Planning Assistance Teams Process and FAQ

Planning Assistance Teams (PATs) consist of approximately five planners working on a pro-bono basis, to solve specific problems in communities facing planning challenges. PATs are generally in the field from three to five days and in some cases, multiple-year visits occur.

Volunteer Planners

To volunteer for a PAT, begin by completing your online resume and answering supplemental questions at www.planning.org/resume/disasterrelief. Note that your resume will not be shared or combined with our Jobs Online resume posting feature.

The resume and supplemental questions require detailed information about the potential volunteer's background, experience, and availability. PAT volunteer applicants may also indicate their interest in becoming a PAT leader.

APA staff and the PAT Task Force will review and match the skills of the potential volunteers with the needs of the host communities. PATs are geared toward planners who currently possess a high level of expertise in the planning profession in general and in one or more planning specialties.

Selection criteria for volunteer planners include:

• In selecting planners to be on a PAT, the task force will chose a from the pre-qualified pool of volunteers those planners who currently possess a high level of expertise in the planning profession in general and in one or more planning specialties which match those of the potential host communities.
• Each selected team member will have clearly demonstrated how he or she gained expertise in the claimed areas of specialization.
• Each selected team member will possess the requisite level of professional experience and education to effectively contribute to the team in addressing the problem statement.
• Each selected team member will have demonstrated an ability to be a team-player.
• Each selected team member will have shown the ability to serve in the role of an unbiased observer, capable of undertaking a critical evaluation and problem solving.
• Each selected team member will have demonstrated skills in written and oral communication and be able to listen effectively.
• Each selected team member must possess these important qualities: broad knowledge of many aspects of planning; open-mindedness; fair-mindedness; acceptance of responsibility for completing work in a timely way; ability to argue from evidence; and thoughtfulness.
• Each selected team member will have made the personal pledge to the time and place and commitments necessary to complete the PAT assignment; will have agreed to behave as a responsible ambassador of APA/AICP and the CAP program; and, will have agreed to abide by the program's guidelines regarding conflicts of interest, liability, and procedures.
• Planning practitioners applying to the PAT's Pool of Team Leaders must be current AICP members. In addition to the criteria for volunteer planner selection stated above, team leaders must possess these additional characteristics:
  • Have 10 or more years of full-time or equivalent experience in planning practice that encompasses a range of planning activities and projects, to the point that their influence is recognized well beyond the local confines in which they work.
  • Be highly responsible individuals with the utmost professional integrity, able to represent APA, AICP, and the CAP program in highly visible circumstances.
  • Have demonstrated experience in project management, a variety of public participatory forums, and have been a team member of a TAT, PAT, RUDAT, or similar site visit team organized under ULI, CRE, or ASLA.

Planners who are accepted to become PAT team members will be notified of their selection on a rolling basis. Remaining resumes in the volunteer resume bank will be considered for future PATs.

Host Communities

Host communities for PATs currently face a specific planning problem but lack the capacity to solve the problem without assistance. Specific planning problems will vary from community to community and may include those areas affected by recent emergencies such as natural disasters. In some cases, the local planning departments may not possess the technical capabilities to address particular planning issues. In other cases, no planning department exists or department resources may be insufficient to address an unexpected or overwhelming planning problem.

Typical host communities will need to submit an application form, materials, and fee to AICP staff. Information contained in the application package will need to include a clear description of the planning problem to be addressed, an explanation of the scarcity of resources to address the problem, information about what kind of product the community expects, and an affirmation of ability to cover direct expenses of the PAT.

NOTE: The application fee will be waived, and the selection process may vary, for Katrina PATs taking place in 2006. Application forms and guidelines for non-Katrina PATs will be available at a later date.

Considerations in selecting a host community include:

• Has the host community presented a clear definition of the problem to be solved and the project's objectives?
• Can the problem or issue identified realistically be addressed in the allotted time?
• Is the geographic area too big or too small to be feasible for study if the problem statement is a spatial one?
• Has the community demonstrated its capacity to carry out its obligation to the project (including financial ability to pay for all direct expenses of non-Katrina PATs, commitment of support staff or volunteers, political support if applicable)?
• Does this project address issues of social equity?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Community Assistance Program (CAP)?
The primary goal of the Community Assistance Program is to aid local communities in addressing social equity issues. The CAP program showcases the roles and skills of professional planners and their value in problem-solving.

What are Planning Assistance Teams (PATs)?
Planning Assistance Teams are part of the Community Assistance Program and are groups of volunteer planners who are sent to specific communities to address real, local, specific issues through their expertise. PATs offer local communities the resources of a skilled team of volunteer planners using a time limited, event-based problem solving approach.

How do PATs operate?
PATs provides a team of skilled volunteers who conduct a well orchestrated planning and problem-solving event in the community, typically as a three- to five-day effort. APA assembles the team from a qualified list of members who volunteered to be on a PAT. Program coordinators work with the community to define and refine the project, and to prepare for the event. The program provides logistical support to the community and guidance on how to assure event success and follow-up.

What kind of projects will the program address, and how will the selection take place?
The program has identified its selection criteria and makes that available to communities to promote a good match between CAP and local objectives. CAP is distinguished from other professional assistance programs by focusing its work with communities on social equity issues. The initial screen of a project will be to determine if the proposed project does address issues of social equity. A major criterion to be evaluated by the selection committee is whether the described project can realistically be addressed in the time period allotted. Factors evaluated by the selection committee include:

• Size of the geography to be studied (too big?)
• Clear definition of the project objectives
• Are the objectives achievable in the time allotted?
• Demonstrated capacity to carry out community portion of the project (staff or volunteers, commitment to pay for project expenses, etc.).

How can I volunteer?
Using a form on the APA website, volunteers provide a list of their skills and experiences that may contribute to team and project success.

What kind of products can I expect a team to produce?
Most teams produce a presentation of their findings on the last day of the event. Most teams produce a summary report of findings and significant recommendations, including recommendations for follow-up, within three weeks of completing a PAT. The nature of the team product is related to the nature of the problem: sometimes graphic, sometimes organizational, sometimes the foundation for a much broader plan, but, always based on an agreement between the PAT and the local host community made in advance of the PAT site visit. Communities have found that the excitement and interest stirred by the arrival and attention of a team of national experts has leveraged real local change in expectations, involvement and priorities. The CAP program need not, however, be a one time event. The PAT may be available for limited follow-up consultation for up to three years after the initial visit.

Are there any products or services that a team can't or shouldn't be asked to produce?
We can't build things. We cannot produce whole comprehensive plans or other products which require the development of community consensus through the rational approach and an extended series of public meetings. In general, products and services have to be achievable within a three- to five-day intensive investigation, analysis, and reporting period.

In general what kinds of costs should host communities anticipate?
Costs will vary depending on the duration of the event and the relative cost of travel, food and accommodations in the local community. Volunteers do not travel, work or eat in luxury, and the program aims to keep costs low. As a result, it is may be practical to achieve a three-day event for costs of less than $15,000.

How will you solicit volunteers? Will you be asking for more than just a resume?
Volunteers must provide evidence of the skills, background and expertise they possess, applicable to the focus of the program, as guided through a web-based resume builder, the submission of three references, and a short summary of their availability, commitment and interest in becoming a member of the volunteer pool.

How long will it take once I put a request in to get a team?
We expect to deploy at least two PATs to Katrina-impacted communities this year. We therefore expect that the process of application, project definition, project selection and team selection can be achieved within six months.

Is CAP just for Katrina-impacted communities?
No, it happens to be one of the vehicles that APA hopes to use to deliver assistance to Katrina-impacted communities. CAP has been a working program for several years, providing real assistance on real projects as it continues to evolve.

What is the distinction of Katrina PATs?
The main distinction is that Katrina PATs will be part of APA's overall response to Katrina. Funding for these PATs will come from APA's Planning Foundation in addition to AICP.