Your Feedback Needed: APAPA-SE Looking for Event Partners

APAPASE partners

APA-PA Southeast Section is compiling a list of agencies and organizations to partner with for future Southeast Section events.  Please take a few moments to view the Prezi Chart (http://bit.ly/APAPASEpartnerchart) and add any contacts to the spreadsheet link located in its center or here at http://bit.ly/APAPASEpartners.

Dec. 11: GeoPhilly Meetup Happy Hour

GeoPhilly is a meetup group for those interested in spatial analysis, geo-related application development and data analytics. The GeoPhilly Meetup is having a happy hour on Wednesday, December 11 from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM after the IREG Geospatial Technology and Open Source event at DVRPC. The Happy Hour will be in the left wing of Bar Ly located at 101 N. 11th Street, Philadelphia.

Survey on Planners Use of Mobile Apps

The Ohio State University is conducting a survey in order to understand the degree to which city planning professionals use mobile apps and smartphone and tablet devices. This survey is being undertaken to gain an understanding of the importance of mobile apps in the planning profession and how they can be adapted upon and used in the future to enhance the planning process.

This survey should take approximately 10 – 15 minutes to complete. Your responses to this survey will remain confidential. Each question is optional and you can choose not to answer any question.

Survey results will be used for academic research and practice recommendations. The information may also be used for journal articles and other important research projects in the future. This research study is being undertaken by Professor Evans-Cowley with The Ohio State University. For more information regarding this study please send an e-mail to cowley.11@osu.edu

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY

Friday Funny: They’ve Gotta Point

bacon

 

Planners Pointing. Sometimes, the Internet just wins.

Dec. 6: Disaster Recovery Webinar

The PA Chapter is pleased that FEMA Region III – headquartered in Philadelphia –  is providing our contribution to the free chapters, divisions, and universities webcast series. The National Disaster Recovery Framework and Planning for Post-Disaster Recovery session will be held on December 6th from 1:00 – 2:30 pm.  The National Disaster Recovery Framework is a guide that defines how a community can work together following a disaster to best meet recovery needs.   This session will discuss the Framework’s core principles as well as best practices and lessons learned from post-disaster recovery plans completed in communities in Pennsylvania.  Approval of 1.5 CMs for the session is pending.  Registration is via the Utah Chapter of APA website at www.utah-apa.org/webcasts.

Planning Ethics in Action

ethics

APA has recently started a planning ethics blog:  http://blogs.planning.org/ethics/

The blog is designed to highlight common ethical traps, provide memorable illustrations, and provide a platform for regular review and discussion of the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, with particular focus on the Ethics Case of the Year.  Discussion of ethics case studies should begin in late November 2013.  If you are a member of AICP, the blog should be a periodic stop to revisit ethical issues.  If you aren’t AICP, the blog will also touch on APA’s Principles, which are relevant to all citizen and professional planners.

Annual Event Wrap-up: Lasting Partnerships in Downtown Revitalization

annualevent

Thanks to all those who attended or contributed to APAPA SE’s Annual Event on Thursday, November 7th at Lansdowne’s beautiful 20th Century Club. It was a great event for learning, networking, and connecting with fellow planners!

For those who were unable to attend, or for those who did attend but would like more information on the material presented, below are some of the links used in the presentations about the great work being done in Lansdowne:

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Planning for the 2014 Pennsylvania Chapter Conference in Philadelphia

The 2014 Pennsylvania Chapter of the APA conference will be hosted by APA-PA-SE at the Society Hill Sheraton in Philadelphia. This is the first time the conference will be hosted in Philadelphia in over a decade, so it is an exciting chance to show off our great city.  You can register here if you are interested in being part of the planning committee.

There will be a meeting for the American Planning Association Pennsylvania Chapter 2014 Annual Conference on November 20, with a detailed agenda below, but even if you can’t make this meeting please register here if you are interested in helping to show off our region to planners statewide.

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Dec. 11: Geospatial Technology and Open Source event

Geospatial Technology and Open Source event

Wednesday, December 11, 2013, 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM

DVPRC, 190 N Independence Mall West, 8th FL, Philadelphia, PA 19106

The 89th meeting of the DVRPC Information Resources Exchange Group (IREG) will be a special full-day event focused on Open Source and Geospatial Technologies.

We are having presentations by those who are actively developing and providing amazing applications, tools, and data. From Web Maps to data APIs, from data visualization to GitHub, and even the cloud! We are hoping that people will walk away with a better understanding, skill, or interest in these areas. There will also be a CartoDB workshop from 4-5 following the presentation. So please come join us and be ready to learn!

This FREE event will run from 10:30 am to 5 pm and include lunch. Seating is limited to 75. Please register at: http://dvrpc.ticketleap.com/ireg/

DVRPC’s Public Participation Task Force Meeting: Vacant Land, Land Banks, and Urban Gardens

Wednesday, December 4 at 6:00 P.M.

6:15 P.M.             A Philadelphia Land Bank: An Approach to Addressing Vacant Property … Jill Feldstein, Organizing and Advocacy Coordinator, Women’s Community Revitalization Project

A land bank is a public authority created to efficiently handle acquisition, maintenance, and sale of vacant properties. Land banks are a best practice that more than 75 governments have adopted, including Cleveland, Louisville, and Atlanta. The creation of a land bank authority is currently being discussed in Philadelphia; on October 28, the Public Property and Public Works Committee of Philadelphia City Council held a hearing on the Philadelphia Land Bank legislation. The Committee voted to give the bill a favorable recommendation meaning that it can now move to the full Council. Ms. Feldstein, one of the authors of the Philadelphia land bank legislation, will discuss issues surrounding land banks and next steps for Philadelphia.

 

6:45 P.M.             The Urban Garden Initiative… Aissia Richardson, Vice President of Operations, Uptown Entertainment & Development Corp

The Urban Garden Initiative transformed a vacant lot with rampant dumping, prostitution, and drug dealing to a meeting space for Philadelphia’s Broad Street community. Ms. Richardson will present the history, challenges, and issues surrounding the revitalization of this formerly vacant lot on North Broad Street.

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