Multi-Local Government Aggregation Programs: A Tool for Implementation

Multi-municipal aggregation programs can be incredibly valuable to assist local governments with implementation of technical and/or high upfront cost projects. Aggregation programs provide lower cost and turnkey services to local governments by leveraging the purchasing and decision making power of participants. Further, these programs remove several key technical, procurement, and decision-making challenges that local governments face by providing a centralized procurement/contracting process and the resources to effectively engage utilities, address legal considerations, access funding or financing, on-board trusted consultants, and navigating technical decision-making in a timely manner. This session will provide an example of DVRPC’s Regional Streetlight Procurement Program (RSLPP), a multi-municipal aggregation program that enabled more than 60 municipalities to convert their street lighting systems to LED. Through the program, DVRPC estimates that individual project costs were 20-30% less than traditional municipally led procurement methods, and projects were implemented with a high success rate (86% of municipalities who entered the program completed their projects and all but one of those who did not  proceed completed an LED conversion on their own as a result of their participation). This guide provides step-by-step information that will assist regional and multi-government groups with developing and implementing a multi-local government / aggregation procurement and implementation program, and the lessons learned can be applied to other applications of aggregated procurement and implementation for local governments as well.

CM credit is pending approval.

Speaker: Liz Compitello and Mike Fuller

Deadline to register is April 5, 2022

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

PLEASE NOTE: You will receive an email the week of the webinar with zoom information (please check your spam/junk folders). This email will be sent to the email address you used to register for the event.

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Advancing Racial Equity through Land Use Planning

According to US Census Data, disparity in income and housing among diverse racial and ethnic populations has occurred in the United States. Researchers have pointed out that many members of these specific populations have been adversely impacted by housing policies adopted in the first half of the 20th century.

To address present day challenges, this webinar will present examples of two cities addressing racial inequity through their land use planning tools & codes. The City of Minneapolis, Minnesota recently completed Minneapolis 2040 which reflects the result of more than two years of engagement with the people of Minneapolis. This engagement included over 100 meetings and conversations with thousands of residents, business owners, and others, where they shared their vision and hopes for the future of the city. Joe Bernard AICP, Planning Project Manager, City of Minneapolis will describe how the City of Minneapolis intends to be inclusive in providing housing for people of all socio-economic groups.

The City of Lancaster Planning Commission also passed a resolution in 2020 committing to racial equity. Douglas Smith AICP, Chief Planner, City of Lancaster will share their efforts to create a diverse, inclusive, and equitable process for their first comprehensive plan in nearly 30 years. During his presentation, Smith will address topics of public outreach, language access, citizen empowerment, and non-traditional engagement methods

Finally, Shelby Nauman, Co-Chair of the Lancaster County Coalition for Sustainable Housing will discuss the Coalition’s role in raising awareness of our City and County’s need for housing that is affordable across the spectrum of household incomes (both rental and for-sale housing).

Equity CM credit is pending approval.

Speaker: Joe Bernard, AICP; Douglass Smith, AICP LEED; and Shelby Naumann

**The Pennsylvania Chapter is not responsible for the materials or opinions of the speakers you will hear**

Deadline to register is March 1, 2022

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

Climate Change Planning for Vulnerable Neighborhoods

We will introduce the county-wide climate change vulnerability assessment as well as other hazard mitigation-related projects undertaken by the Planning Commission. In 2020-2021, the Planning Commission utilized free public information on (A) historical flooding and flood-prone areas, (B) historically heat sensitive areas, and (C) disadvantaged populations in order to identify neighborhoods, which will likely face increased challenges due to climate change. To ensure regional consistency, we completed this study with assistance from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission as they worked on a complementary regional heat island project.

• Attendees will understand the methods used by the Planning Commission and DVRPC to create their Vulnerability Assessment and could replicate the study for their own jurisdictions.
• Attendees will learn how climate change takes a toll on poor and vulnerable people and these impacts are largely caused by inequalities that increase the risk from climate hazards (i.e. heat, flooding). Vulnerable communities need to be identified and included at all stages planning.
• Attendees will learn how climate change impacts are not equality distributed among municipalities.  The Assessment highlight how county and regional planning organizations have an opportunity and responsibility to encourage partnership between municipalities to adapt critical infrastructure and support vulnerable communities without adaptive capacity.
• Attendees will gain insight to the opportunities for and challenges to implementing climate adaptation and climate mitigation measures for local and regional governments.

Sustainability/Resilience CM credit is pending approval.

Speaker: Jon Lesher and Ellis Foley

Deadline to register is February 1, 2022

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

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Barriers and Some Solutions to Affordable Housing

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This session will dive into the specifics of the current landscape of affordable housing, focusing in Pennsylvania. It will describe some of the more frustrating aspects of building affordable housing and some steps that can be taken to help alleviate those concerns. The panel of speakers includes a design professional, a developer and a construction practitioner who all can provide specific stopping points in the affordable housing process.  Additionally, the panel will make a case for changes that can be made to help ensure a smoother housing development process in the future.

CM credit is pending approval.

Speaker: Leah Eppinger, AICP; Brandon Johnson; Todd Bowser; Nando Michele, FAIA, AICP, PP

Deadline to register is January 4, 2022

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