Menlo Park, I explain to outsiders, is a city of contradictions. We are home to SRI, one of the world's great research institutions ? served by a rail station that locals won't grade separate or electrify. We have a boutiquey, albeit rather moribund, downtown. With a promising nexus of bookstore and cafés, much of our center goes into nightly hibernation. Our civic tastes range from the haute to the hick, making it hard to get a handle on Menlo Park's future.

In short, we are in flux. Perhaps the entire region is.

For our community, still recovering from a bruising fight over Measure M, there's no better time to look at the bigger picture ? the economic, environmental and cultural choices we face.

Here are three good opportunities to consider regional growth.

Does Land Use Matter?, Saturday, 21 February, hosted by the UC Davis School of Law. This statewide confab includes everyone from The Governor's Office to the Nature Conservancy.

Let's Get Moving, Silicon Valley, Saturday, 7 March, at De Anza College, sponsored by TransForm. This promises to be a lively take on transportation and community development. Conference organizer Chris Lepe has a flair for attracting great speakers.

SPUR Workshops With a century of civic involvement, SPUR's agenda is big and diverse. On one recent weekday, meetings ranged from the drought in San Jose to waterfront development in San Francisco.