Planning and Law
The Planning and Law Division of the American Planning Association serves those with a professional or personal interest in the diverse legal issues that affect the planning profession. PLD's membership includes attorneys, planners, students, and others. Most members are not lawyers, and a large percentage of members work in government.
PLD's activities include:
• Daniel J. Curtin Fellowship: Competitive, academic year-long fellowship offered to planning and/or law students, who receive a stipend for PLD service
• Quarterly newsletter: Featuring topical articles on recent land-use cases, innovative legal techniques, and many division activities
• Bettman Symposium at APA National Conferences: Compelling sessions on relevant planning and law topics, eligible for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit
• Smith Babcock Williams Writing Competition: Annual writing competition open to law and planning students, with monetary prizes and the chance to publish in The Urban Lawyer
• Amicus Committee: PLD works with this APA committee to aid in the amicus curiae process for relevant appellate cases at all levels
• Resources: Online resources include notification of upcoming planning and law events, and summaries of major land use law cases
To access current and past issues of the PLD newsletter, as well as our ever-growing Resources section — which includes summaries of major land use cases, links to related organizations, and Continuing Legal Education credit information — you must be a member of the division. As a member, you also will receive e-mail announcements about upcoming events and other items of interest to the planning and law community. Further, joining the Planning and Law Division will allow you to become part of a network that includes nationally recognized leaders in the field of land use law, as well as hundreds of planners, lawyers, practitioners, and students interested in the diverse areas where planning and law intersect.