|
POLICY AND ADVOCACY |
Shape APA policy positions
You are invited to comment on draft APA policy guides on equity, housing, and surface transportation that were developed by APA members and approved by APA's Legislative and Policy Committee. All recommended policies aim to create just, healthy, and prosperous communities that expand opportunities for all.
Download the drafts and use the associated online comment forms to offer feedback. APA will gather and share all comments with the policy guide working groups that will prepare final versions of the guides for the Delegates Assembly's consideration at NPC19.
Your participation will help ensure that APA policy guides reflect the breadth of member perspectives and move us closer to our shared vision of great communities. The comment period ends on February 28. |
|
|
|
Ask your organization to support key programs
Although the Trump administration has yet to propose an FY 2020 budget, APA and national partners are looking ahead to key appropriations milestones. APA recently signed on to letters that urge Congress to permanently extend New Markets Tax Credits and restore funding for Community Development Block Grants. We hope your organization will join us.
NMTC attracts private investment to low-income communities and advances inclusive growth strategies, and CDBG provides critical financial support for local community development and affordable housing initiatives. Ask your organization to stand up for these successful programs. The sign-on deadline for the NMTC letter is February 15; for CDBG it is March 1. |
ADVERTISEMENT
Earn a Penn State degree in Community and Economic Development
Learn how to navigate the complexities of communities and community organizations to inspire positive changes on local, regional, and national levels with a Penn State degree. Complete your course work online, studying where and when you want. Request a brochure and get started today. |
NATIONAL PLANNING CONFERENCE |
Register now at the early-bird rate
Today is your last chance to register for NPC19, April 13–16 in San Francisco, at the early-bird price. Reserve your spot now for the best in-person education, networking opportunities, and planning-in-action mobile workshops. Rates go up at 12 a.m. (CT) tomorrow. |
|
|
NPC20 (yes 20!) topic survey
APA Education appreciates your favorable responses to the tracks and topics planned for NPC19. In order to deliver consistent educational programming, we plan to maintain the tracks for NPC20. However, APA invites your suggestions for additional subjects or other ideas that you would like us to consider for next year's or later conferences. Please share your thoughts by March 6. |
APA NEWS |
Thank you and farewell
As I retire this month, I want to thank all of you for your support — of both APA and me — as I came into this position from outside the planning world. Over the last five years, we have worked to increase the value of membership, facilitate collaboration, and advance our mission of building great communities for all. Membership is now around 44,000 and we emphasize being an inclusive, strategic, and agile organization.
I leave knowing that member engagement is increased and that your association staff is a wonderfully effective partner in making APA a great place. A terrific new CEO will be announced shortly, and I am sure that the great story of planning will continue to unfold in new and exciting ways.
—James M. Drinan, JD
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
|
RESOURCES |
|
Learn planning from A to Z
APA Learn features education on planning topics from A(ffordable Housing) to Z(oning). Have a minute? Check out an alphabet's worth of planning courses from the foremost source of online planning education. |
|
|
|
Planning and The Commissioner
In the February issue of Planning, learn how planning for music is bringing entertainment and economic growth into new "music cities" like Denver, Omaha, and Denton, Texas. The Commissioner special section reviews key components of effective comprehensive wildfire management plans. |
From APA's Planning History Timeline
In 1952, Samuel J. Cullers received a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, possibly becoming the first African American to earn a graduate degree in city planning. Later, Cullers was involved in a discrimination complaint against McKinley Park Homes in Hartford, Connecticut, after his apartment rental application was rejected despite evidence that there were apartments available. He also worked as a planner in Thailand, Canada, and Chicago. Learn more planning history. |
|
|
|
|
Proceed with caution or courage — or both
Every planner sometimes experiences tension between personal hopes and preferences and the constraints of planning for the common good. In a new "Guide for the Idealist" post, Richard Willson, FAICP, explores when to act boldly and when to move cautiously and trust the planning process. |
Do you subscribe to Zoning Practice?
Zoning Practice is a first-class guide to writing and administering smart development codes. Subscribers receive a monthly issue plus access to the full ZP archive, including "Fair Housing Is More Important Than Ever" from December 2018. Donald Elliott, FAICP, reviews the basics of fair housing law, recent developments, and practices to help close the gap between the ideal of fair housing and current reality.
Subscribe to ZP today to receive 12 issues for less than $8 per issue. |
|
|
|
|
OPPORTUNITIES |
Take the diversity and inclusion survey
Results of the ongoing Planning Practitioner Diversity Climate Survey will guide development of resources to promote diverse and inclusive environments where planners work and provide a benchmark for measuring progress. |
|
Suggest a Great Place in America
Use our online form to suggest a 2019 Great Place in America. APA will announce this year's designees during the Planning and Advocacy Conference in September. The suggestion window is open through April 17. |
Support the APA FIG
The APA Food Interest Group requests your support as it pursues status as an APA division. Consider that among life essentials — air, water, shelter, and food — only food has not been the focus of serious professional planning interest. Please add your name to their division petition and help recognize food systems planning as a core area of our profession. |
|
|
|
Land Economics Foundation grants
The Land Economics Foundation of Lambda Alpha International invites proposals that advance the field of land economics from qualified individuals, publications, nonprofits, and institutions. Grants can be applied to planning projects and typically range from $5,000 to $30,000. |
|
|