The global climate crisis is one of the most serious threats facing us today and action must be taken at every level of government. Local planners have a key role to play in helping to mitigate climate change impacts and to ensure our communities adapt to a changing climate.

Many cities lack adequate access to parks and trails. This equity gap has severe consequences for the health of our communities. Recognizing these inequities and developing plans and funding mechanisms to address them is critical to the future wellness and competitiveness of our cities. In addition to highlighting examples in other cities, this session will illustrate how planners in Columbus, Ohio, quantified unequitable access, set a goal of every resident to be within one half mile of a park or trail, and developed a targeted strategic land acquisition plan. Equitable access to parks and trails in our communities is critical to understand, document and address. Participants will learn about assessment methods to quantify equitable access and solutions to ensure that everyone has walkable access to parks and trails.

Many cities lack adequate access to parks and trails. This equity gap has severe consequences for the health of our communities. Recognizing these inequities and developing plans and funding mechanisms to address them is critical to the future wellness and competitiveness of our cities.

Street commerce has gained prominence in urban areas, where demographic shifts such as increasing numbers of single people and childless "empty nesters," along with technological innovations enabling greater flexibility of work locations and hours, have changed how people shop and dine out.

This webinar will continue and update the webinar with the same title from July of 2020. As the United States begins to emerge from the worst impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the panelists, experts in transportation, public participation and land use; will discuss how the profession of urban planning has profoundly changed in the last 18 months.

The Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission (SCC&HC) welcomes you to join them for a discussion about cultural innovation. Communities that cultivate arts, cultural heritage, and history reap broad benefits – from civic empowerment to economic development to improved health and well-being. The best cultural initiatives are collaborative, interdisciplinary, and community-driven; using creative placemaking principles to integrate arts, heritage, and history with the built and natural environment to encourage broad and diverse participation. This panel discussion includes experts from the arts, heritage, tourism, and film sectors who will provide insight into cultivating a comprehensive strategy to advance cultural and heritage initiatives.

Increasing affordable housing production has been a challenge for decades. There are challenges to production, funding, locations and legislatively. Homelessness rates in recent years and planners need innovative ways to provide transitional and permanent supportive housing.

This panel will highlight the critical work that is being done by planners who work for the US military. They will share their experiences and highlight how the lessons they learned in planning school apply to their current jobs. They will also discuss opportunities for planners in the US military in particular.

This session will introduce the YEP! methodology; highlight projects; and provide tips and best practices for engaging young people in the planning process as well as going into the classroom and teaching youth about urban planning. Discover best examples to develop youth's civic leadership and recruit youth into our profession — as well as steps to establish your own local program.

The pandemic exposed inequities baked into the economic system. Planners must rethink basic assumptions about bouncing back to pre-COVID economy. This panel explores the application of new approaches: a new roadmap, targeted social impact investments and small-scale manufacturing that invest in place in an inclusive way to empower systemic transformation.

Many rural and suburban communities with natural assets—and robust internet service—have become attractive places for telecommuters to locate full time. Hear from communities that are weighing the benefits and pitfalls of the "zoom town" phenomenon, working to collect data about it, and seeking to understand potential long-term implications of working from home. Planners can help communities prepare by developing a deeper understanding of the influencing factors and how different approaches to accommodating them have impacts on both the physical environment and people's daily lives. This session also focuses on identifying key considerations for making decisions about policies and programs that address this phenomenon. It's especially important for planners to consider how benefits can be distributed equitably across segments of the population. How can the economic advantages of zoom towns benefit all community members?

Join your APA colleagues for an introductory session to learn more about this timely issue for our communities. Panelists and discussions will consider impacts on infrastructure and social vulnerability as well as the role planners can play in improving outcomes.