BOISE — Fred Kent, founder and president of the nonprofit organization Project for Public Spaces, will deliver a keynote address at the 2012 Conference on Housing and Economic Development on Oct. 10.

 Kent is an expert on “Placemaking,” a common-sense approach to community and economic development. Transportation experts, city planners, community groups, legislators and government leaders all use Placemaking strategies. This socially centered blueprint helps create and sustain places that attract and retain entrepreneurs, businesses and workers. Kent will discuss how Idaho cities and towns can leverage their existing assets to drive economic activity and improve livability.

Kent and his organization train more than 10,000 people worldwide each year and have helped more than 3,000 communities. Kent, who has spent a lifetime documenting human behavior in urban environments, has taken more than half a million photos of public spaces. He also worked with famed urbanist William H. Whyte, who wrote the 1980 publication “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.”

Kent’s address will cap off the two-day conference, which begins Tuesday, Oct. 9, at the Riverside Hotel in Boise. The conference, organized by Idaho Housing and Finance Association, brings together industry experts and state leaders to share ideas and learn about issues important to Idaho communities. To register or to get more information, go to www.2012housingconf.com.

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Idaho Housing and Finance Association, a financial services and housing business organization, improves lives and strengthens Idaho communities by expanding housing opportunities, building self-sufficiency, and fostering economic development.