Archive for APAPA-SE

DEADLINE TUESDAY: Submit Your Nominations Today!

The deadline to submit nominations for 2025-2026 council is this Tuesday (5/6).

You can submit a nomination in two ways:

Provide this information through either option below:

  1. emailing elections@apapase.org
  2. completing this Google Form

You’ll need to provide your:

  • Name
  • Brief Professional Biography (max 100 words)
  • Brief Position Statement – what interests you in serving, suggested ideas and initiatives, etc. (max 200 words)
  • APA ID #
  • Photo

If you’re interested in promoting the city and regional planning profession and interested in meeting other planners in the southeast Pennsylvania area, consider joining the American Planning Association Pennsylvania Chapter Southeast (APAPASE) Section Council!

APAPASE is committed to promoting the collaboration and advancement of the city and regional planning profession(s) in the Philadelphia region.

You may nominate yourself or another planer!

If you are interested in serving either in an Officer or Council member position:

  • Review the Chapter Bylaws for descriptions of the Officer and Council member duties and responsibilities.
  • Time commitment is generally 1-3 hours/month, including a 1-hour meeting every other month and an annual event.
  • New members welcome!  No previous experience required.
  • American Institute of City Planners (AICP) certification not required.
  • Speak with current Officers or Council members regarding any questions

Announcing Section Council Elections!

Calling all City Planners!

If you’re interested in promoting the city and regional planning profession and interested in meeting other planners in the southeast Pennsylvania area, consider joining the American Planning Association Pennsylvania Chapter Southeast (APAPASE) Section Council!

APAPASE is committed to promoting the collaboration and advancement of the city and regional planning profession(s) in the Philadelphia region.

If you are interested in serving either in an Officer or Council member position:

  • Review the Chapter Bylaws for descriptions of the Officer and Council member duties and responsibilities.
  • Time commitment is generally 1-3 hours/month, including a 1-hour meeting every other month and an annual event.
  • New members welcome!  No previous experience required.
  • American Institute of City Planners (AICP) certification not required.
  • Speak with current Officers or Council members regarding any questions at: elections@apapase.org

APAPASE is accepting nominations for Section Council candidates now!

Nominations are accepted by emailing the following information to elections@apapase.org:

  • Name
  • Brief Professional Biography (max 100 words)
  • Brief Position Statement – what interests you in serving, suggested ideas and initiatives, etc. (max 200 words)
  • APA ID #
  • Photo

Submit your name no later than May 6, 2025.

The official elections ballot will be distributed online this fall.

Please visit the APAPA-Southeast Section website at www.apapase.org for more information about the section.

May 7: APA PA – Webinar Wednesday – Vision Zero Delco (1 CM)

Vision Zero Delco: An Innovative County Approach to Vision Zero

Developing a Vision Zero Plan for a county that owns no roads and is comprised of 49 municipalities presented many challenges and barriers. Undeterred, Delaware County became the first Pennsylvania County to adopt a Vision Zero Safety Action Plan. It was adopted by resolution on February 19, 2025. This presentation will discuss how the county overcame the barriers and challenges using innovative planning methods and tools to develop an implementable Safety Action Plan that all 49 municipalities could adopt.

CM credit is pending approval. You must attend the webinar live in order to earn CM credit.

Speaker(s):
Cathy Spahr

**The Pennsylvania Chapter is not responsible for the materials or opinions of the speaker(s) you will hear**

Deadline to register is May 6

If you’re interested in sponsoring a Webinar Wednesday session or have a session for Webinar Wednesday please contact us. Send your request to admin@planningpa.org

Register Now

May 28: Save the Date – Meet Angela Brooks, Philly’s New Chief Housing and Urban Development Officer!

Please Save the Date of May 28th, 2025, for a joint APA PA-DAG (Design Advocacy Group) Event with Angela Brooks as she starts her role as the City of Philadelphia’s new Chief Housing and Urban Development Officer! The event will take place at DesignPhiladelphia at 1218 Arch Street at 5:30pm. This is a great opportunity to make connections in planning!

DesignPhiladelphia is located two blocks north of Market Street, between N. 12th and N. 13th Streets, with easy access to highways and transit.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks to learn more and to purchase tickets.

April 25: APAPASE Spring Event – Rail Park Tour!

Mark your calendars – Friday, April 25th at 5:00 PM please join APAPASE at our Spring event where we will be offering a tour of the Rail Park! The Rail Park is a former section of the Reading Railroad Viaduct in Philadelphia that has been transformed into an elevated park with walking paths, landscaping, lighting, swinging benches, and expansive city views. The Project Manager for the Rail Park will be leading us through the site and explaining the Planning/Engineering history behind the completed Phase 1 portion as well as the vision for the next phase of the Rail Park. Following the tour (approximately 30 minutes), we plan to convene at Love City Brewing to continue our conversations and network.

Interested in attending? Please email Danielle Baer at dabaer@urbanengineers.com to save your spot. Further details about a specific meeting location and rain plan will be sent as we get closer to the event. This event is free, but we ask that you please consider donating to the Rail Park to assist with the maintenance and upkeep of the space (https://www.therailpark.org/donate/).

May 13: Smart & Sustainable Mobility Showcase SEPTA & the City of Philadelphia 2025

Tuesday, May 13 · 9am – 3pm EDT

The Navy Yard
4747 South Broad Street #Building 101, Suite 120 Philadelphia, PA 19112

The Québec’s government office in New York, the Southeastern Pennsylvania
Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and the City of Philadelphia, are excited to partner on the Smart and Sustainable Mobility Showcase taking place on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, from 9am to 3pm, on the Marine Parade Grounds. The event is free and open to public and professionals.

More than 20 cutting-edge companies from Québec, Canada will be present at the event, showcasing the latest innovations in transportation and equipment. This event will provide a unique opportunity for participants to connect and network with industry leaders, government officials, and other professionals in the field. Participants can expect to see a variety of vehicles and equipment on display, including battery electric transit buses, electric school buses, electric street sweepers and other innovative solutions designed to reduce emissions and support the Philadelphia region’s climate objectives.

REGISTER HERE

April 2: APA PA – Webinar Wednesday: Blowing up Your Boards and Other Bold Ideas…

April 2 @ 12:00 pm1:15 pm

Register Now

Blowing up Your Boards and Other Bold Ideas to Bring Your Comp Plan to Life

How do you guarantee that your community’s new comprehensive plan will see fruition? Operationalize its implementation. The presenters will explore fresh ideas for delivering on vision, highlighting an innovative accomplishment by the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon to completely restructure the community’s appointed advisory boards to align with the key issues at the center of Ascend Lebo, the recently adopted comprehensive plan. Discussion will also focus on inclusive engagement strategies to discern shared values and build momentum for progress, as well as integrating the plan into the Capital Improvement Program.

This session is designed to provide education to professional planners, municipal officials, students and others on the creative application of the implementable comprehensive plan model, which helps communities co-create processes for progress. A key theme is critical thinking about how to embed long-range planning firmly rooted in equitable engagement into municipal operations: How can advisory boards strengthen implementation efforts? How can the Capital Improvement Program be anchored in plan implementation? We propose the Mt. Lebanon case study within the broader context of communities doing this work and will engage the audience in interactive discussion.

Educational objectives:

  • Understand application of the Implementable Comprehensive Plan model as a best practice
  • Broaden critical thinking about integrating planning into day-to-day municipal operations
  • Gain insight (and inspiration!) on the strategic use of appointed advisory boards to build capacity for plan implementation

CM credit is pending approval. You must attend the webinar live in order to earn CM credit.

Speakers:
Ian McMeans
Jenni Easton

**The Pennsylvania Chapter is not responsible for the materials or opinions of the speaker(s) you will hear**

Deadline to register is April 1

If you’re interested in sponsoring a Webinar Wednesday session or have a session for Webinar Wednesday please contact us. Send your request to admin@planningpa.org.

Register Now

March 26 – 2025 Edmund N. Bacon Urban Design Awards

APA members receive discounted registration. At checkout select the APA member option.

Register Here
Center for DesignPhiladelphia, 1218 Arch Street, Philadelphia
Wednesday 26 Mar 2025
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Join us in honoring Vishaan Chakrabarti and the student winners of DesignPhiladelphia’s 2025 Edmund N. Bacon Urban Design Awards. Vishaan Chakrabarti is an architect, author, and public thought leader. He is the founder of PAU | Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, a Manhattan-based architecture firm dedicated to building ecological, equitable and joyous communities. As a licensed practitioner across several states, Chakrabarti leads the studio’s cultural, institutional, commercial, and infrastructure work including Brooklyn’s Domino Sugar Refinery, Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Princeton’s Hobson College, Philadelphia’s Schuylkill Yards, and New York’s Pennsylvania Station. His past positions include working as a principal in other global architecture firms, teaching at Columbia University, and serving as the William Wurster Dean at UC Berkeley’s college of architecture. As Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s director of planning for Manhattan in the aftermath of 9/11, Chakrabarti helped to reimagine the High Line, rebuild the World Trade Center, extend the #7 subway line, and revitalize the waterfront.

In addition to his role at PAU and serving on numerous non-profit boards, Chakrabarti currently teaches at Cornell University as the Thomas J. Baird Visiting Critic in Architecture, and is a regular contributor to the New York Times, Vital City, and other publications. He is the author of two books: A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America (Metropolis Books, 2013), and most recently, The Architecture of Urbanity: Designing for Nature, Culture, and Joy (Princeton University Press, September 2024) in which he argues that designing connected physical communities that bridge our differences—as opposed to disconnected technologies that exacerbate them—is essential to addressing our greatest societal challenges from climate change to political division to our growing public health crises.

The 2025 competition asks students to focus on the area affectionately known as “The Disney Hole,” located at the southwest corner of 8th and Market in Center City, Philadelphia. The surface parking lot at the southwest corner of 8th and Market in Center City, Philadelphia, symbolizes missed opportunities. From the 1890s to the 1980s, it was home to the grand Gimbel’s Department Store. After Gimbel’s closed, changing trends led to the building’s demolition. In the late 1980s, the space was intended for DisneyQuest, an entertainment complex that never materialized, leaving behind a large excavation hole. This area, known as “The Disney Hole,” is now a parking lot. Through the Disney Hole Student Design Competition, students are invited to reimagine and revitalize this neglected space.

The ceremony will be followed by a coffee + dessert reception for all in attendance.

With the purchase of a VIP ticket, we invite you to join the award winner and us before the ceremony at 5:30 PM for our VIP Reception which features hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer, and music. In attendance will be Vishaan Chakrabarti, local dignitaries, and our built-environment-focused sponsors, without whom this program would not be possible.

March 20: New World Utopias: Planned Cities in Colonial America

APAPASE members attend free! Get tickets here.

Thursday, March 20 · 5:30 – 7pm EDT
Carpenters’ Hall
320 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106

Join us on March 20th for New World Utopias: Planned Cities in Colonial America, a public program with author and architectural historian Dr. Robin Williams of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Thomas Holme’s 1683 plan for Philadelphia laid the foundation for our city’s growth for centuries, and Savannah’s claim to be the first planned city in the British colonies is a bedrock of their tourism marketing (spoiler alert: it wasn’t!). Dr. Williams’s engaging presentation on the history of planned cities, inclusive of Savannah and Philadelphia, and Q&A will expand your understanding of this fascinating topic.

Robin B. Williams chairs the Architectural History department at the Savannah College of Art and Design. A native of Toronto, Canada, he earned his B.A. in Art History at the University of Toronto before pursuing his Master’s and Ph.D. in Art History at the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on architectural history. His doctoral dissertation examined the transformation of Rome into the capital of modern Italy during the late nineteenth century. Since joining SCAD in 1993, Williams has made Savannah the focus of his research supported by state and national research grants. He was the lead author of the architectural guidebook Buildings of Savannah (2016) and he is co-author of a forthcoming book, Learning from Savannah, being published by the University of Georgia Press, that analyzes the evolution of Savannah’s famous urban plan and its influence on the city’s architecture and what lessons the city holds for other places. Separately, Williams has an on-going study of the evolution of street and sidewalk pavement in cities across North America, which he has addressed in articles, academic and public talks, including a TEDx talk in May 2017, and through his website, “historicpavement.com”. Williams actively participates in the civic arena, having served on local, state and national boards.

APA PA SE Student-Mentor Mixer Recap

Our APAPASE’s Annual Student-Mentor Mixer Event took place on Thursday, February 20th at Penn’s Weitzman School of Design, in a lively room filled with about 60 participants – a mix of undergraduate and graduate level planning students from University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, and West Chester University and seasoned planning professionals from both the public and private sectors.

We’d like to thank all three universities for their contributions and assistance with organizing the event. UPenn graciously hosted the event, and students from our volunteer committee created the announcement flyer, helped to formulate questions for the mentors, and encouraged a large group of participants to come out for the evening. The conversations were flowing as students and planning professionals engaged with each other and discussed potential career paths, challenges, and opportunities. The APAPASE Section Council members introduced the organization and invited participants to get involved in planning and attending future events. We are currently working on identifying potential opportunities for continued mentoring. To get involved with APAPASE please sign up for our newsletter at apapase.org or follow us on social media at: