Forward Janesville is proud to announce the launch of CivicCon, a new community conversation series designed to engage residents, businesses and civic leaders around the ideas and decisions that shape our city’s future. The inaugural CivicCon event, Making Cities — Design Matters, will take place from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8, and will feature nationally recognized urban designers Victor Dover and Joe Kohl.
CivicCon—short for civic conversation—is modeled after a successful event series in Pensacola, Florida, that brings communities together to learn from leading voices and engage in meaningful dialogue around timely local issues. Forward Janesville’s CivicCon series aims to foster informed discussion, civic engagement and thoughtful collaboration across the Janesville community.
“Business development is community development, and strong communities are built intentionally,” said Forward Janesville President and CEO Shar Hermanson. “CivicCon creates space for our community to learn together, ask questions and imagine what Janesville can become when design, planning and collaboration align.”
About the Event
During Making Cities — Design Matters, Dover—co-author of Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns—and Kohl—recognized nationally as an innovator in urban design and graphic communication—will explore how thoughtful design influences the places people live, work and gather. Drawing on real-world examples from cities across the country, they will show how vision, planning and collaboration between residents, leaders and businesses can transform communities.
The event will feature a one-hour presentation followed by a 30-minute moderatehttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/making-cities-design-matters-tickets-1977666169751?aff=oddtdtcreatord Q&A session, giving attendees the opportunity to engage directly in the conversation by submitting questions in advance.
Event Details:
📅 Date: January 8, 2026
📍 Location: Janesville Performing Arts Center
🕒 Format: 5-5:30 p.m – Networking; 5:30-6:30 p.m. – Featured presentation; 6:30-7 p.m. –30-minute Q&A.
💵 Cost: Free and open to the public
Registration is now open here
Why CivicCon Matters for Janesville
CivicCon aligns closely with the economic development and government relations pillars of Forward Janesville and supports key focus areas of the organization’s Government Relations Council, including civic engagement, housing and zoning. The timing of this inaugural event is especially significant as the City of Janesville undertakes its first comprehensive zoning code rewrite in more than 40 years.
The expertise of Dover and Kohl in New Urbanism, walkable neighborhoods, mixed-use development, and form-based zoning offers valuable perspective as Janesville considers how land use decisions made today will impact growth, affordability, and quality of life for decades to come.
“Civic engagement has always been high on our list,” Todd Needham, chair of Forward Janesville’s Government Relations Council, said in this article about the event published in The Janesville Gazette. “This kind of event fits perfectly with our mission to help people learn about issues that matter to the community.”
A New Community Tradition
Forward Janesville hopes CivicCon will become an ongoing series that brings thought leaders to the community while encouraging open, accessible dialogue on issues that matter most to local residents and employers.
Community members, business leaders, elected officials and anyone interested in Janesville’s future are encouraged to attend.
Click here to learn more or register for Making Cities — Design Matters