AICP Community Assistance Program

Addressing issues of social equity in planning and development is a priority of the American Planning Association and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners. One principle of the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct states that certified planners shall aspire to "seek social justice by working to expand choice and opportunity for all persons, recognizing a special responsibility to plan for the needs of the disadvantaged and to promote racial and economic integration." Yet another principle is that certified planners should aspire to "contribute time and effort to groups lacking in adequate planning resources and to voluntary professional activities."

To help all planners reach these goals, the American Institute of Certified Planners created the Community Assistance Program (CAP) to address social equity issues through the provision of pro bono planning services to communities in need.

How CAP Began

Spurred to action following the Los Angeles riots, the APA Executive Board established the first "Community Planning Team" initiative in 1995. This resulted in a very successful pro bono workshop assisting an economically struggling community in North Carolina. Since the 2001 APA National Planning Conference in New Orleans, AICP has sponsored one-day community planning team "charrettes" — now known as Community Planning Workshops — at each National Planning Conference. AICP developed another service of CAP, known as Planning Assistance Teams (PAT) beginning in 2003.

CAP addresses social equity in planning through two methods: the Community Planning Workshop and the Planning Assistance Team. In each method, AICP invites its member planners from across the country to advance sound planning practices in communities typically lacking sufficient resources. Such communities are further identified as possessing a planning challenge that would especially benefit from an impartial team of volunteer professional planners whose expertise would afford new insight.

Sharing and Collaboration

Professional planners participating in CAP share their planning expertise with communities in a number of ways. For example, communities may ask planners to evaluate existing plans, particularly in light of changing realities or demographics. In these cases planners analyze neighborhood, regional, or issue-specific plans and develop suggestions for improvement. Other communities may need planners with specific technical skills to help solve an unanticipated circumstance. In still other cases, planners are asked formulate a vision and then articulate specific recommendations for a redevelopment site in collaboration with the local community.

One of the strongest aspects of CAP is the significance it places on collaboration with local planners and residents to address social equity issues in planning. For example, Community Planning Workshops have consistently engaged dozens of local community members in conjunction with National Planning Conferences since 2001. Such community involvement increases the effectiveness and appropriateness of the planning assistance given to local communities. Furthermore, it is another principle stated in the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct to which certified planners aspire: "We shall give people the opportunity to have a meaningful impact on the development of plans and programs that may affect them. Participation should be broad enough to include those who lack formal organization or influence."

Following the Community Planning Workshop or Planning Assistance Team visit, the host communities (often in conjunction with the local planning department or other entity) are charged with consolidating the recommendations from professional planners and local residents. Frequently this takes the form of a Final Report which contains specific actions to turn the original vision into reality. AICP strongly recommends that such reports receive the attention of local officials as they decide policy and budgetary priorities.