began her career at the City of Austin, as the master planner for the redevelopment of Mueller Austin. In New York City, she led the development of a plan for the Brooklyn Waterfront that resulted in the creation of a multimillion-dollar greenway. Post 9/11, Miller served the recovery effort by assisting with region-wide efforts to involve the public in reimagining the City’s future. After Hurricane Katrina, Ms. Miller relocated to the Gulf Coast to build the capacity of local organizations recovering from the storm. Since joining Halff in 2019, Miller has been working with planners, landscape architects and engineers to promote Resilience, helping communities grow more sustainably while mitigating hazards, assessing and adapting to floods. Her team spans Florida to Texas, and they are currently engaged the development of several regional flood planning efforts with the Texas General Land Office. Read Less