March 9, 2007

Planning Returns to Its Historical Roots

CHICAGO — William Penn's planning influence is still evident today in Philadelphia, more than 300 years after he crafted his rectangular grid pattern. Planners will return to some of the profession's earliest roots for the American Planning Association's 99th National Planning Conference, April 14–18, 2007.

The five-day conference will address the challenges communities face and the issues that concern residents — sprawl, water supply quality and shortages, downtown redevelopment, affordable housing, traffic congestion, and others. The conference provides information for practitioners, educators, citizens, business leaders, and elected officials.

"With the country's population growth, energy shortages, increasing frequency of disasters and the demand for land, communities cannot bury their heads in the sand and ignore the need for good planning," said Paul Farmer, FAICP, CEO and executive director of the American Planning Association. "We can see the lasting value that planning brings to communities by looking at the evolution of our host city."

APA's National Planning Conference will start with opening keynote speaker, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The world planning keynote will be delivered by Colombian Ambassador Carolina Barco Isakson, the former planning director of Bogota. The conference closes with a look at Edmund Bacon's influence on the planning profession and the city of Philadelphia.

In addition to 300 sessions, the conference offers nearly 100 mobile workshops that will take attendees into neighborhoods throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware to explore how planning shapes communities.

As part of the conference, Sharswood residents and conference attendees will work together to spur economic development in the neighborhood during a day-long community planning workshop on Saturday, April 14. Sponsored by APA's professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, the workshop will focus on preserving low- to-moderate income housing and addressing development concerns. The work produced during last year's workshop in San Antonio has been credited with advancing redevelopment of a former meat packing plant site.

A special exhibit this year in the convention center will offer an unprecedented look at the evolution of planning Philadelphia. From Penn's original plan to future plans for the city, attendees can literally step into the exhibit and experience the full impact of planning in the city.

"Philadelphia has a long and rich planning history and offers many lessons for conference attendees to take back to their communities," said Farmer. "As recipient of two APA National Planning Awards, the city provides the perfect backdrop for attendees to study and experience the profound impacts of planning."

APA's annual National Planning Conference attracts more than 5,000 planners and officials and is the world's largest annual planning and public policy conference. All conference sessions will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Entire conference and weekend registration rates are available.

Contact

Roberta Rewers, APA Public Affairs, 312-786-6395; rrewers@planning.org