Who We Are Urban Design and Preservation Division
If you embrace the past and future of our built environment, we invite you to join the American Planning Association Urban Design and Preservation Division.
We are a nationwide community of urban design and historic preservation emerging professionals and experienced practitioners in the public, non-profit, educational, and private sectors. Our Division promotes the importance of design excellence, an equitable public realm, and stewardship of our historic places throughout the planning profession and beyond.
JOIN US IN MINNEAPOLIS! Division Events at NPC 24
We'll see you at the 2024 National Planning Conference in Minneapolis on April 13-16. Join us at the APA Hub, our joint reception with the Economic Development Division, the 2024 APA Student Planning and Design Competition finalist presentations and reception, and our annual Division business meeting!
2024 Student Planning & Design Competition
Now in its seventh year, the competition invites multidisciplinary teams of students pursuing graduate degrees in planning, public policy, urban design, architecture, and real estate development to participate. The 2024 Student Planning and Design Competition Project Site Location is The New Nicollet Redevelopment in Minneapolis, MN.
The APA Urban Design and Preservation Division, Student Representative Council, and Divisions Council proudly sponsor this annual competition. The three finalist student teams will present before a jury at an NPC24 public session on Monday, April 15, at 8:30 PM in Room 101 HIJ, Minneapolis Convention Center.
APA Housing and Historic Preservation Policy Comments
Our Division worked with the APA Legislative Policy Committee to submit comments on the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation's housing and preservation policy statement. APA welcomes this federal policy as a critical step in the effort necessary to increase the supply of affordable housing in a way that incorporates appropriate stewardship of the nation’s historic fabric.
Read the comment letter from APA President Angela Brooks to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
Division Student Scholars
We welcome our new Division Scholars! Jamie Zerillo of the University of Florida is our Division's Historic Preservation Scholar. Andrea Cruz Mejía of the University of Texas-Austin was selected as our Design-Preservation Rapid Assistance Team (D-PRAT) Scholar! Learn more about Andrea and Jamie in this interview. Learn more about Andrea and Jamie in this interview.
D-PRAT
Our Division shared the expertise of its Design-Preservation Rapid Assistance Team (D-PRAT) with the City of North Miami on November 13-14. Now in its third year, this pro-bono program supports under-resourced communities and organizations that otherwise would not have access to these services by collaboratively planning for the future, focusing on urban design and/or historic preservation issues. Read the D-PRAT team's findings and recommendations in their presentation to the community. The D-PRAT site visit was featured in Planning Magazine’s article about climate change’s impact on our communities and the planning profession.
Career Paths What is Urban Design?
Interested in a career in urban design? Three experienced urban designers--Jason Beske, Senior Urban Designer at Stantec Urban Places, Jeff Shumaker, former Chief Urban Designer of New York City, and Ifeoma Ebo, Urban Designer/Planning Strategist--offer helpful advice to students and emerging professionals interested in becoming urban designers, and planning practicioners desiring more familiarity with urban design issues. The video was produced by Katelyn Huang, the Division's 2022-23 Scholar.