On December 6, 2024, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University hosted the 23rd annual Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference. This year’s theme, Fostering the Development of Sustainable Communities through Innovative Strategies, brought together hundreds of attorneys, professionals, and local leaders to discuss best practices in land use and sustainable development.
The conference opened with remarks from Jessica Bacher, Esq., Executive Director of the Land Use Law Center, and Tiffany Zezula, Esq., Deputy Director of the Land Use Law Center, followed by ethics sessions and a morning keynote session delivered by Jerold S. Kayden, Esq., Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning and Design, Founding Director, Master in Real Estate Program, Harvard University Graduate School of Design on privately owned public spaces. Afternoon breakout sessions focused on public engagement, innovations in land use zoning, housing action plans, community preparedness and resilience.
During the conference, the annual Groundbreaker’s Award was presented to Sabrina D. Charney Hull, AICP Director of Planning, Town of New Castle, NY. As a graduate of the Land Use Leadership Alliance (LULA) Training Program, Sabrina was recognized for the exemplary work she has done in her community using the types of land use and decision-making tools and techniques taught in the LULA program.
A highlight of the conference was Chris Allen, Director of Events and Partnerships, Strong Towns, delivering an informative keynote address on Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity. During the keynote, he focused on examining why so many cities and towns across North America are “going broke”. He discussed not just why, but how we can all build and rebuild strong and resilient cities. The conference concluded with a legal update session and a wine and cheese reception.
The conference was preceded by the Founder’s Award Reception on December 5, where three individuals were honored:
Each year, the Conference is made possible by the generosity of a significant number of sponsors who believe in the mission of the Land Use Law Center and the importance of this annual conference. Special thanks is given to M&T Bank, top sponsor of the event, along with DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr, LLP, Collins Capital Partners LLC, Zarin & Steinmetz LLP, The Oram Foundation, Inc., Cuddy & Feder LLP, Hocherman, Tortorella, and Wekstein, LLP, and the Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers. For more details visit the 2024 Conference agenda program.
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is proud to announce that Samuel Carvalho has been selected to serve as the new Pace Energy and Climate Center Graduate Fellow. This position is reserved for outstanding Pace Haub Law students who demonstrate exceptional academic and research skills, as well as a strong commitment to climate change and energy law.
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University welcomed Tyler Maulsby, Deputy Managing Partner of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein and Selz PC, to deliver the 2026 Philip B. Blank Memorial Lecture on Attorney Ethics speaking on, “Legal Ethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Held virtually on Monday, January 26, Tyler examined how the expanding use of generative AI is reshaping the legal profession and raising critical ethical questions for lawyers, clients, courts, and the public.
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is proud to announce that Achinthi Vithanage, Executive Director of the Environmental Law Program and Professor of Law for Designated Service in Environmental Law at Pace Haub Law, was named to the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Environmental Lawyers: The Green 500. Professor Vithanage has been recognized on this list five times since the publication of the inaugural Lawdragon 500 Leading Environmental & Energy Lawyers list in 2021.