Emerging Professional Activities at National Planning Conference

Each year APA's National Planning Conference draws more than 5,000 planners, decision-makers, and allied professionals for five days of professional development and networking. What better place to forge those connections so critical to launching your career?

With a special program focused entirely on emerging professionals — including the always-popular Resume Clinic and an expanded set of career-focused sessions ("Marketing Yourself Online for Career Success," "Career Reality: Speed Dating for Planners," and others) — the 2013 conference in Chicago this April is one you can't afford to miss.

Saturday

Emerging Professionals Institute (W402)

8:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m.

What does it take to stand out in today's job market? This institute provides critical guidance to doing just that. Designed for planners with 1-5 years of professional experience, this institute teaches how to grow a professional career and put your career on the right path. This highly interactive, small-group workshop will give you direct access to the field's top professionals and a network of peers to help you put your career on the right track. You will explore topics uniquely designed for emerging professionals, including: marketing yourself in today's economy, how to get things done effectively and efficiently, building communication skills that matter, and positioning yourself to grow the career you want. You will also explore critical changes to the planning field and traditional and non-traditional planning careers. Learn how to set yourself apart. Register today! Lunch included.
$125.

Mentor Match Meet-Up

9:15 a.m.–10:00 a.m.

Is this your first National Planning Conference? Are you looking for career advice? Or, would you just like to meet a local Chicagoan to help navigate the city? This is a perfect way to meet other members and get the advice you need. Apply today to be matched up with a mentor during the conference. Space is limited and mentors will be assigned on a first come/first served basis.  This is the first of two meet-ups hosted by APA (although you will be able to schedule a separate meet-up with your mentor if these set times don't work for you). The second will take place on Sunday from 4–5 p.m.
Deadline to apply: March 14

Capstone Presentations 1 (S408)

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

"The Geography of Nature Access Opportunities: Measuring Access to Nature Using Qualitative Factors and Implications for Planning Practice and Policy," Jonathan Knight; "Making the Case for Using Development Impact Fees for Climate Change Mitigation," Polly Ng; "Mixed Use Developments: Does this Land Use Concept Have Any Place on U.S. Campuses?," Andrew Freerks; "Regional Planning and Governance in Taiwan," Yu-shou Su; "Globalization or National Politics?: The Development of Moscow's International Business District," Katherine Dydak; "Inter-Megaregional Dynamics: Economic Integrations in an Emerging Geography," Billy Fleming; "Before Disaster Strikes: Planning for Host Communities," Megan Bond; "Transportation Demand Management Plan for the Texas A&M University College Station Campus," Michael Martin; "Schools, Neighborhoods, and Student Outcomes," Perry Shoemaker; "Improving Campus Planning at Your School," Yunke Xiang; "Could Park-and-Ride Become Bike-and-Ride? Assessing the potential for bike parking at park-and-ride lots in Metro Vancouver," Debra Rolfe.

Resume Clinic (X018)

10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Private and public sector hiring managers, AICP Fellows, and APA Division officers and other volunteers will spend 15-20 minutes with members reviewing resumes and offering customized job search advice.

Sign-ups start at 9 a.m. each day in the Atlantic Room.

Student Case Study Competition (P351)

12:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

APA student members — register to compete in the first annual Student Case Competition. This program offers students the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge in a real-world, time-sensitive scenario.  Details of the case will be released to registrants on Saturday during the conference.  Participants will have three hours to develop and submit their prize-winning response to a panel of seasoned AICP/FAICP members.  Space is limited so participants must register before the conference. No cost. Open to APA Student members only.

Capstone Presentations 2 (S417)

1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.

Dubuque South Port Redevelopment Sandwich, Kaley Bangston; The Role of Metropolitan Planning Organizations for the Implementation of Complete Streets — Two Case Studies from Ohio, Deborah Riemann; Greening the Gap: Improving Waterfront Access in East Harlem, Erin Mcauliff; Borrowed Ground: How vacant lots can contribute to land access and healthy foods in neighborhood-scale foodsheds, Ben Kerrick; Up an Urban Creek: Developing Smarter to Protect Streams, Maria Sandercock; The Market to Park It: A Case for Parking Reforms in India's Emerging Mega-City of Ahmedabad, Justin Resnick; Bicycle Sharing Is the New Black, But Can It Make Some Green?, Justin Resnick; Using Spatial Pattern Analysis to Explore Regional Characteristics: A Focus on F&B Shops in Gangnam District, South Korea, Hogeun Park; Breaking the Mode: Campus Impacts of an Alternative Transportation Marketing & Outreach Program, Jessica Kuo; Innovations in Multi-Modal, Schematic Transit Mapping, Margaret Finch Carragher; EVER GREEN: An Enduring System of Parks and Greenways in Detroit, Ting Ma.

Sunday

Marketing Yourself Online for Career Success (S448)

9:45 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

How can you improve your job prospects by "branding" yourself online via LinkedIn, Twitter, and other sites? This session is developed in concert with Sequence Staffing.

Mobile Workshop

Building Community through Economic Development (W002)

10:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Advocacy, perseverance, and collaboration were key ingredients in the efforts of LGBT and allied communities to revitalize several Chicago neighborhoods. This walking and rail transit tour of the Lakeview/Boystown, Andersonville, and Rogers Park neighborhoods examines the emergence of these community groups as an economic and political force in Chicago and explores ways to replicate the processes they employed to effect positive social and economic change well beyond the Windy City. Transportation: Public, walking.
Special Student Rate: $25.

Division Discussion

Recent Planning Grads in the Working World (S851)

10:30 a.m.–11:45 a.m.

Learn directly from experienced planners about job functions you should expect on entering the public or the private sector, what skill sets and attributes employers expect in young staff, and how best to match your interests with types of employment in either sector.

Resume Clinic (X019)

10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Private and public sector hiring managers, AICP Fellows, and APA Division officers and other volunteers will spend 15-20 minutes with members reviewing resumes and offering customized job search advice.

Sign-ups start at 9 a.m. each day in the Atlantic Room.

Capstone Presentations 3 (S456)

11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

"Disperse where suitable, concentrate where suitable" Understanding Re-development Plans and Policies for Villages in the Linpan Landscape of the Chengdu Plain, Jennifer Tippins; Built for Dementia – Urban Design Analysis for Dementia-ready Communities, Jason Su; Trail Oriented Development in Kansas City, Joshua D. Boehm; Reducing Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transport in the Lake Tahoe Region, Diana Madson; Housing Needs for a Vibrant Dubuque, Dana Bartolomei; Evaluating the impacts of park and greenway features, cues, and context on individual and community health, Bianca Shulaker; Context-Sensitive Economic Development: Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, Komal Panjwani; Coordinating landscape-based controls: Lessons from multi-party, integrated clean water permits, Eva Birk; Abandoned Spaces to Community Places: How vacant lots can be transformed in to healthy civic spaces, Rafael Egues; Promoting Public Transit Use Through Great Streets, Hang Nguyen; An Integration of Social and Physical Patterns in Streetscape Design: Two Case Studies, Dionne Hines.

Mobile Workshop

Historic TOD: Chicago's Brown Line 'L' (W013)

1:10 p.m.–4:15 p.m.

Explore three districts (two commercial, one residential) that have been impacted by their proximity to public transit stations over the last century. Ride Chicago's historic 'L' line and stop at three different stations (Armitage, Francisco, and Southport or Western) to gain a better understanding of historic district design guidelines and the various streetscape and development issues related to transit-oriented development. Transportation: Public, walking.
Special Student Rate: $25.

Career Reality

Speed-dating for Planners (S491)

2:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

This two-part session includes a brief SRC Business Meeting and the opportunity for students to chat with professionals in many of the profession's various fields. Learn about job responsibilities and required skills while making important contacts. Open to APA Student members only.

Mentor Match Meet-Up

4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

Is this your first National Planning Conference? Are you looking for career advice? Or, would you just like to meet a local Chicagoan to help navigate the city? This is a perfect way to meet other members and get the advice you need. Apply today to be matched up with a mentor during the conference. Space is limited and mentors will be assigned on a first come/first served basis. This is the second of two meet-ups hosted by APA (although you will be able to schedule a separate meet-up with your mentor if these set times don't work for you). The first will take place on Saturday from 9:15–10:00 a.m.
Deadline to apply: March 14.

The Daniel Burnham Forum on Big Ideas

Planning in the 4th Dimension (S513)

5:30 p.m.–6:45 p.m.

Open to all but designed with the next generation of planning professionals in mind, this forum will focus on the roles and responsibilities of planners in an increasingly information-rich environment.  Sponsored by the APA's National Centers of Planning. 

Networking reception from 5:00–5:30 p.m.

Monday

Building Your Brand with an Effective Resume (S568)

2:30 p.m.–3:45 p.m.

Competition for good jobs is tougher than ever. How can you improve the "soft" skills — like networking and professional development — needed for a successful job search and polish your résumé to boot? Find out in this session developed by Sequence Staffing.

Resume Clinic (X020)

10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Private and public sector hiring managers, AICP Fellows, and APA Division officers and other volunteers will spend 15-20 minutes with members reviewing resumes and offering customized job search advice.

Sign-ups start at 9 a.m. each day in the Atlantic Room.

Division Facilitated Discussion

What They Didn't Tell You in Planning School (S861)

10:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Hosted by: Planning and Women/Planning and the Black Community

Poster Sessions (S300-S395)

12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.

Mobile Workshop

Green Buildings and Practices in Chicago (W017)

8:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Green building techniques promise communities a host of environmental, economic, and health benefits. See how one mixed-use community on Chicago's West Side is planning sustainably using techniques such as recycled and eco-based materials, renewable energy systems, stormwater management, and native landscapes. The tour includes stops at the Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT) — a model of adaptive reuse, green design, and sustainability — as well as local green buildings. Transportation: Motorcoach, walking.
Special Student Rate: $25.

Mobile Workshop

The Bloomingdale: Chicago's Other 'L' (W029)

1:15 p.m.–5:15 p.m.

Thanks to a successful public-private partnership, an abandoned train line is being transformed into the highly anticipated Bloomingdale Park and Trail-an elevated open space on Chicago's Near Northwest Side. Tour the neighborhoods The Bloomingdale calls home-including Humboldt Park, Logan Square, Wicker Park, and Bucktown-and experience The Bloomingdale project firsthand. Participants will learn what it took to plan this visionary project and how to apply the same techniques to projects in their own communities. Transportation: Motorcoach, walking.
Special Student Rate: $25.

Mobile Workshop

'Green' Food Production and Distribution (W032)

2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

Tour the Plant — a former meat-packing facility converted into a net-zero-energy vertical farm and food-business incubator — and learn about its work in aquaponic farming and renewable energy. Learn how this inventive operation is creating jobs in the economically distressed "Back of the Yards" neighborhood while employing a renewable energy system that will divert more than 10,000 tons of food waste from landfills annually to meet its energy needs. Transportation: Motorcoach, walking.
Special Student Rate: $25.

Facilitated Discussion

Planning-Based Scholarships and Volunteering Opportunities (S811)

4:00 p.m.–5:15 p.m.

Non-traditional opportunities for life-changing planning experiences abound. But how can you find them? This facilitated discussion will provide information on the Fulbright Scholar Program, the Peace Corps, and other scholarship/volunteer opportunities that can offer valuable (and rewarding) planning experiences. Learn how to craft a successful application and what to expect throughout the entire application process.

Tuesday

Mobile Workshop

Local Food Planning in Lake County (W034)

8:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Local food systems feed economic development, benefit public health, and promote environmental sustainability. Learn how private and public stakeholders in Lake County, Ill., partnered to plan a local food system — and how your community can do the same. Stops include the Prairie Crossing Farm and Farm Business Development Center, the College of Lake County Sustainable Agriculture Program and Community Garden, and the Temple Farms Organics Community Supported Agriculture and Organic Farm. Transportation: Motorcoach, walking.
Special Student Rate: $25.

Mobile Workshop

Transforming Post-industrial Landscapes into Parks (W048)

2:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

Post-industrial landscapes can be transformed into highly valued urban oases in any community. Visit Northerly Island, a 91-acre former lakefront airport site, and Park 553, a 24-acre former EPA site, and see how both sites are being transformed into unique recreational areas. Learn about the strategies and tools employed to bring these projects to fruition. Transportation: Motorcoach, walking.
Special Student Rate: $25.

Mobile Workshop: Historic Logan Square Walking Tour (W052)

2:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

How can you use an arts district theme to revitalize neighborhoods? Tour the Logan Square Boulevards Historic District — a mix of homes, apartment buildings, and businesses — and see how local stakeholders employed an arts district theme to revitalize the area. Visit the newly renovated Logan Theatre to learn why longtime owners chose to restore it and see the Logan Square Comfort Station, a former park building turned art gallery. Transportation: Public, walking.
Special Student Rate: $25.

Wednesday

Half-Day Workshop

AICP Exam Prep Workshop (W457)

7:45 a.m.–11:45 a.m.

Prepare for the AICP exam with the help of chapter professional development officers who offer tips and focused training in the exam format, content, and topic areas. Learn about the application process and gain insights for success.

Mobile Workshop

Suburban Placemaking (W059)

8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

How can suburban communities distinguish themselves? This tour of four thriving Chicago suburbs — Oak Park, Forest Park, Berwyn, and Riverside — reveals how each has employed placemaking to craft a unique identity based on its character and heritage. Learn how to assess the character of your community and use that information to create a unique identity expressed both physically and in more intangible ways. Transportation: Motorcoach, walking.
Special Student Rate: $25.

Mobile Workshop

Chicago's Chinatown (W067)

1:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.

Located on the city's South Side, Chicago's Chinatown is the second-largest Chinatown in the United States. Experience this vibrant ethic neighborhood firsthand — from Chinatown Square and the Nine Dragon Wall to the Chinese American Veterans Memorial and the Chinese American Museum of Chicago. Gain a better understanding of how the Chinese-American community has grown in Chicago and the proactive planning the community has done to support and strengthen its cultural heritage. Transportation: Public, walking.
Special Student Rate: $25.