APA Audio Conferences:
For Planning Commissioners and Planning Professionals
| Dates: | Vary, see below |
|---|---|
| Location: | MARC Conference Center (map) |
| Fee: | Free! Registration is required. |
What you'll learn:
Join us for a series of American Planning Association audio conferences on topics of interest to area planning commissioners and planning professionals.
Participants will be able to submit questions to the speakers, via e-mail or fax, both in advance of and during the sessions.
Although some audio conferences are targeted to either commissioners or planners, both are welcome at all sessions. There is no charge for the audio conferences, but registration is required.
60-minute Topical Series
for Planning Commissioners
and Planners
Co-Sponsor: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Staying Out of Court by Avoiding Pitfalls
November 7, 2007, 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Conflicts of interest are an ever-present concern for planning commissioners, board members, and their staff. Not understanding the law can lead to trouble. But what constitutes a conflict? What is an acceptable way to obtain necessary information? How should commissioners interact (or not interact) with developers, home owners, concerned citizens, staff, and other public officials? Find out what the legal requirements for planning commissions are in various states. Master the rules concerning ex parte communication. Pick up tips on meeting management and the review process and learn how other commissions use administrative rules of procedure to keep themselves out of court.Confronting NIMBYs
March 19, 2008, 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m."Not in my back yard" is a cry heard cross the country. Yet communities must provide for unpopular uses as mandated by law. Presenters discuss both the ever-evolving nature of NIMBYism and the legal requirements related to NIMBYs. This introduction is followed by discussions of how to place unpopular uses and how to regulate them to lessen negative impacts. You will gain insights into how to work with the community to accommodate difficult uses, address public anger, and keep everyone apprised of acceptable solutions and legal responsibilities.
Basic Encore Series for
Planning Commissioners and Planners
Co-Sponsor: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Introduction to the Planning Commission: Part One
December 5, 2007, 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Part One introduces the concepts, principles, and practices of planning. Speakers discuss the framework of governmental decision making for planning. Next they turn to the role of the planning commission, before moving to a discussion of the comprehensive plan, state-mandated planning, the legal standing of the plan, regional plans, and differences between states. The presenters also discuss the tools of planning, such as site plan review and growth management. The program concludes with a discussion of the decision-making process used by the planning commission.
Introduction to the Planning Commission: Part Two
January 16, 2008, 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Part Two begins with a short recap of the ideas presented in Part One and then proceeds to a more detailed discussion of the players in the planning process. Special attention is given to each group’s role as well as the point of view they bring to the decision-making process. Presenters discuss how plans are updated, revised, and redone, including reasons for change, the timing of revisions, the newest approaches to plans, and the techniques of plan making. Presenters also discuss plan implementation with case studies of effective techniques before concluding with a look at how to engage citizens, resolve conflicts, and forge relationships.Introduction to the Zoning Board of Adjustment
April 16, 2008, 2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.The operation of the zoning board of adjustment and the challenges it faces are the focus of this training program. Presenters discuss the purposes of the board and how it conducts sound public meetings. ZBA members will learn to take testimony, assess reports and presentations, and make the meetings accessible to all participants. Presenters also review practices that commonly lead to litigation. Participants learn about variances and how to develop defensible findings of fact. Segment three focuses on conditional and special uses. Throughout, ZBA members will learn not only legal, but also ethical, decision making.
90-Minute Intensive Series for Planners
Sponsor: American Institute of Certified Planners
LEED for Neighborhoods
October 3, 2007, 3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
The green building movement, which focuses on the environmental quality and impact of the design, construction, and operation of buildings, has expanded to the neighborhood level. Find out how green building practices are being linked to smart growth, urban design, and public health through LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Neighborhood Development. Learn about tried-and-true practices and new techniques and tools that can improve the environmental quality of your community, making it more sustainable for the future.
Complete Streets
January 30, 2008, 3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Make room for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users on your auto-oriented roads. Learn how the complete streets movement provides safe and convenient user access and more choice in transportation modes, and how it has become a major tool for planning to improve communities. Through programs that rethink the physical design of streets, complete streets make cities and towns more livable and appealing to all residents. Learn how communities overcome resistance and how some communities have funded these programs.
Mastering Density
February 13, 2008, 3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Density, long a goal of planning, can still be a hard sell in some communities. In this program, presenters demonstrate how to achieve density through design, as well as how to understand the economics of density. Learn how density works with transportation and ultimately affects sustainability. Examine density’s effects and benefits. Gain ideas on how to present the concept of density to achieve critical buy-in.
Design Guidelines for Small Towns and Rural Communities
March 5, 2008, 3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Planners often must turn traditional urban design principles inside-out to develop design guidelines for small towns and rural communities. Explore the unique approaches planners are using to develop commercial and residential guidelines that are mindful of small-town and rural character.Community-Based Brownfields Redevelopment
May 21, 2008, 3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.Too often, community groups and residents of low-income communities are left out of the brownfield redevelopment process. Learn how to engage community members so they can see the opportunities presented by brownfield sites. Assess how community development corporations can play a major role and find out how the community can weigh the costs of brownfield redevelopment. Hear from community members as well as technical experts. Co-sponsor: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Planning Law Review
June 25, 2008, 3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.As the U.S. Supreme Court’s term comes to an end, find out how the nine justices and their federal and state counterparts shaped planning over the last year. Learn about the legal precedents set in the last year by Congress, state legislatures, and ballot box initiatives. Hear from legal experts how to deal with organized challenges to long-standing planning tools. A program the planning director, planning commission, and staff cannot afford to miss.
Register for these sessions online
From 1.5 to 3 credits of Continuing Professional Development Program hours are available for each presentation. More information about the CPDP is available at www.planning.org.
Presented by the Mid-America Regional Council and the Kansas City Metropolitan Section of the Kansas and Missouri Chapters of the American Planning Association.
