Intersections

No Small Plans Makes Big Strides

The journey of the characters in No Small Plans, created with support of APA, is educating Chicago youth about the role planning and citizens play in making great communities. Image courtesy Chicago Architecture Foundation.

Nearly a year has passed since the Chicago Architecture Foundation, with support from APA, launched "Meet Your City" — a three-year citywide civic education initiative to help teens and young adults understand what makes a good neighborhood, encourage involvement in the community planning process, and inspire the next generation of urban planners and architects.

In the first nine months of the initiative, 4,382 copies of No Small Plans, a graphic novel inspired by the classic 1911 textbook, Wacker's Manual, were distributed to Chicago youth in 70 local schools and 22 organizations. The 144-page publication, created with input from teens, urban planners, architects, community members, and educators from more than 30 organizations, follows the adventures of young people in neighborhoods in Chicago's past, present, and future as they wrestle with why design matters and what it will take to design — and steward — the city they know they deserve. No Small Plans is also available in every branch of the Chicago Public Library and every Chicago Public School library. In addition, CAF has trained 130 educators to use the graphic novel to support teaching and learning in the classroom.

APA also contributed to the graphic novel's online reader toolkit, which provides a deeper exploration into community planning. To learn more about No Small Plans and the Meet Your City Initiative, go to www.planning.org/educators/nosmallplans. Copies of No Small Plans are available for purchase at shop.architecture.org; every copy sold allows CAF to give a free copy to a Chicago teen.

Members on the Move

Jeff Wiggins, AICP, was hired as the first active transportation planner of Des Moines.

Silvia E. Vargas, AICP, LEED AP, joined multidisciplinary consulting firm Calvin, Giordano & Associates, Inc. as a principal planner in their Miami office.

Brad Hentschel, AICP, was hired as the city planner of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

Jeffrey Bagg was named the principal city planner of East Hampton, Massachusetts.

Anne Krieg, AICP, joined Hancock County in Maine as the regional planner.

Kevin Coyle, AICP CEP, was made planning director of Bakersfield, California.

Megan Diprete accepted a position as chief for the Division of Planning and Development, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

Kudos

Diana Mendes, AICP, president of the Mid-Atlantic Division of infrastructure solutions firm HNTB, was one of 15 women honored by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials at its seventh annual Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation Breakfast. Mendes received the 2018 Shirley A. DeLibero Award for advancing diversity and inclusion in transportation.

Deborah L. Myerson, AICP, received the 2018 APA Divisions Chair's Award in celebration of her outstanding contributions and service to the Divisions Council.

David R. Gattis, FAICP, won the Terry F. Holzheimer, FAICP, Leadership Award, which is given annually to an individual APA division member or APA division in recognition of exemplary service to divisions, division initiatives, and APA.

More Online

APA members are a busy bunch. For additional kudos, comings, and goings, see the APA News blog at www.planning.org/apanews.

Association News

Planning Home

The APA Board of Directors greenlit a new multiyear housing initiative to reshape the ways planning addresses housing affordability. Planning Home will challenge planners, partners, advocates, and policy makers to improve local plans and codes and reimagine community engagement and housing finance. Communications, education, policy, and research components will be included, and work is already under way with national and regional partners.

To advance the policy work, APA adopted a slate of housing principles that call on policy makers at all levels to modernize state planning laws, reform local codes, mandate inclusive growth strategies, remove barriers to multifamily housing, and use the planning community to support housing affordability.

Watch for the official Planning Home launch and initiative updates on planning.org this summer.

Call to Action

The APA Foundation is collecting applications for its yearly scholarships. To learn more about the scholarships, meet past winners, and download applications, go to www.planning.org/foundation/initiatives/scholarships. Submissions are due by June 1, 2018. Email scholarships@planning.org if you would like to learn about investing in future planners.

Tools of the Trade

Well-planned infrastructure strengthens communities, boosts economies, expands opportunity, and promotes equitable development. This month, APA will join hundreds of organizations in celebrating Infrastructure Week (May 14 through 21) and calling for more, and smarter, investment in our nation's infrastructure. In honor of that, here is a curated list of APA resources focused on all things infrastructure:

APA's Infrastructure Principles, adopted January 2018

Planning for Shared Mobility (PAS 583) by Adam Cohen and Susan Shaheen

"Infrastructure, CIP, and Alternative Transportation," APA on-demand education

"Green City, Clean Waters: Philadelphia's Green Stormwater Infrastructure Program," YouTube video

"A Need for Speed" (broadband), Planning magazine, October 2017

For more resources, including podcasts, videos, and reports, check out APA's
collection of infrastructure resources at www.planning.org/resources/infrastructure.

We Ask, You Answer

This Month's Question

What are your community's infrastructure priorities? Roads? Broadband? Water?
Fill us in at surveymonkey.com/r/Intersections0518.

Last Month's Question

When do you expect to begin planning for autonomous vehicles?

Dates to Remember

May

1 Be on the lookout for the results of 2017's salary survey, coming this month.

9 The Kentucky Chapter of APA seeks to reinvent cities and towns at its spring conference, starting today in Berea.

11 Small Cities Conference 2018 meets at Ball State University in Indiana.

14 AICP certification exams begin.

15 Today is the last day to nominate candidates for chapter and division leadership positions.

31 Attention students: Applications for 2018 scholarships are due tomorrow, June 1. Go to www.planning.org/foundation/initiatives/scholarships/ to submit yours.

Intersections is compiled and edited by Planning editors. Send notices and photographs for potential publication to intersections@planning.org.