# Free Grow Smart Academy Educates Lexington on Land-Use Planning  
**Published:** 2026-01-12T09:00:37.000Z  
**Source:** [Fayette Alliance](https://fayettealliance.com/growsmartacademy/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/free-grow-smart-academy-educates-lexington-on-land-use-planning

LEXINGTON, Ky. — [Grow Smart Academy, a free five-session program hosted by Fayette Alliance](https://fayettealliance.com/growsmartacademy/), is educating Lexington residents on how land-use planning shapes the community's economic development, environment and quality of life.

[Fayette Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to achieving smart, sustainable and equitable growth in Lexington-Fayette County](https://fayettealliance.com/), launched the program in 2010 and has educated hundreds of community members since its inception. The academy features expert-led sessions, hands-on learning and nationally recognized keynote speakers designed to equip graduates with tools to advocate for smart growth.

The 2026 session's keynote speaker is [Ray Delahanty, creator of the popular CityNerd YouTube channel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Delahanty). [CityNerd explores urbanism, transportation and urban design through video content](https://www.youtube.com/@CityNerd), with [nearly 400,000 subscribers and over 44 million lifetime views](https://www.youtube.com/@CityNerd). [Delahanty worked for two decades as an urban planner before launching the channel during the pandemic](https://www.theurbanist.org/2023/09/12/meet-ray-delahanty-the-guy-behind-citynerd/).

Because of donor support and community sponsorship, the academy remains completely free and open to anyone interested in learning about land use's impact on public transit, walkability, housing affordability, greenspaces, climate and livelihood. [The keynote presentation features Delahanty at the historic Kentucky Theatre, located at 214 E. Main St.](https://fayettealliance.com/growsmartacademy/)

[Session Two, "Growing Our City," covered Lexington's Preservation & Growth Management Program](https://fayettealliance.com/growsmartacademy/), a newly proposed ordinance designed to guide decisions about expanding Lexington's historic Urban Service Boundary. [The program also addresses infill and redevelopment initiatives focused on creating more affordable and diverse housing types](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Delahanty).

Upcoming sessions will continue the discussion on smart growth. [Session Three on sustainability and transportation is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5](https://fayettealliance.com/growsmartacademy/). All sessions remain free for Lexington residents interested in participating.

## Sources

- [Fayette Alliance](https://fayettealliance.com/growsmartacademy/)
- [Fayette Alliance organization homepage](https://fayettealliance.com/)
- [Ray Delahanty Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Delahanty)
- [CityNerd YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@CityNerd)
- [The Urbanist profile of Ray Delahanty](https://www.theurbanist.org/2023/09/12/meet-ray-delahanty-the-guy-behind-citynerd/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Fayette Alliance, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://fayettealliance.com/growsmartacademy/.