American Planning Association

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Tuesdays at APA: Planning and Zoning for Natural Resource Protection Sep 28, 2011

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Planning and Zoning for Natural Resource Protection
September 27, 2011

In recent decades, planners have continued to be involved in natural resource protection as a core area of both interest and expertise. However, in many places, mitigation takes precedence over more meaningful efforts to avoid or minimize environmental damage. When wetlands are disturbed or mature trees replaced with seedlings, it may take decades for the natural system to return to its prior value, and in terms of net carbon emissions, the debt may never be repaid.

Now that planners are taking a renewed interest in sustainability, the time is right to rediscover planning and zoning principles to protect natural resources.

Lane Kendig, founder of Kendig Keast Collaborative, discussed how planners can use performance zoning for resource protection.

Kids and Community: An Interview with Roger Hart Part 2 Sep 14, 2011

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Roger Hart and Ramona Mullahy in conversation. Hart is co-director of the Children's Environments Research Group at the City University of New York. His work focuses on the development of theory and research on children's relationship to the physical environment. He has been particularly concerned with the application of research to the planning and design of children's environments and to environmental education.

Kids and Community: An Interview with Roger Hart Part 1 Sep 12, 2011

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Tuesdays at APA: The Role of Planning in Stabalizing Distressed Properties Sep 08, 2011

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The Role of Planning in Stabilizing Distressed Properties
August 30, 2011

Many communities have a glut of entitled but unfinished development projects. Depending on the context and scale of the problem, traditional stabilization tools such as code enforcement may prove inadequate or ineffective. In some cases, the best solution for the community may involve relaxing certain regulatory requirements or renegotiating the terms of development agreements.

Daniel Shapiro from Robbins, Salomon & Patt and Jessica Schramm from Thompson Coburn discussed a wide range of strategies planners can use to stabilize and reposition distressed properties. Specific strategies covered will include reviewing agreements recorded against property, negotiating development fees, and re-entitling property. They also addressed how planners can assist when development deals turn sour.

Planning for Post Disaster: The Patchwork Quilt - An Interview with Edward Thomas and Alessandra Jerolleman Sep 07, 2011

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Symposium on Planning for Post-Disaster Recovery

On February 10–11, 2011, the American Planning Association hosted a scoping symposium in its Chicago office to explore a number of essential issues in guiding the Planning for Post-Disaster Recovery: Next Generation project as it moves forward. Invited participants focused on helping APA to define the appropriate audiences and central issues for the project, delineate the guiding principles in planning for post-disaster recovery, refine the outline for the PAS Report, and identify criteria for best practices and potential case examples to study.

Reconsidering Jane Jacobs: A Discussion with Max Page, Rudayna Abdo, and Jamin Creed Rowan Aug 03, 2011

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How did one woman change an entire profession in a few short years with such lasting effects? Listen as Max Page, co-editor of Reconsidering Jane Jacobs, discusses Jane Jacobs's lasting, global influence. Joining Page are contributors Rudayna Abdo, AICP, director of planning at Otak International's Abu Dhabi office, and Jamin Creed Rowan, assistant professor of English at Brigham Young University.

Tuesdays at APA-DC: Arlington County's "Community Energy Plan" Jul 25, 2011

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Arlington County's "Community Energy Plan"
July 12, 2011

Arlington County's "Community Energy Plan" is a strategic planning effort to ensure economic competitiveness and energy supply security while reinforcing the county's environmental commitment. Through this process Arlington will transform the way it generates, distributes, stores, and uses energy.

A nationally recognized leader in climate action, Arlington County is working to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from government operations through the Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE) program. The county has broadened that effort into the community to chart a course toward a healthy, viable, sustainable Arlington for generations to come.

The plan aims to sharply reduce energy use in Arlington, including an ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70 percent by 2050.

Tuesdays at APA: Tools for Great Lakes Planners in NOAA's Digital Coast Jul 21, 2011

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Tools for Great Lakes Planners in NOAA's Digital Coast
July 19, 2011

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Digital Coast partnership provides data, tools, and training on topics such as land use, coastal conservation, hazards, marine spatial planning, and climate change. Recently, planners in the Great Lakes have participated in two needs assessments to help build new tools and improve datasets and training courses for climate change adaptation and conservation planning.

Panelists from APA, NOAA, and the Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve presented the results of these assessments and shared how you can use some of the new tools and datasets in your community. Products featured included climate adaptation training for planners, easy-to-use land cover and elevation data, and a publicly available visualization tool.

Planning for Post Disaster: Lincoln Walther Jun 24, 2011

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Symposium on Planning for Post-Disaster Recovery

Tuesdays at APA: Implementing Sustainable Cities in a Harsh Environment (Lessons from Masdar) Jun 22, 2011

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Implementing Sustainable Cities in a Harsh Environment: Some Lessons Learned from Masdar
June 21, 2011

Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates is envisioned as the world's first carbon-neutral, zero waste, car-free city. However, the harsh, desert environment and the prevailing planning and construction practices in Abu Dhabi pose special challenges for an inherently ambitious goal.

Margaret Cederoth, AICP, will discuss the specific elements of sustainable cities incorporated into the plans for Masdar and the practical methods for implementing these ambitions in the first few buildings of the city. The presentation will highlight relevant master plan elements that are the foundation for sustainability and focus on the physical expression of those elements along with basic contractual and education activities necessary to realize the vision.