Get ready for the AVolution
Is your community ready for autonomous vehicles? Get ahead of the curve with APA's just-released suite of resources to help planners prepare. Foremost is a comprehensive report, Preparing Communities for Autonomous Vehicles, with land-use, transportation planning, and economic guidelines developed from in-depth research, last year's AV symposium, and collaboration between APA and various partners. There's more: principles outlining key focus areas for future federal AV programs and policies, and a new podcast series, "Planning the Autonomous Future," that explores how AV technology will affect cities and regions, mobility, and the planning profession.
In a new blog post, David Rouse, FAICP, APA's director of research, speculates about our AV-influenced future, reviews APA's new resource lineup, and urges planners to begin planning now for the AV revolution. |
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Earn a Penn State degree in Community and Economic Development
Learn how to navigate the complexities of communities and community organizations — and inspire positive changes on local, regional, and national levels — with a Penn State degree. Complete your course work online, studying where and when you want. Learn more at worldcampus.psu.edu/cedev. |
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POLICY AND ADVOCACY |
Infrastructure should strengthen local communities
Yesterday, APA President Cynthia Bowen, AICP, sent a letter to Congress in advance of Thursday's Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on infrastructure. The statement — which outlines essential planning concerns for federal infrastructure legislation — also was shared widely with news outlets and APA's organizational partners. Bowen reiterates our belief that federal infrastructure legislation should strengthen U.S. communities and suggests five key policies to spur economic prosperity and support investments in access and opportunity, reflecting APA's Infrastructure Principles. Smarter investment in infrastructure is among our association's top policy priorities in 2018. APA's policy team will continue to monitor and report on ongoing infrastructure discussions on Capitol Hill. |
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What's HUD without UD?
President Trump's proposed 18 percent budget cut for the Department of Housing and Urban Development in FY 2019 eliminates funding for community development programs and makes major changes to federal rental assistance programs. Read Tess Hembre's analysis of these momentous proposals. |
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Immerse yourself in cutting-edge 3D GIS technology
The emerging field of Geodesign is a "must-know" for planning professionals. Incorporating GIS into the development of sustainable systems helps create new solutions to population change, climate change, and other factors — for the future of our planet. Learn more about Jefferson's (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University) graduate program in Geodesign and apply now for Fall 2018. |
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NATIONAL PLANNING CONFERENCE |
Learn more live at NPC18
The NPC18 education program is loaded with learning. Each of the 12 tracks is a carefully curated selection of sessions and activities focused on a current or emerging issue important to you and your peers. We listened to members' conference feedback and devised tracks around the top five topics requested by NPC17 attendees in a post-conference survey.
Register today for live learning in New Orleans, April 21–24, and post-conference access to session recordings. Already registered? Add sessions you're interested in to your personal schedule for easy onsite access via the mobile app (from Apple or Google Play). |
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Students: Maximize your conference
Have you booked your trip to New Orleans for NPC18? Don't miss this: Ellen Forthofer, who formerly chaired the APA Student Representatives Council, clues you in on the conference's must-attend sessions, receptions, and experiences. |
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Streamline your city's permitting and licensing in 2018
Permitting a business or residential project can be complex. OpenCounter streamlines the process by revealing where the project is allowed, which permits are required, and how much the permits will cost. This simplifies the process and saves time for applicants and staff. Learn more at www.opencounter.com. |
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APA NEWS |
Congratulations to student award winners
The 2018 Outstanding PSO Awards recognize the exciting and creative activities carried out by Planning Student Organizations that enliven student life, contribute to their communities, and connect to APA and its chapters and divisions. This year's winners are PSOs at the University of New Mexico, Arizona State University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago, with honorable mention to Georgia Tech. Each winner receives $1,000 from APA to support future student organization activities.
The 2018 AICP Student Project Awards recognize outstanding class projects or papers produced by students in accredited planning programs that contribute to advances in the field of planning. Kudos to this year's winners: MIT, Portland State University, the University of Michigan, and Arizona State University. |
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Members met the Ambassadors Challenge
APA members responded to Miguel Vazquez's recent challenge by signing up to be APA Ambassadors in record numbers. More than 160 new Ambassadors hail from 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Egypt, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Zimbabwe. Learn more about them and how the APA Ambassador program brings knowledge of planning to local communities. |
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RESOURCES |
New farmland protection tools
Significant loss of farmland — a vital but finite resource — has been occurring since the mid-20th century, due partly to changes in farming but even more to sprawling development into rural spaces, particularly on metropolitan edges. Farmland Protection — APA's latest Research KnowledgeBase collection — gathers a host of planning, regulatory, and programmatic strategies that cities and counties across the country have used to protect farmland and support viable agriculture. Discover background info, policy guidance, and examples of plans and implementation tools for farmland protection.
Reauthorizing the Farm Bill is among APA's 2018 policy priorities. Watch for opportunties to engage in this timely issue later this year. |
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OPPORTUNITIES |
Fill in the Planning History Timeline
Please contribute to this new endeavor by offering your opinions about important planning events since 1900. APA will use members' feedback and other resources to assemble a comprehensive planning history. Share your thoughts via this short survey. |
Compete for recreational trails awards
American Trails is seeking nominations for its Coalition for Recreational Trails Annual Achievement Awards for outstanding use of Recreational Trails Program funds. The awards showcase projects made possible by RTP funding, raising awareness and appreciation of the RTP among legislators and other key officials. Apply by April 6. |
Join APA's Water and Planning Network
You are invited to join this professional forum for interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and planning methods. Members connect to best practices that reflect current research, science, policy, and technology vis-à-vis protecting, managing, and using water resources and utilities. |
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City of Cape Coral
Cape Coral, FL |
City of Roanoke
Roanoke, VA |
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City of Bozeman
Bozeman, MT |
Hampton Roads Planning District Commission
Chesapeake, VA |
City of Wausau
Wausau, WI |
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