Jason Roberts, founder of the Better Block Foundation, is expected to lay out small, simple changes neighborhoods can make when he appears in the Tomorrow Plan Speaker Series at noon April 10 at the State Historical Building. “Cities around the world recognize that to stay competitive – to retain talent, industry and business – they need to become more walkable and more livable,” Roberts said in a statement. “So what are rapid, low-cost ways to retrofit our environments? Give tools and resources to the communities and empower them to make change.” In 2010, Roberts organized a series of “Better Block” projects that focused on replacing blight in southern Dallas with temporary, walkable districts with pop-up businesses, bike lanes, cafe seating and landscaping. The project has now become an international movement and has been featured in the New York Times, Dwell magazine, TED Talks and on National Public Radio.Roberts and his team members also will stop in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Fort Dodge, Greenfield and Keokuk. Register for the Des Moines event here.