Archive for APAPA-SE

Sept. 20 – 21: PA Floodplain Management Conference & Call for Presenters – Due 7/15

Join us! Present your topic or experience to Pennsylvania’s floodplain management professionals!

The 2022 PAFPM Conference in Harrisburg, PA is themed “50th Anniversary of Agnes Flood – From Risk to Resiliency.”

Example and suggested topics this year include:

  • Post Flood Substantial Damage Assessments
  • Climate Change Adaptation
  • Integrated Floodplain and Stormwater Management
  • Modeling and Floodplain Mapping
  • Insurance – NFIP and Risk Rating 2.0
  • Disparate Impacts/Social Justice in Floodplains • Community Renewal/Development – Rebuild or Relocate
  • Evolution of Stormwater Management
  • Grants/Infrastructure Funding/Financing
  • Outreach and Risk Communications
  • Stream Restoration and CLOMR/LOMR Requirements
  • Floodplain and Stormwater Management Policy Evolution
  • Role of Floodplain Administrator

Submissions due July 15, 2022

Submit Here

Oct. 25 – 26: PA Autonomous Vehicle Summit

Back in person! The 2022 PA AV Summit returns in person for the 5th year in a row. If you are interested in learning and hearing about the technology  development in the AV industry along with other topics such as workforce, equity, freight, deployment, infrastructure, and environment, you’ll love attending the 2022 PA AV Summit.

This year’s Summit will be held in Pittsburgh, PA from October 25 – 26 at Stage AE.

Registration opens soon. More information can be found on the PA AV Summit: www.paavsummit.org

June 16: Mid-Atlantic Collaboration: Smart Growth Tools for Protecting Water Resources

June 16 @ 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Smart Growth Tools for Protecting Water Resources
Water quality outcomes are directly tied to land use decisions made by local jurisdictions. This webinar would explore local land use scenarios that lead to triple-bottom-line (economic, social, environmental) results and pose questions on current land use trends watershed-wide that may threaten progress.

June 23: LGBTQ+ Professionals in the Built Environment Pride Happy Hour

June 23 – 6PM – 8PM @ Cockatoo

208 S. 13th St Philadelphia, PA

Hosted by OLIN and ASLA Pennsylvania/Delaware. Register hereLGBTQ+ Professionals in the Built Environment Pride Happy Hour - Philly

Join us on Thursday, June 23rd at 6:00p at Cockatoo for a Pride happy hour, an event for LGBTQ+ landscape architects, architects, planners, and allied professionals in the Philadelphia region. Let’s start conversations, build community, and celebrate Pride within our fields!

 

The event is free and open to LGBTQ+ individuals and allies that work in the built environment (bring your friends and colleagues)! Attendees will receive a free drink ticket. The event is 21+ and is sponsored by OLIN and the Pennsylvania and Delaware Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

For any questions, please reach out to Max at mdickson@theolinstudio.com

 

Member Spotlight – Mark Davie

APAPASE is a network of nearly 800 planners working and studying in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Our members work across public, private, nonprofit, and institutional sectors and possess an impressive diversity of expertise and experience. The APAPASE Member Spotlight is a new regular feature of our website designed to help you get to know your peers. If you or someone you know would like to be featured here, please send an email to admin@dvrpc.org

Name: Mark Davie

School: West Chester University

Program of Study: Master of Urban & Regional Planning

Year/Class: 2nd year grad student

What is your favorite class you are taking or have taken? As dry as it sounds, I really enjoyed my planning law class. I liked learning about the

 different ways states tackle planning issues and the frameworks and processes they have in place.

What are you working on now? Can you tell us about a recent or ongoing project or initiative that you are excited about? I am currently in an internship at an MPO in New Hampshire! I am operating traffic counts, conducting site visits for a parks and recreation inventory under the state children’s health foundation, and assisting with a housing assessment for the region. 

 

How did you get into the field of planning? I’ve always liked maps and geography but I read “Walkable City” by Jeff Speck for a gen ed class in

college and that’s when I realized people do this work for a living.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Despite getting in trouble in elementary school for drawing highway interchanges during class, I actually started college as a nursing major. I think my family always knew I’d end up here anyway. 

What was your first job? I worked at a Boy Scout camp in New Mexico! I taught search and rescue skills to high schoolers as they made their way across the mountains.

What is your favorite place in the region? I love running and biking at the Heinz refuge by the airport!

What are the greatest planning challenges facing our region? What are the greatest opportunities? Transit inequality is an issue that disproportionately affects low-income communities and populations of color. However, I feel that SEPTA and the region have a lot to work with, having one of the most extensive multi-modal networ

Featured Job Listing – DVRPC – Capital Programs Coordinator

DVRPC is looking to hire a Capital Programs Coordinator! Click here for more information

Featured Job Listing – DVRPC – Freight Planner

DVRPC is looking to hire a Freight Planner! Click here for the full job listing

Member Spotlight – Alexis Williams

APAPASE is a network of nearly 800 planners working and studying in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Our members work across public, private, nonprofit, and institutional sectors and possess an impressive diversity of expertise and experience. The APAPASE Member Spotlight is a new regular feature of our website designed to help you get to know your peers. If you or someone you know would like to be featured here, please send an email to admin@dvrpc.org

 

Alexis Williams, AICP, PP

EmployerSTV, Inc.

Title: Senior Planner

How long have you been at this company/organization/agency?

4 years

What are the main responsibilities of your job?

I manage local and regional planning projects, engage in business development, and lead public and stakeholder outreach.

What are you working on now? Can you tell us about a recent or ongoing project or initiative that you are excited about?

I am currently working with the Connecticut Department of Transportation to analyze the effects of bus and rail service and fare changes that they have implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic or that they plan to implement in the near future. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a large impact on transit ridership and transit agencies have had to adjust their service to accommodate the decrease in demand. Hopefully as the world starts to come out of the pandemic, ridership will increase as well.

What is your favorite part of your current job? 

As a planner, I really like interfacing between technical professionals and the public to present information and obtain feedback. Ultimately, transportation improvements are intended to serve communities so it is important that community stakeholders are involved in the planning and development of them. I also like using different planning tools such as GIS, Adobe Photoshop, and 3D models/renderings to graphically depict existing and future conditions.

How did you get into the field of planning?

I first learned about planning when I was an intern at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection during my summers in college. I worked with planners on important initiatives like the Coastal Zone Management Program and the State Water Plan. It was because of this experience that I pursued my Master’s in Planning.

What was your first job?

My first job was a tennis instructor as part of the Tennis for Kids Program in my hometown of York, PA. The program offers free tennis lessons to children ages 7-16 during the summer. It teaches kids not only tennis skills but lif

e skills such as confidence, positivity, and responsibility.

What is your favorite place in the region?

My favorite place in the region is the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum. You can always spot an abundance of wildlife on land, in the sky, or in the water. I love hiking the trails and kayaking there. 

Where can we find you when you are not working? When I am not working I am spending time with my husband and two young children exploring parks, biking, or doing activities that my children love. For instance, I have learned more about Pokemon than I ever wanted to know because of my 5-year old’s obsession with it! I also enjoy doing outdoor or virtual fitness classes like Step and Zumba.

Deadline June 9 – Great Places in PA Program Accepting Nominations

The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association is looking for Great Places in two categories: Great Public Spaces and Great Greenways/Trails. Great Places are unique, memorable places that display community planning best practices, have an exemplary character, and a sustainable vision for tomorrow.

We want to hear your suggestions for a Great Public Space or Great Greenway/Trail designation. Please complete the online submission form by Thursday, June 9, 2022. Nominations will be considered by the Great Places in Pennsylvania Judges Committee with notification to applicants in the summer.

Nominations via the Web
All Great Public Spaces and Greenways/Trails nominations must be submitted online. All information is to be entered on or uploaded to the website.

It’s easier than you think to submit a nomination:

  • Enter basic information on the online form
  • Upload a photo
  • Attach support documents and images

Before you begin, please assemble all information needed for the nomination and files to be uploaded.

TIPS FOR SUBMITTING A GOOD NOMINATION 

GUIDELINES

CRITERIA

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION

Featured Job Listing – DVRPC – Transportation Planner

DVRPC is looking for a Transportation Planner! Click through for the full job announcement.