8 80 Cities expert, Gil Penalosa visited our community thanks to AARP!

In the month of November Pottawatomie County hosted 8 80 Cities internationally renowned speaker, Gil Penalosa! Gil's specialty is partnering with communities to rethink their infrastructure to cultivate places for 8 to 80 year old's. There were several opportunities for community members to engage from community conversations, Shawnee Middle School sixth grade students engaging in a visioning session, and a lunch including community civic clubs. Penalosa was able to share his experiences helping to build and rebuild 200 parks and visiting over 70 different cities in the US. The students especially enjoyed the unique opportunity to engage in a visionary event. 8 80 Cities: A Conversation Between Two Generations on Community, held at the Gordon Cooper Technology Center. This event, featured the urbanist and community advocate encouraging students to dream big about Shawnee’s future and to consider what makes a community great for residents of all ages.