The Clever Communities Workshop

Registration Link Coming Soon

A two-day workshop dedicated to rediscovering the Forgotten Fundamentals of Economic Development

September 17 - 18, 2026 | Dallas, TX

Your city’s greatest economic asset is already there.

You just need to unlock it.

For decades, economic development has focused on “big game hunting” – using large subsidies to lure in large, out-of-town businesses that take profits out of communities. These projects are risky, expensive, and most of all, leave a community economically fragile. It’s time to refocus economic development on the time-tested tools that create a strong, resilient, vibrant economy focused on quality jobs and local wealth retention.

This first-of-its-kind workshop – held at Tyler Station in Dallas, Texas - focuses on the Forgotten Fundamentals of economic development. You will learn how our cities once built home-grown, thriving, bottom-up economies, the current barriers holding this dynamism back, and how we can foster it again today, to build long-term economic resilience by creating a fertile economic ecosystem for businesses of all sizes to thrive.

Come away with…

  • A comprehensive understanding of what factors drive land value, and how a robust urban fabric lays the foundation for your city’s bottom line.

  • Actionable tools to change policy in your city to enable entrepreneurship.

  • A network of thinkers, activists, and policymakers focused on rediscovering the fundamental means of unlocking economic development.

  • The methodology to map your city’s tax yield, mapping quantitative numbers to increase retail sales, property values, income taxes, and jobs in your city through low-cost, high-impact interventions.

  • An action plan to convert your community’s existing economic potential into economic growth.

Featured Speakers

  • Nathan Norris

    Founding Principal | The CityBuilding Partnership

    Economic Development Director | City of Clermont

  • Joe Minicozzi, AICP

    Principal | Urban3

  • Stacy Mitchell

    Co-Executive Director | Institute for Local Self-Reliance

  • Monte Anderson

    President | Options Real Estate Investments, Inc.

    Founding President | CNU North Texas Chapter

    Cofounder | Incremental Development Alliance

  • Sheila Weinberg, CPA

    Founder and CEO | Truth in Accounting

  • Edward Erfurt

    Chief Technical Advisor | Strong Towns

  • Kevin Shepherd

    Founder and CEO | Verdunity

The Venue: Tyler Station

Tyler Station transformed a historic 1920s wax paper factory from a contaminated industrial site that had been vacant for over 20 years into a 110,000 square foot adaptive reuse development in the heart of the Oak Cliff Neighborhood in Southern Dallas. Developed without public subsidy in 2018 by Monte Anderson, Tyler Station is now home to 85 businesses ranging from breweries to light manufacturing, artisan workshops, and coworking spaces.

A mixed-use hub for local entrepreneurs, located steps from the Tyler/Vernon DART station, Tyler Station is an exemplar of incremental, community-driven development and the perfect backdrop to the Clever Communities Workshop.

For more information see the Tyler Station Website


Register Now

Registration Link Coming Soon

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Workshop pricing is $495.00.

  • Payment to the workshop includes:

    • Access to workshops and speaking from national and international thought leaders in the realm of incremental economic development. 

    • Catered lunches for both days of the conference, provided by local entrepreneurs.

  • Accommodations are not provided, however, workshop attendees are encouraged to stay at the Canopy by Hilton Dallas Uptown.

    Conveniently located steps from the Cityplace/Uptown DART station, the Canopy has direct DART light rail access to both DFW Airport and our venue at Tyler Station. It is also centrally located in Uptown, a vibrant urban neighborhood just north of Downtown Dallas.

    Neighborhood Recommendations:

    If not staying at the Canopy, attendees are still recommended to stay in the Uptown Dallas neighborhood for convenient venue access and post-programming activities. Considered “on the verge of collapse” only 30 years ago, Uptown Dallas has experienced a dramatic regeneration into one of Texas’s most vibrant and walkable urban districts, making it the perfect backdrop to the Clever Communities Conference.

    Other neighborhoods, like Downtown and the Bishop Arts District, have additional options.

  • Going to and from Uptown Dallas is easy by both car and light rail (DART):

    From Uptown Dallas:

    • DFW Airport: 

      • 30 min drive

      • 60 min via DART Orange Line

    • Clever Communities Venue (Tyler Station)

      • 16 min drive

      • 26 min via DART Red Line

    Using DART Light Rail:
    With one of the longest light rail systems in the US, using Dallas's four DART light rail lines is a convenient way to get around, with easy access to Tyler Station, Uptown, and DFW Airport.

    • Payment: Contactless (Apple Pay or Credit/Debit), GoPass App, Reloadable GoPass Tap Card, or station ticket vending machines.

    • Fares: $3 3-hour pass, $6 Day Pass

    • Frequencies: Generally 20-minute frequencies, with 15-minute frequencies during peak times, and 30-minute frequencies late at night. Trains run 7 days a week from 5:30 AM to midnight.


Contact Us

Please send all inquiries to team@citymakerscollective.org

Happy to be in touch!