Let us know if you are interested in speaking OR share your ideas for speakers, topics, case studies, or panel discussions. Deadline to submit is Oct. 1, 2025.

Submit Ideas Here

Please join your fellow planners from the Sustainable Communities, City Planning & Management, County Planning, Housing & Community Development, International, and New Urbanism Divisions at our annual reception and awards celebration. We will gather in the Mercantile Room at the Wynkoop Brewing Company for food, drinks, and conversation, and to celebrate award winners including the Sustainable Communities Division's 12th Annual Awards for Excellence in Sustainability. The venue is a restaurant and historic Denver event space featuring high ceilings, expansive arched windows, hardwood floors and an antique back-bar.

Sunday, March 30, 2025. 5:30-8:30 pm

Wynkoop Brewing Company: 1634 18th Street, Denver (across from Union Station)

Cost: $15 Division Members. $20 Non-Members. See you there!

Register via Eventbrite: https://APANPC2025.eventbrite.com

The SCD’s annual Awards for Excellence in Sustainability honors projects, plans, policies, individuals, and organizations whose work is dedicated to supporting and growing sustainable communities.

Speakers on this webinar will include representatives from two of the 2024 award winners:

• City of Baltimore Climate Action Plan, winner in the Environment, Climate, & Energy Award category

• Department of Hawaiian Home Lands General Plan Update, winner in the State or Regional Award category

This webinar will kick off with a brief overview of the 2025 awards program, which will open soon for submissions. See https://www.apascd.com/awards for more information. 

1.0 AICP CM credits will be provided for live viewing only.

The SCD’s annual Awards for Excellence in Sustainability honors projects, plans, policies, individuals, and organizations whose work is dedicated to supporting and growing sustainable communities.

Speakers on this webinar will include representatives from two of the 2024 award winners:

• Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) Redevelopment Ready Communities Resiliency Toolkit, winner in the Policy, Law, or Tool Award category

• Michigan Renewable Energy Development Initiative (MI REDI), winner in the Student Award category

This webinar will kick off with a brief overview of the 2025 awards program, which will open soon for submissions. See https://www.apascd.com/awards for more information. 

1.0 AICP CM credits will be provided for live viewing only.

Please join us for the third annual SCD Symposium (virtual), this year we are focusing on health, equity and climate change. This year’s symposium will feature a keynote by Melissa Jones, Executive Director of the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII), a panel focusing on equity and public health and a panel on integrating climate into public health planning. We will close with speakers from the symposium reflecting on what we’ve heard and key take-aways for the planning community. 

Register Now!

Registered attendees will receive a Zoom webinar link prior to the event. You can attend one session, or multiple sessions. CM Credits will be available for individual sessions. AICP CM Credits pending (3 hours).

SYMPOSIUM OUTLINE:

Thursday, January 18, 2024
(1-5 pm EST, 12-4 pm CST, 11 am – 3 pm MST, 10 am – 2 pm PST)
 

Welcome: Introduction to the Symposium with Karla Ebenbach, Chair-Elect of the APA Sustainable Communities Division and Shannon Roberts, Partnerships Co-Chair (10 min)

Introduction from EDI Committee & Planning in the Black Community Division with Dr. David Abraham (10 min)

Keynote: Health, Equity and Climate Change (20 min)

• Melissa Jones, Executive Director Executive Director of the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII)

Session 1: Integrating Equity in Public Health Community Planning (1 hour, 20 min)
Integrating equity into public health community planning is a fundamental approach that seeks to ensure fair and just distribution of resources, opportunities, and outcomes within diverse populations – our panel will discuss on their work addressing these challenges, where there are opportunities to integrate equity and health, and what still needs to be addressed.

• Anna Rosenblum (Moderator), EcoDistricts AP, LEED O+M AP, LFA, evolveEA

• Robyn Bussey, JUST Health Director at the Partnership for Southern Equity

• Lindy Wordlaw AICP, Chicago Recovery Plan Director

• Becky Basch, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission

Break: 10 min 

Session 2: Integrating Climate in Public Health Community Planning (1 hour, 20 min)

Integrating climate considerations into public health community planning is a crucial initiative that recognizes the intricate interplay between environmental factors and public well-being. Learn how our panel is integrating climate considerations into their work and where they would like  to see it expand in the future.

• Donny Goris-Kolb, AICP, LEED AP O+M, Envision SP (Moderator), VHB

•  Matthew Tejada, Senior Vice President of Environmental Health, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

• Dr. Patrice Williams, Professor, Northeastern University

• Dr. Ann-Christine Duhaime, Pediatric Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital

Symposium Reflections & Closing (30 min)

• Shannon Roberts, AICP, LEED BD+C, PMP (Moderator), Jacobs

• Keynote: Melissa Jones 

• Session 1: Lindy Wordlaw, Chicago Recovery Plan Director

• Session 2: Dr. Patrice Williams, Northeastern University

Join us for the APA NPC 23 Multi-Division Reception & SCD Awards in Philadelphia!

Event Hosts:

• APA Sustainable Communities Division

• APA Food Systems Division

• APA New Urbanism Division

• APA Housing & Community Development Division

The APA Sustainable Communities, Food Systems, New Urbanism, and Housing & Community Development Divisions, invite you to a Multi-Division Reception and Celebration of the 2023 SCD Annual Excellence in Sustainability Awards.

The event will be held during NPC 23 at AIA Philadelphia (Center for Architecture and Design), across the street from the National Planning Conference at the convention center.

Please join us for drinks and hors d’oeuvres as we announce the winners of SCD’s Awards for Excellence in Sustainability and enjoy each other’s company in a casual atmosphere.

Ticket Price
Members of hosting divisions: $12.51
($10 Reception Fee + 2.51 EventBrite fee)
Non-members: $17.85 
($15 Reception Fee + 2.85 EventBrite fee)

This session will provide an overview of recent major changes in California housing legislation. Jay Higgins, John Parke, and Dan Klemann will present an update on 2023 California Legislation that includes legislation related to parking reductions, by-right housing in commercial zones, non-discretionary permit streamlining, housing elements, minor adjustments to State Density Bonus Law, further amendments to ADU law, and other bills important to highlight. There will be time for a question & answer session at the end of the session.

Join us for APA Sustainable Communities’ 2nd annual Climate Symposium. This virtual event will be held on February 23, 2023, between 1pm to 5pm (EST) / 10am to 2pm (PST). We’ll kick things off with a deep dive update on the Division’s Leadership in Climate Action and Resilience, followed by the presentation of various perspectives and experience from our esteemed guest panelists on the topics of “Decarbonization” and “Applying Systems Thinking”.

Symposium Agenda

1-1:10 p.m.                 Symposium Welcome

1:10 -1:50 p.m.        Sustainable Communities Division Leadership in Climate Action and Resilience

• Deep Dive into the PAS Report, Matt Bucchin – Halff Associates, Inc.

• 2023 Preview of Sustainability and Resilience CMs, Karla Ebenbach – Ebenbach Consulting LLC.

• Open Questions

1:50-2:00 p.m.        10 min break

2:00-3:20 p.m.        Decarbonization: Operational + Embodied

As the discussion of combatting climate change is shifting from reducing energy consumption to decarbonizing our networks – our panel will explore what this means at the federal, state, municipal and project levels.

• Donny Goris-Kolb – VHB, Moderator

• Lance Davis – GSA

• Chad Laurent – Cadmus

• Prof. John Nolon – Pace Law School

• Maxine Paul – Adelante Consulting

• Greg Mella – SmithGroup

3:20-3:30 p.m.        10 min break

3:30-4:50 p.m.        Applying Systems Thinking

How can and why should systems thinking be applied to our built environments? How should planners, architects, and engineers incorporate this way of thinking to address our changing climate and the inequities which disproportionally affect the most vulnerable in our communities? Learn how our panel is applying systems thinking in their work and where they would like to see it expand in the future.

• Shannon Roberts – Jacobs, Moderator

• Mark Reiner – Jacobs

• Scott Edmondson – SF Planning

• Kirstin Weeks – Bio Studio

• Sandy Mendler – Gensler

4:50-5:00 p.m.        Closing

Fire & Water: Extreme Weather Trends and Community Infrastructure
With:

Panelist Edith Hannigan, Land Use Planning Program Manager with the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, on wildfire resiliency planning

Panelist Chad Berginnis, Association of State Floodplain Managers, on flood resiliency planning

Moderator Jim Schwab, Jim Schwab Consulting LLC

Moderator Jill Schreifer, The Schreifer Group

Join your APA colleagues to learn more about this timely issue for our communities in these first webinars of the new Sustainability & Resilience Series. Panelists and discussions will examine current extreme weather trends, address their impact on infrastructure and social vulnerability, and suggest a role planners can play to improve outcomes. Each of these Planning Webcast Series sessions earns 1.0 AICP CM.

More info. (coming soon)

More info. (coming soon)