March 17, 2006

San Antonio Hosts Planning and Public Policy Conference

CHICAGO — Two hundred-plus conference sessions focusing on planning and urban design will set the foundation for the 2006 American Planning Association's (APA) National Planning Conference. The conference is in San Antonio, Texas, April 22-26, 2006, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

More than 5,000 urban, rural, and regional planners, elected officials, and citizens from across the country and abroad are expected to attend. Conference sessions will address the challenges and concerns planners, leaders and citizen's face in their communities. A variety of topics will be covered, including transportation, property rights and land issues, disaster recovery, affordable housing, and community revitalization. APA's national conference is the largest annual conference on planning and public policy in the world.

"Our conference illustrates the many challenges and issues planners across the country must address every day to create communities of lasting value," said Paul Farmer, AICP, Executive Director and CEO of the American Planning Association. "Our conference highlights the importance of good planning and offers something for everyone — from the professional planner to the interested citizen."

Conference highlights include:

• Sixty-five mobile workshops taking participants into neighborhoods for a first-hand look at planning in action;
• Special conference tracks focusing on key planning issues such as downtown revitalization, transportation, city populations, safe growth and disaster recovery;
• Poster sessions presenting new ideas and research; and
• Recognition of APA's National Planning Award recipients at a special luncheon on Tuesday, April 25.

Don't expect the conference to end quietly. A fiery debate is likely as prominent attorneys Jerold Kayden and Michael Berger engage over property rights and land issues, including eminent domain, on Wednesday, April 26, 2006, at 11 a.m.

Contact

Roberta Rewers, APA Public Affairs, 312-786-6395; rrewers@planning.org