Members' 25-Year Reminiscences

H. Peter Oberlander

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

I joined ASPO (I believe) in 1947 and worked successively with all Executive Directors starting with Walter Blucher. By the late 1960s, I had escalated to ASPO's Board of Directors/Governors, achieving the Presidency in 1974-76. At the time, as Is Stollman can corroborate, I was deeply involved in the negotiations to bring ASPO and AIP under a common umbrella. The hallmark of my joy and pleasure was bringing ASPO to Vancouver in 1975 for its annual meeting, and hosting it under very festive circumstances, anticipating convening the First UN Conference on Human Settlements, HABITAT in 1976 in Vancouver.

Now, as you know, we are gearing up to HABITAT+30 for the World Urban Forum for Vancouver in 2006.

I hope my CIP colleagues have kept you posted on our progress, and I hope that we can count on APA's substantive contribution in our effort to focus global attention on the impact of worldwide urbanization and the changing role of our profession in its responsibilities.

Keep me posted on the continuing "Charter Member" program, in the hope that we can count on APA's joint efforts with CIP for WUF 2006.