We had a great night at the APA PA Southeast Section Annual Event on October 29th at DesignPhiladelphia! Nearly 90 attendees – a mix of students and professionals – gathered in the warm and welcoming space on Arch Street to learn about the upcoming America250 festivities in our region. The panelists – Kathryn Ott Lovell, President & CEO, Philadelphia Visitor Center & PHL250; Michelle Kichline, Esq., Chair, Chester County 250 Commission Board; and MaryAnn Tierney, Chief Officer, Control Center, SEPTA were informative, relatable, and brought a sense of humor and planning perspectives from both the city and suburbs. Matt Edmond, AICP, Executive Director, Chester County Planning Commission moderated the event and engaged the audience in a lively Q&A.
Themes from the event included:
- National and international scale events versus local events in 2026
- Spring/Summer timeframe versus year-round activities/other time periods
- How we are using the principles of Planning in our preparation for America250
The panelists informed us about larger events happening such as the World Cup and MLB All-Star Game, while we also learned about many smaller-scale community events that are planned, including historic activations in Old City and city-wide and neighborhood activations. We learned that while the height of the activities is expected in May-July 2026, there are activities planned year-round in both the city and suburbs. SEPTA is working to move people not only to events but to their daily routine activities as well. Legacy projects include a multi-million-dollar investment at Lemon Hill where the FIFA Fan Festival will take place. We learned how to get involved, such as how to become a Phambassador. To learn more, check out www.visitphilly.com/2026 and follow @phl.phambassadors on social media. Watch a video about Chester County’s 250 celebration at https://america250chesco.org/Resources-Videos.cfm. Chesco’s 250 celebration includes digital kiosks at heritage sites, commemorative events, and community service (see https://america250chesco.org/).
Don’t forget to log your AICP credits (all attendees will receive an email reminder with instructions for how to log credits).
It was a pleasure to see such a great turnout from planning students in the region from Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, and West Chester University.
John Federico, AICP, PP, PE, Section Council Chair, explained the role of the Southeast Section and how folks can get involved. We also launched our new website at apapase.org, thanks to our webmaster Steven Schrayer!
Special thanks to our sponsors for helping bring together state and local leaders in planning, students, and other related professionals to learn how planners in the region are working together to celebrate America250!