The American Planning Association’s Iowa Chapter holds a conference each fall where 200 people get together to exchange ideas and hear about new projects and developments. This week, the Chapter will host the 2012 event in Ames with a theme of Emerging Planning Paradigms. Attendees include planners, consultants, developers, elected and appointed officials, and students from all over Iowa. The event is also open to the public with registration available at the door for all or portions of the conference.
When: October 31st through November 2nd at the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in Ames, IA.
Where: Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in Ames, IA
Detailed Information: http://www.iowa-apa.org/
This year’s conference has parallel ties to the important focus points of The Tomorrow Plan. The latest trends in community and regional planning will be discussed on topics including regional planning and cooperation, energy planning, sustainability, and public engagement. More than sixteen separate breakout sessions will be available including a special session on Thursday led by Les Beck, Director of Linn County Planning and Development. Beck will host an afternoon-long “charette-type” session at which participants will develop the framework for a smart planning education program and toolbox, including: plan development, implementation, and review by local government staff, officials, and the public; the refinement of smart planning benchmarks that local governments and regions can use to measure and report progress on smart planning implementation; and, strategies for integrating watershed planning and land use planning.
The American Planning Association Iowa Chapter is a membership organization of approximately four hundred professional planners, planning educators, planning commissioners and planning students from across the state of Iowa. The primary focus of the Chapter is education to improve planning in communities, counties and regions of the State. We focus on providing workshops and information to equip our members with the best planning tools and information available in order that they can assist in “Making Great Communities Happen”. The Iowa Chapter is officially recognized as a sub-ordinate organization by the American Planning Association and as such is registered is a 501c3 organization for educational purposes. The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities by advocating excellence in community planning, promoting education and citizen empowerment, and providing the tools and support necessary to meet the challenges of growth and change.
For more information please contact:
J. Benjamin Champ, AICP, ASLA
Vice President
American Planning Association – Iowa Chapter
champ.jben@gmail.com
http://www.iowa-apa.org/
Ben Champ, AICP, ASLA, is the Community Development Director of Pleasant Hill, one of the MPO member governments. He also serves as the Vice President of the Iowa Chapter of the American Planning Association.
The Iowa Chapter has begun promotion of a new membership category for persons interested only in the Iowa Chapter and not membership in the National organization. The $50 annual membership is intended to encourage additional participation in our outreach efforts and makes the benefits of the APA Iowa Chapter more accessible to non-traditional members including, but not limited to:
• Allied professionals
• Commissioners
• Elected officials
• Planners working in agencies that typically do not fund membership
• New professionals searching for employment wanting to stay connected with the field
Benefits include:
• Reduced rate at the APA Iowa Conference
• Subscription to the Iowa Planning newsletter
• Notice for APA Iowa sponsored events throughout the state, including trainings, workshops, lunch and learns, social events, and job networking
• And much, much more!
Chapter-only membership is offered at just $50 per calendar year. For those who sign up in 2012, the remainder of the calendar year is included with 2013 dues. More information can be found at
http://www.iowa-apa.org/assets/files/APA%20IOWA%20CHAPTER%20AND%20MEMBERSHIP%20APPLICATION.pdf