Upskilling Planners
APA Strategic Initiative
Practical Skills For Planners
Upskilling is a process of teaching or learning new skills relevant to a job or profession that helps employees adapt to changing needs.
About APA's Upskilling Planners Initiative
As the world around us shifts, planners must understand the dynamics of change and adjust to ensure they can continue to create great communities for all. This involves adapting planning processes and approaches and committing to continuous learning and upskilling.
APA has launched the Upskilling Planners Initiative to equip planners with the right skillsets to excel in dynamic environments shaped by evolving approaches and technologies. Our goal is to ensure planners are fully prepared for the future and equipped with the knowledge, insights, and skills needed to navigate changing environments adeptly.
Feel passionate about shaping the future of planning? If you would like to be involved in developing skills-based resources and training, don't hesitate to reach out to Amanda Acevedo, Career Services and Professional Development Manager.
Upcoming Upskilling Events
"Wait, why am I talking?"Active Listening as a Planner's Best Friend
Webinar — Thursday, June 5, 2025 | Noon–1:00 pm (Central Time, US)
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Cost: Free
In today's polarized and fast-paced world, active listening is more important than ever. In this free interactive webinar, planner and educator Corrin Wendell, AICP, explores why listening matters for planners and how to do it well. As part one of a two-part series, the session lays the groundwork for a June 12 training. Participants will learn how curiosity, trust-building, and conflict de-escalation can strengthen community engagement, while examining how bias, culture, and power affect listening. Open to all career levels, this session offers practical tools for better communication.
Training —Thursday, June 12, 2025 | Noon–2:00 pm (Central Time, US)
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Cost: $100 APA Members, $150 Non-Members
This two-hour virtual training with improviser and planner Phil Green, AICP, builds on the June 5 webinar. He'll explore the intersection of improv and active listening. Through interactive exercises, role-play, and real-time feedback, participants will strengthen listening agility, respond to tension with care, and use listening to connect and de-escalate. Emphasis is placed on embracing vulnerability, staying present, and learning from mistakes. No improv experience needed — just a willingness to engage and listen fully. A recording of the webinar will be sent to all registrants.
Our Upskilling Portfolio
The Upskilling Planners Initiative portfolio of resources is tailored to address the essential skills planners need to thrive in a rapidly changing environment. From webinars on achieving proficiency in using technology for planning to workshops on honing soft skills like conflict resolution for politically charged community meetings, these resources are crafted to equip planners with practical methods and best practices that can be immediately applied for enhanced effectiveness at work.
Upskilling Resources
What We're Working On: Save the Date!
Strategic Communication with APA's Voice of Planning Team
July 2025
More information to come.
DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES
September 2025
More information to come.
Identifying Skill Gaps
The Upskilling Planners Initiative is anchored in APA Foresight, which focuses on understanding external drivers of change beyond our control, preparing for them, and determining the appropriate actions. We use strategic foresight to pinpoint the skills required to address emerging trends and challenges. In addition to leveraging APA's Foresight practice, we actively collaborate with diverse planning practitioners, researchers, and educators to identify skills gaps.
More Upskilling Resources
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Use These 5 Conflict Resolution Tips to Design Better Meetings
Don’t get bulldozed. Learn ways to navigate conflicts to achieve shared goals with stakeholders.by: Jon DePaolis January 11, 2024Don’t get bulldozed. Learn ways to navigate conflicts to achieve shared goals with stakeholders. -
Future-Proof Your Urban Planning Career with These 6 Important Skills
Critical thinking, empathetic listening, and cultural competency will help you upskill in an ever-changing world.by: Linda McIntyre, AICPCritical thinking, empathetic listening, and cultural competency will help you upskill in an ever-changing world. -
Planners Manage Conflict Every Day: Here's How to Get Better at It
7 takeaways to help you anticipate challenges, use emotional intelligence, and problem-solve with critical thinking.by: Linda McIntyre, AICP October 12, 20237 takeaways to help you anticipate challenges, use emotional intelligence, and problem-solve with critical thinking. -
5 Ways Empathy Can Help You Be a Better Planner
Create a culture of care, address inequities, and grow your career by leading with this increasingly important skill.by: Corrin Hoegen Wendell, AICP September 07, 2023Create a culture of care, address inequities, and grow your career by leading with this increasingly important skill. -
Upskilling Ourselves and the Planning Profession
In an age of disruptors, planners are constantly called on to learn new skills. Here's how APA can help.by: Sagar Shah, PhD, AICP March 31, 2022In an age of disruptors, planners are constantly called on to learn new skills. Here's how APA can help. -
How to Overcome Local Pushback on Climate Action
From cost-benefit analyses to "climate ambassadors," communities are coming together to transcend this politically polarizing issue.by: Brian BarthFrom cost-benefit analyses to "climate ambassadors," communities are coming together to transcend this politically polarizing issue. -
Navigating the 'E-Word' across Conservative Landscapes: The Quiet Controversy of ‘Equity’ in Planning
Explore how EDI — an essential element in ensuring fair access to resources — can provoke debate in conservative areas. We’ll discuss what happens when these terms become contentious and how planners can navigate these challenges using alternative language to build trust and foster collaboration.- Samantha Castro, AICP
- Caleb Knutson
- Daniel Besinaiz
- Laura Everitt, AICP
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AI in Planning: Opportunities and Challenges and How to Prepare
Conclusions and Recommendations from APA's "AI in Planning" Foresight Communityby: Clinton Andrews, AICP, Keith Cooke, Alexsandra Gomez, Petra Hurtado, PhD, Thomas Sanchez, AICP, Sagar Shah, PhD, AICP, Norman Wright, AICP September 09, 2022This white paper summarizes findings from APA's "AI in Planning" Foresight Community and suggests initial ideas on how planners can prepare for AI and its potential impacts, how planners can ensure AI-based planning tools are used in equitable and inclusive ways, and what the role of the planner should be in developing and using AI-based planning tools.
Using the Future to Create Dynamic Plans
This interactive, self-paced training will equip planners with essential skills to navigate change and understand how future uncertainties may impact communities. Learn to use strategic foresight in planning to effectively imagine the future and plan for change.- Amy Cotter
- Brett Fusco
- Alexsandra Gomez
- Robert Goodspeed, AICP
- Heather Sauceda Hannon, AICP
- Petra Hurtado, PhD
- Sagar Shah, PhD, AICP
- Benjamin Zellers, AICP
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Embracing Conflict: Honing Your Conflict Management Skills
by: Jennifer RaittConflict is increasingly permeating through every aspect of our lives — and community meetings are no exception.
How Technology Is Shaping Planning and Your Career
by: David Wasserman, AICP, Thomas Sanchez, AICPMembers of APA's Technology Division continue the conversation on the technical skills and knowledge that emerging professionals need to consider to keep pace with the future of planning.