Applying Conservation Planning Tools
Case Study: Pikes Peak Regional Transportation Plan
By Craig Casper, AICP CEP CTP, Ryan Scherzinger, AICP
This case study is the result of a partnership between the American Planning Association (APA), NatureServe, Placeways, the Colorado Natural Heritage Program and the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG). The case study represents a follow-up study to a 2011 assessment of planners' use of GIS-based software capable of supporting conservation planning efforts. APA worked with conservation biologists and GIS specialists in the development and analysis of the assessment. Both the 2011 assessment and the following case study were made possible through funding and staff assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.
Based in biological science, "conservation planning" is a growing field that works to identify those areas of land and water that hold the greatest promise for long-term biodiversity protection. Many new advanced tools in conservation planning are offering new insights and modes of inquiry, particularly those that utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to visualize, question, and interpret data.
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About the Authors
Craig Casper, AICP CEP CTP
Ryan Scherzinger, AICP
<p>Ryan Scherzinger is a planner and an experienced program and project manager in the nonprofit sector with an extensive background in providing resources to spur community-driven action in partnership with governments, CBOs, businesses, foundations, and academic institutions. He joined the Center for Neighborhood Technology in February 2023 as a Project Manager in their Urban Resilience department. Prior, he worked for 13 years at the American Planning Association (APA) in both their Washington, DC and Chicago offices. In various roles, he helped organize and manage a variety of programs and special projects, including community planning workshops, grant-funded research, symposia and lecture series, study tours, international initiatives, allied outreach and coalitions, award juries, and interactive public exhibits. He also helped create, then manage and grow APA’s Community Planning Assistance Teams program whereby he recruited and worked with multidisciplinary teams of volunteer experts to engage local stakeholders and create focused plans and implementation strategies for specific challenges in low-capacity and underserved communities around the U.S. and abroad.</p>