APA - PA Southeast Section | Blog, Upcoming Events, and Jobs

Law & Ethics CM Event in Central Section

September 15, 2012 / Susan Elks / Comments Off

The Central Section of the PA Chapter is hosting a full-day CM session on law and ethics on October 26, 2012. 5.25 CM credits will be available, pending approval from APA.

Susan Smith, Esquire will lead the morning session on law, covering recent Commonwealth judicial decisions related to land use as well as presenting an interactive review and analysis, from application through opinion, of a specific case. The afternoon session will focus on ethics, and is being led by Steven Gimbel, Ph.D. of Gettysburg College. Dr. Gimbel will provide an ethical framework, and Mark Stivers, AICP will provide a review of the AICP Code of Ethics. Participants will then work in break-out sessions to discuss specific scenarios, with Dr. Gimbel, Mark Stivers, and Andrews Stern, AICP, assisting with the breakout group discussions.

Registration information is provided on the brochure.

Download: Ethics_Law_Workshop_Brochure___Regis_Form

Category: Upcoming Events / Tags: certification maintenance, events, resources

Remembering Local Planner Bruce Hansen at the Memorial Chicken Run 5K

September 9, 2012 / Jeff Barg / Comments Off

Bruce Hansen

Some say it’s cliched to recall of someone passed, “He had a most memorable laugh.” None of those people ever met Bruce Hansen.

Bruce was in my class in planning school at Penn, and from the very first week, his laugh was famous. It was strong, guttural, from deep down in the belly. It had the slightest build, and would quickly hit a sonic frequency that powered it over the rest of the noise within a hundred yards. It would go on just longer than was normal or appropriate, and as soon as it died down, the rest of the room would laugh in response. It was far from the only way Bruce made those around him smile, but it was the loudest way.

A year ago this week, the alums in our planning class got word that Bruce had died suddenly, unexpectedly. It didn’t seem possible.

Besides being a great friend, father and husband, Bruce was a tremendously talented planner, having worked locally at Hurley~Franks Associates and the Greenspace Alliance.

Those who knew and loved Bruce are set to celebrate his life next month with the first Bruce J. Hansen Memorial Chicken Run 5K & Children’s Fun Run in Mechanicsburg, PA.

Category: Upcoming Events /

Irving Hand Award: Win $2,500 for Professional Development!

September 7, 2012 / Susan Elks / Comments Off

Once again the PA Chapter is looking for applications for the Irving Hand Excellence in Planning Professional Development Award, which provides up to $2,500 for education/professional development for planners. In these tight budget times, who couldn’t use an outside funding source for training? Planners can self-nominate, and the basics of the application are a resume, eligibility narrative, explanation of the course of study, and two letters of recommendation. Qualifying activities include graduate courses or specialized training. I was fortunate enough to receive the funding for 2013 for the purposes of mediation training, which I have found quite useful for community planning.

‘The revised deadline for applying is September 14th. Please see the attachments or the Chapter’s updated website for additional information. The application form is after the jump.

Download: Irv_Hand_Award_Application_2013

Category: General / Tags: resources

Sept. 12: Creating an Implementable Comprehensive Plan

August 24, 2012 / Susan Elks / Comments Off

Presenters Denny Puko and Jim Pashek are bringing their session “Creating an Implementable Comprehensive Plan” to the Radnor Township Building in Wayne on September 12 from 12:30 to 4:00. The session was previously held in the Pittsburgh area to glowing reviews from attendees. In the session, planners will be challenged to think differently about the content and process of a comprehensive plan with the goal that the plan springboards implementation. The workshop will show how work sessions and plan chapters can be built around a community’s priority issues – whether revitalizing downtown, fixing a problem corridor, becoming more walkable, or capitalizing on local history. Research and lessons learned from two comprehensive plans done in this manner will be shared.

Register online at www.palocalgovtraining.org or use the attached registration form. Please note that the times on the brochure are incorrect – the Wayne location is scheduled for 12:30 to 4:00.

Download: Implementable_Comprehensive_Plans_2012

Category: Upcoming Events / Tags: events, resources

2012 Irving Hand Award Supports Mediation and Its Planning Value

May 14, 2012 / Susan Elks / Comments Off

I was fortunate to be awarded the 2012 Irving Hand Award, which APA-PA awards annually. Named after Irving Hand, FAICP and funded by Delta Development, the award funds a professional development activity for a planner. My proposal was to use the funding for mediation training, and I recently completed the first portion of my training. Mediation is defined as a process where a neutral third party without decision making authority assists parties in negotiating a mutually agreeable settlement. The process attracted me because as a community planner I frequently feel like that third party, trying to get a community and its many interests to come to an agreement on an issue – should we inventory our historic resources? should we regulate our historic resources? should we change the zoning in this area? should we be providing more active recreation area? I found the training encouraging, enlightening, and also a reinforcement of good planning practice, and would recommend it to any planner. To read my full write-up on the training, check out the APA-PA Spring 2012 Newsletter.

Category: General /

Coming Soon: ‘Design Matters’ Training

April 17, 2012 / Susan Elks / Comments Off

Design Matters: Using Design Guidelines to Shape a Community

Across the nation, places of all sizes are seeking ways to create environments that attract residents and tax-paying businesses, making community design more important than ever. Planning tools and policies – such as design guidelines – have a powerful impact on how communities look and function but are often underutilized in Pennsylvania. This advanced session will show how to guide the aesthetics and functionality of the built environment to contribute to community success. The workshop is jointly sponsored by the PA Chapter of APA and the PA Local Government Training Partnership.

This workshop will be presented at six locations statewide, including Camp Hill on May 30th and DVRPC in Philadelphia on May 31st. Cost is $30 and approval of 3 CM credits for the sessions is pending. Click here for details.

Download: 420_Design_Matters

Category: Upcoming Events / Tags: certification maintenance, events, resources, urban design

APA’s Planners Training Service Workshops Coming to Philadelphia

April 12, 2012 / Susan Elks / Comments Off

APA is bringing the Planners Training Service (PTS) workshops to Philadelphia June 12 – 15. Four workshops, each focusing on a distinct aspect of sustainability, will be taking place, each over two days and carrying 14 CMs. This is a great opportunity to hear national experts in a local setting (Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown). The workshops are:

Comprehensive Planning for Sustainable Communities (cosponsored by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy)
Sustainable Transportation Planning (cosponsored by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy)
Planning for Change: Creating Resilient Communities
Sustainable Zoning and Development Controls

Early registration is through May 14. Rates for the workshops include an early registration discount, APA member discount, and AICP member discount. There is also a very reasonable APA student rate for the workshops. For more information and to register: http://www.planning.org/pts/2012/spr/

Category: Education / Tags: certification maintenance, environment and sustainability, events, resources, transportation, zoning

May 2: Livable Communities for Older Adults

April 7, 2012 / Susan Elks / Comments Off

Temple University’s Community and Regional Planning Department presents:

Livable Communities for Older Adults: Opportunities for the Delaware Valley

Wednesday, May 2nd

Temple University Ambler Campus Learning Center

The Community and Regional Planning Department at Temple University is celebrating its 10th anniversary by hosting a program on Livable Communities for Older Adults. Building on the award-winning efforts of the Philadelphia Corporation on Aging, the program will explore the range of land use, zoning and service alternatives for ensuring that all Delaware Valley communities are aging-supportive.

Speakers include:

Allen Glicksman, Philadelphia Corporation on Aging

Kate Clark, Philadelphia Corporation on Aging

Barry Seymour, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

Louis Colbert, Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging

Brian O’Leary, Montgomery County Planning Commission

Clint Randall, Philadelphia City Planning Commission

Schedule:

2:00-4:00 pm: Livable Communities Program

4:00-5:30 pm: Anniversary Celebration Reception

To RSVP for program and/or reception, call 267-468-8300 or e-mail CRPlanning@temple.edu .

Download: Livable_Communities_for_Older_Adults_Program

Category: Upcoming Events / Tags: environment and sustainability

Recap: Making Energy Planning Work

March 30, 2012 / Justin Dula / Comments Off

Thanks to all those who attended the Making Energy Planning Work Professional Development Institute Session (PDI). As promised, the session powerpoints are linked to in the program description below and are all available from this download folder. Thanks again for coming and we thank you for your feedback.

Speaker Presentations (http://bit.ly/MakingEnergyPlanningWork):

Heather Cowley
Regional Pollution Prevention and Energy Assistance Manager, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Southeast Regional Office

Liz Compitello
Research Analyst, Energy and Climate Change Initiatives, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

Justin Dula, AICP
Manager, County and Regional Planning, Delaware County Planning Department

Jon Lesher
Environmental Planner, Montgomery County Planning Commission

Adam Agalloco, LEED® AP
Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia

Dianne Herrin, LEED® AP
Director, Program Management, Practical Energy Solutions & Founder/Advisory Member, West Chester BLUER Committee

Category: Recent Events / Tags: energy, events, PDI, resources