We are still collecting survey responses for the APAPA-SE’s post-lockdown survey. Your input on events, engagement, and future planning priorities for the Southeast Section is welcomed. A random survey taker will win a gift card from APAPA-SE! Visit this link to take the survey and have your opinions heard.
Archive for Engagement
Deadline April 20: Submit a Nomination for APAPASE Section Council
This summer we will hold elections for American Planning Association, Pennsylvania Chapter, Southeast Section (APA PA SE) Officers and Council members. Nominate a friend, nominate a colleague, nominate yourself! All nominations are due NO later than April 20th to elections@apapase.org!
We are taking nominations for Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, 6-7 Professional Planners, and 2-3 Citizen Planners.
- The four Section Council Officer positions consist of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Chair provides leadership and guides the development of the chapter, the Vice Chair assists, the Treasurer maintains the budget and all financial matters, while the Secretary administers the documentation and membership of the organization.
- A Professional Planner is an individual earning a majority of their income practicing planning or who is retired from such occupation. Professional planners are required to be a member of the Pennsylvania Chapter of APA.
- A Citizen Planner is any appointed or elected official who is involved in planning decisions for the betterment of a state, region, county, city or municipality; who is
individual who has an interest in furthering the purposes of Association, but who is not a Professional Planner (for example, planning commissioner, planning official, zoning board member, Philadelphia RCO zoning representative, or similar). Elected citizen planners will receive complementary membership to the Pennsylvania Chapter of APA.
If you are interested in serving either in an Officer or Council member position:
- New members welcome! No previous experience required.
- AICP not required to join the board.
- Review the Chapter Bylaws for descriptions of the Officer and Council member duties and responsibilities.
- Determine if your schedule will allow sufficient time for the position, generally 1-3 hours/month.
- Speak with current Officers or Council members regarding any questions or concerns.
- Submit a nomination and brief biography (3-4 sentences) to the Nominating Committee no later than April 20th at: elections@apapase.org. You may also submit a mission statement and picture.
The official elections ballot will be distributed online during the summer by APA national to coincide with their election and voting will end in early September. The results of the election shall be published for Section members in October, with official terms to start in January 2022.
Please visit the APAPA-Southeast Section website for more information about the section.
Sponsor APA Pennsylvania Southeast for 2019
The work and programs by the Southeast Section of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association (APAPASE) aren’t possible without the support of our sponsors. We are releasing sponsorships now for organizations who prefer to take advantage of end of year giving, but are always happy to work with new sponsors.
The sponsorship levels are laid out in our 2019 Sponsorship Package. If you would like to discuss a custom sponsorship, simply contact sponsorship@apapase.org to start the discussion.
Nov. 7 – Inside the Planner’s Studio with Eleanor Sharpe
Inside the Planner’s Studio with Eleanor Sharpe
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 from 5:45 to 7:45 PM
The Innovation Lab
Municipal Services Building,
16th floor (1401 John F Kennedy Boulevard)
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Cost: Free
Tickets:
Have you ever wondered how someone became such a successful and effective planner? What advice they could provide about civic engagement? What projects are they are most proud of and why? APAPASE’s “Inside the Planner’s Studio” series asks these questions and more.
We’re honored to have Eleanor Sharpe, Deputy Director for Philadelphia’s Department of Planning and Zoning and the Executive Director for the Philadelphia City Planning Commission as our 5th speaker in the series. Karen Thompson of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation will be asking Ms. Sharpe about her career, civic engagement, and her advice for planners.
Karen will skip the small talk and ask Ms. Sharpe the big questions: What pivotal moments have shaped her career? If she could go back, would she do anything differently? You’ll have to come to find out!
- 5:45-6:15: The event will begin with networking. Light hors d’oeuvres will be provided.
- 6:15-7:00: The Inside the Planner’s Studio program will take place.
- 7:00-7:15: Ms. Sharpe will take questions from the audience.
- 7:15-7:45: There will be additional time to network after the event.
Category: Engagement, Upcoming Events /
July 19 – Aspiring Mentors: Sign up for the Future City Info Webinar
Photo: 2018 Future City Regional Winner: Queen of Angels Regional Catholic School, Source: futurecityphilly.org
Please tune into our webinar on July 19 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. if you are interested in becoming a Future City mentor for the 2018-2019 school year at one of your local schools. Mike McAtee, the Future City Philadelphia Mentor Coordinator, will give a presentation and take participants’ questions at the end.
The Future City program offers a variety of volunteer opportunities to get involved with students in your local community. This webinar will help you understand if you are ready to be a mentor, judge, or a general volunteer for the 2019 Future City Philadelphia Regional Competition.
The Philadelphia Regional Future City Competition is a 501 (c)3 educational outreach program of DiscoverE. It is one of 41 regional programs conducted throughout the country. Future City is an inspiring program that helps introduce 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students to the engineering, architecture, and planning professions. Participating STEM teams across the country compete once a year in a regional competition in January. Finalists then proceed to present their projects at the National Competition during National Engineers Week in February in Washington, D.C.
The competition requires participating teams from schools and youth-focused organizations (e.g., Boy or Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, 4-H, YMCA STEM clubs) to create their own future city, based on project criteria and guidelines for that year. Students are encouraged to prepare a variety of deliverables, including a project plan, tabletop-scale model, and virtual city, under the supervision and assistance of a teacher and mentor. Mentors should be professionals in the fields of engineering, planning, and architecture interested in investing time and energy in helping students realize their projects. For more information visit: http://futurecityphilly.org/.
Sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/future-city-mentor-info-webinar-tickets-47650342457. Registrants through Eventbrite will be emailed webinar log in information to their registration email. We look forward to your participation!
CM Credits for Pro Bono Planning Service
AICP members can obtain up to eight CM Credits for Pro Bono Planning Service, including volunteering time with the APA PA SE Council or a committee as outlined on the APA National website at https://www.planning.org/cm/logging/selfreport/probono.
Category: Education, Engagement, Upcoming Events / Tags: certification maintenance, CM Credits, FutureCities, mentors, students
Earthfest 2018 – Planning & Youth Engagement
On an unseasonably cold and blustery April day, aspiring planners from the Temple Student Planning Organization (TSPO) – in partnership with APA Pennsylvania’s Southeast Section (APA PA SE) – hosted a booth at Temple University’s EarthFest. The purpose of this annual event is to teach students about sustainability concepts and promo
te environmental awareness. This year, the event honored Dr. Jeffrey Featherstone, founder of the Center for Sustainable Communities and professor in the Department of Planning and Community Development at Temple University.
TSPO volunteers led elementary and middle school students in an exercise designed to foster a discussion about planning and encourage them to think about how land can be sustainably developed. Using an enlarged aerial map of the field in which they were standing, students were asked to guess what the map depicted. With impressive regularity, students correctly identified the location of the aerial. Next, volunteers led a discussion of various types of development, culminating in students suggesting ideas for developing the field by placing sticky notes on the map. Some of the most compelling responses were “homes but cheap” and “a nature preserve,” though “swimming pool” seems to be the perennial favorite. The APA brochure What Planners Do was also available at the booth and used to spark discussions with interested chaperones.
Each year, Temple University’s EarthFest provides an opportunity to engage with students and their families about the work that planners do to improve communities. The participation of TSPO and APA PA SE in this event is a small but meaningful way in which the planning community can promote a greater understanding of the important role planning has in our society.
May 10: APA PA SE Council Meeting – All Welcome!
APA PA Southeast Section Council meeting
(held the second Thursday of every other month)
Thursday, May 10th, 2018
5:30 pm
STV Incorporated
1818 Market, Suite 1410
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Calling in? Please use the following:
Toll free: 1-866-499-7054
Conference code: 735 289 0020
APA PA Southeast Section Council meeting (held the second Thursday of every other month)
Calling in?
Please use the: Toll free: 1-866-499-7054 Conference code: 735 289 0020
Please direct any agenda topics and/or questions to secretary@apapa
If you are a voting member unable to attend, please email secretary@apapa
Don’t forget to apply to APA’s Ambassador Program by December 31
As the end of year quickly approaches, so is the December 31 deadline to apply to become an APA Ambassador. This important initiative is designed to encourage future planners with diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. The application is short and easy to fill out, even during the end of year crunch. Participation in the program will provide valuable skills and earn you up to 8 pro-bono AICP CM credits in 2018.
Check out our previous blog post with all the important information on the application and details of the program. You can apply as an individual or as a team. Contact Al Beatty at ab5562@nyu.edu if you would like to join the local team of ambassadors. Thank you Al for stepping up to be a regional team leader!
Post Authored by: Maggie Rwakazina
(Image from APA Ambassador’s blog: https://www.planning.org/blog/blogpost/9127770)
CM Credits for Pro Bono Planning Service
AICP members can obtain up to eight CM Credits for Pro Bono Planning Service, as outlined on the APA National website at https://www.planning.org/cm/logging/selfreport/probono
APA Future City Mentorship could relate to these allowed activities:
- Planning-related support to groups that lack adequate planning resources, including service that expands choices and opportunities for everyone.
- Planning to meet the needs of the disadvantaged and to promote racial and economic integration.
- Mentoring the development of students, interns, beginning professionals, colleagues, and members of underrepresented groups to help them advance in the planning profession.
Category: Committees, Education, Engagement, General, Upcoming Events / Tags: Ambassador, APA, community participation and public outreach, Education, engagement, students
Future City Mentors Needed – One Month until Competition Day
Downingtown Middle School – Honorable Mention at the 2017 Future City Philadelphia Regional Competition (Source: futurecityphilly.org)
If you’ve been looking for a way to give back this holiday season, become a Future City mentor for a school in your community. 10 Future City Philadelphia teams still need mentors, and the students could really use your support in the final days leading up to the regional competition. Students must prepare a model of an “Age-Friendly City” to present in front of a panel of judges on Saturday, January 20, 2018.
As a planner, you can provide meaningful feedback and assistance as the students creatively tackle this topic.
The following 10 middle schools need mentors:
- Eisenhower – Norristown
- Keith Valley – Horsham
- Mother Teresa – King of Prussia
- Murray Avenue – Huntingdon Valley
- St Albert the Great – Huntingdon Valley
- St Elizabeth – Uwchlan
- Helena – Blue Bell
- Ignatius – Yardley
- WCPA Homeschool Group – Pleasant Mount
- Windsor Christian Academy – Uwchlan
Sign up to mentor one of these teams here.
Check out our latest post for a refresher on the Philadelphia Regional Future City Competition.
CM Credits for Pro Bono Planning Service
AICP members can obtain up to eight CM Credits for Pro Bono Planning Service, as outlined on the APA National website at https://www.planning.org/cm/logging/selfreport/probono
APA Future City Mentorship could relate to these allowed activities:
- Planning-related support to groups that lack adequate planning resources, including service that expands choices and opportunities for everyone.
- Planning to meet the needs of the disadvantaged and to promote racial and economic integration.
- Mentoring the development of students, interns, beginning professionals, colleagues, and members of underrepresented groups to help them advance in the planning profession.
Category: Education, Engagement, Upcoming Events / Tags: community participation and public outreach, Education, engagement, FutureCities, students
APA and AARP Partnering on Aging and Livable Communities Initiative
APA’s International Division has received a grant to partner with AARP International to implement the Divisions’ Council initiative, Aging and Livable Communities. The initiative seeks to educate planners regarding awareness building techniques, tools and best practices for planners from the US-focused research of APA’s earlier efforts under the initiative to those that can be gleaned from researching internationally.
APA’s LGBTQ & Planning Division is participating in the project to learn from existing initiatives that may provide insight on how best to plan for LGBTQ seniors and their needs and also to provide information to the project team regarding issues that LGBTQ persons encounter as they age.
Category: Engagement, General /
