This webinar is an update of the planning law session conducted as part of the Bettman Symposium at the Spring 2011 APA National Conference in Boston.  An article on this topic involving the Kasson Township case study, will also be published by APA in its Planning and Environmental Law report early in 2012.

The 2012 AICP Exam Review Series is being co-hosted by the North Carolina, Maryland, Illinois, and Pennsylvania chapters of the American Planning Association. Speakers and presentation materials are in process. Members of participating chapters in the Planning Webcast Series are invited to participate.

Charisma Acey will share her findings and experiences with women’s responses to the lack of service delivery and networked infrastructure within the context of their roles and responsibilities in the household, sense of community, and opportunities to participate in urban governance in Nigeria and Uganda.

Drew University’s Certificate in Historic Preservation Program invites community members to explore preservation in New Jersey by participating in courses being offered this winter and spring! This program is designed to appeal to anyone interested in learning about preservation including owners of historic buildings, town planners, architects, real estate professionals, developers and many more. 

The 2012 AICP Exam Review Series is being co-hosted by the North Carolina, Maryland, Illinois, and Pennsylvania chapters of the American Planning Association. Speakers and presentation materials are in process. Members of participating chapters in the Planning Webcast Series are invited to participate.

Demographic transformation creates challenges and opportunities for all US communities. Retiring baby boomers are making new demands – in terms of the built environment, services and housing alternatives.

This webinar will offer a fresh perspective on Economics of Families, Social Integration and Physical Design. 

The 2012 AICP Exam Review Series is being co-hosted by the North Carolina, Maryland, Illinois, and Pennsylvania chapters of the American Planning Association. Speakers and presentation materials are in process. Members of participating chapters in the Planning Webcast Series are invited to participate.

The graying of America and the global economic crisis are powerful forces that have converged this year, critically impacting the ability of communities to address the emerging hardship needs of older Americans. Philadelphia Corporation for Aging(PCA) has developed an agenda based on EPA's Aging Initiative model which integrates active aging and smart growth. 

This session will explore the changing demographics in the United States and how it will impact our communities and the planning profession over the next 20 years. This workshop meets the AICP Certification Maintenance (CM) requirements for ethics.

The 2012 AICP Exam Review Series is being co-hosted by the North Carolina, Maryland, Illinois, and Pennsylvania chapters of the American Planning Association. Speakers and presentation materials are in process. Members of participating chapters in the Planning Webcast Series are invited to participate.

Insight and Confessions from Young Planning Professionals. Candid Planning Career Advice, Tips, and Resources from Working Planning Professionals

The 2012 AICP Exam Review Series is being co-hosted by the North Carolina, Maryland, Illinois, and Pennsylvania chapters of the American Planning Association. Speakers and presentation materials are in process. Members of participating chapters in the Planning Webcast Series are invited to participate.

In today’s world, new and innovative technology is being used to help create community planning charretes, vision statements and neighborhood plans. Participants will learn first-hand how these innovative technological approaches are being utilized in the community building process, how to apply them to real world situations, and how to acquire the skills and information necessary to develop these programs.

The Public Health Symposium will highlight the importance of assessing all policies to determine how they may impact on the health status of community members, through a process called 'Health Impact Assessments.

The Molly Ann Brook Rain Barrel and Rain Garden Initiative differs from traditional environmental planning and protection efforts in that it is a community-based approach to environmental quality, which relies on public involvement rather than costly engineering solutions. 

Genentech's employee transportation program, gRide, provides employees with flexible and convenient services and incentives designed to support commuting by other modes than driving alone. The multifaceted program includes cash incentives, a BikeShare program and a fleet of over 50 motor coach and intra-campus shuttles.

Is land use costing you your health?  Learn about designing healthy communities and your role in local government.  Key topics including health and the built environment, physical activity options, access to healthy foods, air quality, traffic-related crashes and more!

In preparing for introduction of street car service along Columbia Pike, Arlington County is completing a new planning effort for existing multi-family communities. Increasing rents are already pricing out lower-income residents, and those pressures are expected to accelerate with the higher gas prices, highway congestion and that make living in transit communities so attractive. 

Is land use costing you your health? Learn about designing healthy communities and your role in local government. Key topics including health and the built environment, physical activity options, access to healthy foods, air quality, traffic-related crashes and more!

Over the last several decades, urban sprawl, white flight, land use regulations, and consolidation and concentration in the food retail sector have created grocery gaps in urban and rural communities. As a result, many communities lack access to healthy and affordable food. One community solution is healthy food retailing through existing outlets. 

This National Academies of Sciences study produced a comprehensive, concise guide for public decision makers and land use planners on the impacts land use design and policies and regulations on freight movements within urban areas. The guidebook is written in a jargon-free manner and explains why it is important for local elected and appointed officials to understand how goods move within their urban area, why efficient movement is critical to their community’s urban quality of life, how land use codes, policies and regulation impact urban goods movement. 

Is land use costing you your health? Learn about designing healthy communities and your role in local government. Key topics including health and the built environment, physical activity options, access to healthy foods, air quality, traffic-related crashes and more!

Redevelopment is a procedure used to revitalize distressed neighborhoods, address the effects of underused and neglected parcels and enhance the economic conditions of a municipality. Accompanied by sound planning and execution, redevelopment ultimately allows residents, stakeholders and local government officials to produce invaluable changes to our communities.

Join us for a tour of the new 4500 sq ft roof garden at the John Theurer Cancer Center.  

Attendees will learn more about its purpose, design and construction along with regulatory issues, urban heat island and neighborhood impacts, storm water reduction methods, and tips on utilizing roof garden planning. 

The $3.75 million, two-phased study evaluated the feasibility of adding dedicated truck lanes through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The Study evaluates if Dedicated Truck Lanes address the congestion and safety problems and needs on the corridor and improve the regions’ economic competitiveness more than general purpose lanes capacity additions or maintaining the corridor as it is today. 

Join City of Jersey City Planning Director Robert Cotter, PP, FAICP on a walking tour of some of the State's most successful redevelopment efforts that now make up the fabric of Downtown Jersey City.

Register now for the 2012 NJ Historic Preservation Conference "Sustaining the Past - Inventing the Future" on Thursday, June 7th at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ.  The full day conference includes 16 educational sessions and field workshops on preservation, sustainable design, archaeology, historic site stewardship, state parks, historic roads, and much more.

Join PlanSmart NJ, APA-NJ and The Sustainability Institute for our first Policy Briefing exploring the changing landscape of DEP Water Quality Management Planning in NJ. Hear speakers representing different perspectives discuss the opportunities and challenges they face.

This session will explore promising efforts to mobilize and innovate Federal solutions to aging issues cross-agency and intra-agency such as: creating a single agency entry point, providing a forum for dialogue or serving as a repository for policy and programs related to aging.

The presentations will include the development history of the Borough, the architectural history, the successful efforts to preserve the greenbelt and a discussion of other unique land use issues the Borough has faced in the last 20 years. Highlights will include access to a famous New Deal art mural by Ben Shahn in the school building that depicts the founding of the Borough on three large panels as well as a discussion of one of the earliest experiments in ecologically aware affordable housing, the Roosevelt Senior Citizens' Housing, which set out to incorporate energy-efficiency within traditional designs.

Planners and design professionals can substantially reduce future incidents of crime in their communities.  This session will present the practice of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) as a method for using good design and land use planning to reduce fear and crime.  Presenters will include representatives from the law enforcement, architecture, and planning communities with experience and knowledge to explain how to understand and use CPTED in the field.

The purpose of the webinar will be to orient planners to the issues of environmental justice as they relate specifically to freight operations and freight infrastructure, including air and sea ports, railroads, intermodal facilities, inland warehouse and distribution centers, and the roads and bridges that serve them. To help planners understand and address community concerns, presenters will discuss the origins and current status of federal environmental justice policy and offer infrastructure case studies from the Chicago area and Southern California.

The National Capital Planning Commission, the federal government’s regional planning agency, in conjunction with federal and local partners is developing a bold new vision for Southwest Washington. Learn how NCPC and the city proposes to transform a staid mid-century federal office precinct - merely steps from the National Mall - into a vibrant livable community and showcase of sustainability.

While communities are well attuned to the diversification and globalization of U.S. cities and towns, how they can respond to these trends in practice is less well understood. This forum will present an overview of some key concepts, trends and issues to consider when planning in immigrant and multi-ethnic contexts.

State Senator and Mayor of Union City Brian P. Stack will lead a two-hour tour on the planning, development, and cultural activities of Union City.

 The purpose of this session is to present how many communities are rethinking their long-term development policies that may once have embraced low-density, suburban development to incorporate more new urbanism principles such as a focus on infill development over greenfield development; a desire to create walkable neighborhoods with access to local businesses; and an understanding that high-density development is not the “plague” on society that some of the public may once have believed. 

This session highlights many of the conditions (with emphasis on market analysis and urban design) that lead to viable town centers, primarily through case study of town centers across the country. Case studies of public/private partnerships will also be provided. The success of the town center strategy, which focuses on the creation of great places to create value premiums, has broad implications for planning, since it has provided market validation of a number of planning and urban design principles. That these successes have occurred, often in the absence of regional policies that support placemaking, could point to a broader cultural shift and future support for place-friendly policies.

Looking to take action over the next 3-12 months to make real changes to your business/building appearance that will increase commerce and property value? Wanting to enhance the perception of your district in the short term by taking direct actions to turn tough places into bright spots of positive economic and social activity? Want to do this all without spending a ton of money while building partnerships and more buy-in for your district and its businesses?

For decades, the waterfronts of our port cities were the drivers of regional economic development. But as markets changed in the mid-Twentieth Century, these areas in many cities became derelict eyesores, economic black holes that sucked the energy out of these once-thriving urban centers. Over the past few decades, however, new approaches to the function and utility of urban waterfronts have given these districts a new vitality and vibrancy. This webinar will present the waterfront redevelopment stories of three small cities: Portland, Maine; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; and Burlington, Vermont. It will highlight the economic, social, and environmental forces at play as these cities work to redefine themselves.

Bus Rapid Transit – or BRT – is bus service that includes enhanced travel ways, stations and equipment. BRT offers passengers faster, more reliable service than traditional bus service. It does so by providing more frequent service and reducing traffic delays by giving BRT vehicles priority over general traffic. This type of service can be implemented faster less expensively than rail transit while still offering many of the same attributes and benefits as rail transit. Because the public is relatively unfamiliar with BRT, public education and marketing are very important to the success of this type of service. 

This webcast will examine several trends gaining traction with transit and paratransit agencies as well as with governmental agencies that focus on senior needs. Case studies will be presented from rural, suburban, and urban communities, including one of the first suburban NORCs (naturally-occurring retirement community) in the nation.

 This webinar will address the creation and adoption of a GBESE which, like all Master Plan Elements, is intended to guide land-use decisions and provides the basis for ordinances addressing sustainability and land use issues. Representatives from the planning community, including the acclaimed Sustainable JerseyTM certification program, will discuss the program’s GBESE tool for certification, how to introduce sustainability concepts into local planning documents, and will highlight some examples from high performing sustainability plans.

The Car Future Group will conduct an interactive session about how trends in vehicle design and technology will play out on the roadways and policy context of the future. We will present important information about the future of cars design: Shape, weight, size, fuel types and degrees of automation. We will then discuss the future of our infrastructure and how the new vehicles will be used, exploring issues such as roadway and lane design, pricing, insurance and public policy. The audience will see that we are facing a future characterized by opposing trends, and not monolithic solutions. 

The NJDEP Waiver Rule allows the NJDEP Commissioner to grant exemptions to certain environmental regulations enforced by NJDEP. Hear speakers representing different perspectives discuss the implications and opportunities of this rule.

Columbus Planning Division staff will provide an overview of the Urban Commercial Overlay (UCO), a highly successful zoning tool that requires a walkable built environment reflecting the development pattern of late 19th and early 20th century commercial corridors. Since it was established in 1999, a broad array of pedestrian-friendly development has been constructed, including gasoline stations and a major grocery store. The UCO applies design standards that address the location and design of new buildings (and additions to existing buildings), parking lot placement and related development standards without requiring mandatory design review.

The Review Course is expected to cover general exam topics including the State Plan, environmental regulations, affordable housing, Planning Board and Board of Adjustment activities, MLUL, regional planning entities, and other material relative to the PP Exam. Additionally, all students will receive a complimentary copy of the 2010 Complete Guide to Planning in New Jersey.

Our planning careers are pivoted on building communities, both physically and socially. But what about building literary communities? The premise of the CPBC is simple. Every three months, APA-NJ and APA-NYM will choose a different book for membership to read. Our current selection is Crabgrass Frontiers: The Suburbanization of the United States. On the third month of these quarterly cycles, the chapters will organize an in-person meet-up to discuss the featured book at length. Between the time of introduction and meeting-up, CPBC members are encouraged to participate in an online forum to share their ideas in real-time. Our September 2012 meet-up will be held in Jersey City's The Merchant Bar and Restaurant from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

This webinar will provide attendees the latest national and state data on housing and transportation relevant to an aging population. Hear how disability rates, family structures, foreclosure rates, and the age of homes have shifted in the decade, as older households adapt to face new and continuing challenges. Learn what’s being done to address issues of affordability. Understand the latest travel patterns of those 65+ as observed in the 2009 National Household Travel Survey. Hear what public and private sector strategies AARP’s planning experts recommend for the creation of lifelong communities. During the webinar, presenters will show their new 6.5 minute video entitled, “Active Living for All Ages: Creating Communities Around Transit,” and discuss how the voices of older adults living in Arlington, VA’s TOD neighborhoods can help win the argument for walkable, mixed-use communities.

Montclair Center is a vital and evolving downtown, where urban planners have implemented projects for over a century.  Join us for a narrated walking tour that will discuss the historic architecture of Montclair Center and a projects past, present and future.

TOD is much more than proximity to transit – good urban design is essential to true TOD.  This panel will address the key design concepts that distinguish TOD, as well as planning considerations such as land use types, environmental constraints, historic features, and social justice issues.

Join Bordentown City Officials and the American Planning Association - New Jersey Chapter to celebrate Downtown Bordentown’s Award as a GREAT PLACE IN NEW JERSEY!  The tour will be guided by Bordentown Mayor James Lynch and former Mayor and Assemblyman Joe Malone, with Deputy Mayor Heather Cheesman, Commissioner Zigmont Targonski and City Clerk Patricia Ryan on hand to offer interesting viewpoints and historical facts about Bordentown.

A one-day intensive workshop teaching how to make your community and region destination ready. Designed for business district management organizations, chambers and other municipal, county and regional leaders. 

Do transportation investments, particularly rail transit investments, facilitate long-term city and regional economic growth? If yes, what is the signficiance of the role of rail transit, versus other factors, in regional economic growth? In this webinar Bill Lee, Executive Vice President of AECOM Economics, will provide an extensive data-based review of three city pairs, each representing two cities that once had similar profile, but with one city that invested in regional rail transit and the other that did not.

Join us for Policy Briefing exploring the New Jersey Solar Energy Legislation signed into law by Governor Chris Christie (S-1925). Experts will discuss what is included in the legislation, the land use ramifications, and its impact on the solar market in New Jersey.

This webcast will provide planners and land use lawyers with everything they need to know about the “ins and outs” of the impacts of the booming natural gas industry’s activities on our communities. We start with an overview of the regulation of fracking activities, including federal, state, and local regulations and the consideration of land rights. Then we address in detail the role of planners in jurisdictions where fracking is permitted or is being contemplated, and how that role varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Get ready for what will be APA-NJ's largest conference yet!  Visit our conference website: www.2012NJPlanningConference.org for more details.  Registration is open!

We are pleased to partner with New Jersey Future on the first of their new webinar series. The Nuts and Bolts of Non-Contiguous Clustering, scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 12:30 pm, is a one-hour look at this innovative land-preservation tool and how it has been implemented in the state of New Jersey. Three presenters […]

We all know that our usual public meetings aren’t attracting large portions of our populations, and that many of the people we most want to hear from are more likely to use email and web sites than to show up for a council meeting. But with all the websites and whiz-bang online tools out there, what should we be doing? We will explore several different online public participation techniques, from surveying to idea prioritizing and ongoing project management. We will give a real-time demonstration of how several methods and online tools work, and we will spend a little time with the developer of one of these tools to discuss the challenges and protections needed to foster effective online participation.

This moderated panel discussion will examine situations common to private consultants (in contexts that also often include public sector planners) from a variety of perspectives, taking into consideration several variables. Audience members will also be invited to submit their ethical questions electronically for the panel to discuss. This session will familiarize attendees with the standards of ethical behavior according to the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and the nuances of applying the Code appropriately and responsibly.

This presentation will explore the local issues related to LEED ND and how the rating system approaches and measures initiatives to reduce regional impact of these issues. A general overview of the LEED ND system including prerequisites and their impact on project site selection will be presented. The session will discuss specific issues addressed by LEED ND and how individual credits relate to the issues outlined.

Please join us for a holiday party hosted by the APA-NJ Young Planners Group and the Rutgers Association of Policy and Planning Students

Charles Brown, Senior Researcher at the Voorhees Transportation Center will lead a discussion on the need to write more people of color into the world of cycling and providing underserved communities with active transportation choices. Karyn Williams, co-founder of Velo City, and Tiffany Robinson, Chair of the APA-NJ's Ethnic & Cultural Diversity Committee, will discuss their experiences in teaching minority youth in underserved communities about the community planning process and empowering them with the skills needed to discuss urban issues.

The tour will walk around the Voorhees Town Center site, beginning at the new town hall with a brief presentation of the background and history of the site and the redevelopment initiative.  The tour will be led by representatives of the developers as well as the Mayor and Township administrator and will explore progress that has been made, the work that is currently underway, challenges that have been overcome, and where additional opportunities may be realized in the future. 

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.

Our current selection is The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America. Our December 2012 meet-up will be held at BXL Zoute from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

The purpose of the workshop is to “bridge the gap” between planners and community based organizations (CBOs). The workshop will provide a platform for CBOs to better understand the role of city and regional planners in community development, and acquire access to information that can help them become strong and sustainable entities within their target populations. It will also give planners an opportunity to learn more about CBO’s, what they do, and their needs. 

The proposed webinar will explore the connection between aviation and other travel modes, and the challenges that airports and their communities face when integrating airports into regional transportation systems and nearby communities. We will provide background that transportation planners need to know when embarking on transportation planning or site development projects that involve direct or indirect connections with airports or federally obligated airport property.

More than half of Americans own and use a smartphone. Increasingly planners and the public are accessing information and engaging via mobile devices. Walk through the research and mobile applications out there to aid planners in using their mobile devices to the maximum effectiveness. This session is sponsored by the Ohio State University.

Please join us for the annual NJ Planning Conference!  Due to Hurricane Sandy, the originally scheduled conference was moved to January 31 and February 1.  There's still time to register!

New pressure from elected officials and city managers to reduce fees, regulations and process to make it easier to attract development may or may not be consistent with the Principles espoused by the Code of Ethics, much less the Rules of Conduct. This interactive session will engage participants in dialogue about the pressures we are facing in our jobs on a day to day basis and how to align our response with the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

Planning and plagiarism go hand in hand. We copy zoning codes, plans, and ideas from other towns and, in the process, we are responsible for killing any sense of identity in our own communities. This session is about gaining the self confidence to plan truly exceptional places. This session is sponsored by the Ohio State University.

Real progress will occur with a paradigm shift if generations work together and cultural imperatives are addressed. This session will highlight both research and on-the-ground experience in multi-generational planning.

APA-NJ Members use promotional code APANJ2-13 to receive a 10% discount.  A one-day intensive workshop teaching how to strengthen organizational communication & participation integrating the latest tools & innovations in social media and web applications. Designed for business district management organizations, chambers and other municipal, county and regional leaders. 

 MAPS 3 is a 10-year program designed to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma City through the construction of eight projects funded by a limited term, one-cent sales tax initiative that began in April 2010. Russell Claus, Director of Planning for the City of Oklahoma City, and Cathy O’Connor, President of The Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, will discuss the history of the MAPS initiatives, private investment that has occurred as a result, and ongoing planning for leveraging private investment from MAPS 3 projects.

What happens when a group of six planning consultants decides to create a new consulting firm during the latest Great Recession? Hear how this group of one-time sole proprietor planning consultants chose to join forces and start a new consulting firm as the market contracted….and they succeeded. What did it take? What lessons did they learn? What tools and strategies worked best? How did sole proprietors, used to being leaders themselves, adjust to the new normal of being part of a six-person firm? Learn how to succeed and what it takes to move forward in today’s market.

Design guidelines are an innovative tool for controlling strip development and helping to maintain community character. This session will present case studies of design guidelines being used to control strip development in Kittery and Scarborough, Maine, Salem, New Hampshire, and Cape Cod in Massachusetts. It will illustrate how design guidelines were prepared and implemented and how they have influenced new development.

High oil and natural gas prices over the last decade, combined with new technology have ignited a fossil fuel boom across the West. Drilling for oil and natural gas is a high-impact economic activity. Today’s unconventional oil development and its effects differ in important ways from oil booms of the past. This webinar charts the new “unconventional” fossil fuel boom, tracking production, employment, and fiscal trends in an effort to better understand the pressures boomtowns face and to identify best practices for benefiting from these new unconventional fossil fuel plays.