Now Hiring: This Week’s Job Postings

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Spring has sprung, and so have jobs!

1) Program Coordinator, Cultivating Communities Campaign – Health Promotion Council – Colmar, PA

2) Data Coordinator – Health Promotion Council – Philadelphia

3) Planner II – City of Wilmington, DE – Wilmington, DE

4) Parks & Recreation Community Organizer – Office of the Deputy Mayor Environmental & Community Resources/Parks & Recreation Commissioner – Philadelphia

5) GIS Specialist – Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission – Philadelphia

6) Director of Market Analysis and Research – Michael Salove Company – Philadelphia

7) Analyst, Policy and Resource Innovation – Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation – Philadelphia

8) Deputy Director – Philadelphia LISC – Philadelphia

9) Executive Director – Norris Square Neighborhood Project, Inc. – Philadelphia

10) PA Watershed Restoration Manager – Chesapeake Bay Foundation – Harrisburg, PA

11) Performance Management Analyst – Health Commissioner’s Office – Philadelphia

12) Water Resources Design Professional – AKRF – Mt. Laurel, NJ

13) Project Manager, Data Services – Azavea – Philadelphia

Full descriptions after the jump!

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April 5: Planning Movie Night and Environmental Planning Career Roundtable at PennDesign

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PennDesign Student Council partnered with the APAPA-SE Mentoring Program on a planning movie night on April 5, 2013 at 8pm in the Meyerson Hall Lower Gallery. Promised Land, with Matt Damon and John Krasinski, about fracking in a rural Pennsylvania town.

This is an ideal event for mentors to get together with students and refreshments will be served. For the students, there will also be an Environmental Career Roundtable at 6:30pm in Meyerson B7 to coordinate with the movie subject. Representatives from the Delaware Regional Planning Commission, US Environmental Protection Agency, and Temple University Office of Sustainability will discuss environmental planning in the real world with planning students.

We hope to see you there! Please contact Lauren Trice at planningmentorpa@gmail.com with any questions.

Download: PromisedLand_MentorsFlyer

March 8: Strategies for Older Suburbs Roundtable Series

Given the nation’s economic climate and looming fiscal constraints, many of us are looking for creative solutions to our communities’ problems. This Roundtable series, designed exclusively by and for Greater Philadelphia’s community and economic development professionals, invites you to share your challenges, bring your good ideas, and brainstorm answers to your colleagues’ tough questions.

The Roundtable is an in-person forum that harnesses the experience of our region’s community and economic development practitioners to improve Greater Philadelphia’s great places! While a guest speaker will kick-off each meeting, participants will shape the discussion.

Join us for our next Roundtable discussion on various strategies on how to engage local businesses and build a more unified downtown. Topics of discussion will include outreach strategies, incentives for businesses, and overall strategies for downtown businesses. David Rucki of DMR Consulting Solutions will lead the roundtable discussion.

Engaging Local Businesses to Build a Unified Downtown

David Rucki, DMR Consulting Solutions

Friday, March 8, 2013

 

Breakfast at 8:30 am; Program from 9:00 am – 11:00 am

Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

8th Floor | ACP Building

190 N. Independence Mall West | Philadelphia, PA 19106

[www.dvrpc.org/directions]

 

Please RSVP to Karen P. Cilurso, Senior Regional Planner, [ Kpcilurso@dvrpc.org]

Audubon/Outward Bound Education Center Proposal in Philadelphia – Comments Sought

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The Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commission (PaRC) is inviting public input on a proposal by the National Audubon Society, an international non-profit conservation organization, and Outward Bound Philadelphia, an affiliate of the national Outward Bound organization, to build an educational center for conservation and leadership development on the banks of the East Park Reservoir next to the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood.  The Audubon/Outward Bound partnership is proposing to develop the 37 acres surrounding a man-made lake that was once part of Philadelphia’s water supply system. The elevated site, which runs along 33rd street in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, is closed to the public and largely hidden from view by chain link fencing and dense vegetation.  Outward Bound Philadelphia is plans to use the new facility as its headquarters, while Audubon expects to establish a hub for research and science-based conservation projects and programs in the Philadelphia region.  The facility will be known as the East Park Leadership and Conservation Center.  Many entities have voiced their support for the proposal.

 

 

In compliance with the Open Lands Protection Ordinance, PaRC is conducting a review of the proposal with opportunity for the public to comment.  View the Alternatives Analysis on the Parks and Recreation Department Web page; the link to the full PDF is posted in Announcements.  To read and post online comments, Click Here.  Those wishing to submit written comments may send them to PaRC via email at: parksandreccommiss@phila.gov .  A public hearing on the Audubon/Outward Bound proposal is scheduled for the February 27, 2013 meeting of the Commission to be held at 6:00 p.m. at Mander Recreation Center, 2140 N. 33rd Street.

2013-2014 Academic Year Scholarships from APA-PA

Each year the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association offers scholarships to support individuals in an effort to enhance planning at the local, regional, state, and national levels.  The Chapter, and more specifically the Boards of the Pitkin Fund and the Leslie and Greta Spaulding Education Fund Trust, have released their annual application for scholarships. The deadline to apply for the 2013-2014 academic year scholarships is April 30, 2013. Recipients will be announced by June 30, 2013.  In order to apply, candidates must meet the following eligibility requirements:

 

  1. The Applicant shall be a resident of Pennsylvania, or a student of a Pennsylvania institution, enrolled in a PAB accredited or planning related undergraduate or graduate program in Planning curriculum that has a demonstrated track record of preparing students to become Planners; and
  2. The Student shall be entering his or her junior or senior year in the fall semester or be enrolled in a graduate program; and
  3. The Student shall provide evidence of financial need by providing copy of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or its renewal form; and
  4. The Student shall have demonstrated competent academic skills including a minimum 3.0 GPA as evidenced by transcripts and receive the recommendation of the program chairperson; and
  5. The Student shall demonstrate an intention to pursue a career in planning as described in an attached essay.

Full details on the scholarships and the application can be found on the PA Chapter’s student scholarships page.

March 14: Improving Connectivity

Registration is now open for the Improving Connectivity and System Function Through Local Planning seminar on March 14th at the Arcadia University King of Prussia Campus. The seminar is hosted by GVF in partnership with Parsons Brinckerhoff and the PA Chapter of the American Planning Association.  Two CM credits are available for attending!  Costs is only $15.  Registration is from 8 to 8:30AM and program is from 8:30 to 10:30AM.

PennDOT’s new handbook on “Improving Connectivity and System Function through Local Planning” provides guidance to municipalities on how to enhance vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian connectivity. This training offers an overview of the handbook and includes strategies to effectively regulate and manage a connected transportation network within a community including a review of connectivity index calculations and model ordinance language.

See attached flyer for more information.  You can register here http://tinyurl.com/connectivity-seminar

Download: improving_connectivity_flyer(1)

Council Elections Are Just Around the Corner!

Last month we asked you to vote on a bylaw change clarifying our voting procedures. Voting is now closed and that bylaw change passed. With that behind us, it’s time to elect our 2013-2015 Section Council!

This spring the Southeast Section of APA-PA will hold its biennial election for the 2013-2015 term.  The Council is responsible for a variety of functions including carrying out training programs, mentoring planning students, holding social events including the annual fall event, and disseminating planning information to our members via the internet throughout the year. Council members participate on various committees, including Program, Education & Scholarship, Student Mentoring, and the Professional Development Institute that sponsors AICP-credit quality events.

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15 Free CMs AND Getting Social Media and App Savvy

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TechniCity is an extensive, free Massive Online Open Course being taught this spring by Jennifer Evans-Cowley (The Ohio State University) and Tom Sanchez (Virginia Tech).  This course begins by examining how our cities are changing, and then jumps into how technology is used to engage with the public to support decision-making. Participants will examine tools for analyzing the city, and explore the infrastructure that makes the real time city possible.  The four week course has been approved for 15 hours of CM credit and starts on May 4th.  More information is available here, and for a better idea of the course and Dr. Evans-Cowley’s work with social media and apps, follow Dr. Evans-Cowley on Twitter @EvansCowley or her blog.

APA Calling for Photos

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The APA Photo Auction – sponsored by the Chapter President’s Council – supports The Planning Foundation of APA which funds philanthropic activities that the American Planning Association has supported for years – scholarships and community equity programs – and new initiatives like special research projects and creative ways to “tell the planning story.”

This auction involves a friendly competition among National APA Chapters and Divisions. APA is  asking each participating Chapter and Division to donate a photographic image that is representative of their Chapter that reflects the Conference theme: PLAN BIG. They hope to continue a tradition of holding a Silent Auction at the National Conference to raise money for student scholarships.

We are asked to submit one digital image that best represents our Chapter for donation to this Silent Auction.  APA wants a photo that reflects the diversity of our Chapter. Creativity is encouraged – area landmarks, a lively neighborhood scene/activity node, or a scene, structure, or activity, representative of our respective Chapter would be great!

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Now Hiring: This Week’s Job Postings

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Don’t the February doldrums seem like the perfect time to find a job?

1) Manager of Policy and Advocacy – DVGBC – Philadelphia

2) Project Director for Microfinance Demonstration Project – Drexel University School of Public Health – Philadelphia

3) Executive Director – Norris Square Neighborhood Project – Philadelphia

4) Operations Manager – 3rd Ward – Philadelphia

5) Summer Internship Community Surveyor – New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) – Philadelphia

6) Transportation Planner – DVRPC – Philadelphia

7) Senior Transportation Modeler – DVRPC – Philadelphia

8) Senior Comprehensive Planner/Economic Specialist – Adams County Office of Planning and Development – Gettysburg, PA

9) Director of Planning & Zoning – Ferguson Township – State College, PA

10) GIS Intern – Philadelphia City Planning Office – Philadelphia

Full descriptions after the jump!

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