Welcome!

The Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association is an organization of people with an interest in land use, housing, transportation, environmental, economic and social planning. Among others, our membership includes citizen planners, planning commissioners and other planning officials, and professional planners within the State of Washington and elsewhere.

Washington State Best Practices

The Governor's Office of Regulatory Assistance is collecting Best Practices for local government permitting. They recently held outreach sessions around the state of Washington and are supplementing what they heard at those sessions via an online web survey. The survey for local government permitting best practices is located at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ONFXu18IrabJM1rXaY8qww_3d_3d.

Please take a few moments to complete the survey before May 2, 2008.

The mission of ORA is to assist people as they work within state regulatory systems and to improve those systems by working with our regulatory partners. In 2007, the legislature added to the duties of the office by requiring that they work with local government permitting agencies to promote best practices and in so doing, reduce permit turnaround times. They appreciate your input and look forward to sharing what they hear.

Planning Editorial in Seattle Times

Chapter president Joe Tovar, FAICP, submitted an editorial article to the Seattle Times newspaper that was published on April 16, 2008. It makes a clear case in support of our region's efforts to manage growth. The article can be read at the Seattle Times website.

Speakers’ Series on Planning for Sustainable Communities

Climate change is such a BIG issue, what can planners really do about it? In coordination with the University of Washington, the Washington Chapter APA and the Puget Sound Section APA have arranged a speaker’ series to support the continuing education of our membership on this significant issue. Speakers from UW and various Northwest cities and counties will describe what you can do to address climate change and sustainability issues for your community. Climate change is such a BIG issue, what can planners really do about it? View the Training/Courses webpage for course detail and links to registration.

Washington Planners Elected to College of Fellows

Three Washington planners were elected to the 2008 College of Fellows. Election to Fellow in AICP is one of the highest honors that the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) bestows upon a member. The award recognizes the achievements of the planner and his significant contributions to the field of planning and society. The following individuals will be inducted into the College of Fellows on Sunday, April 27, 2008, at the APA National Planning Conference in Las Vegas:
 • Stephen C. Butler, AICP
 • Jerome Ernst, AICP
 • William Trimm, AICP

AICP Certification Maintenance Update

 • AICP President's Message
 • Response to Planetizen Opinion Piece on CM

Is Growth Management to Blame for Increased Housing Prices?

A February 15, 2008 Seattle Times article by Professor Theo Eicher of the University of Washington titled “UW study: Rules add $200,000 to Seattle house price” has generated some discussion about the causes of higher housing prices in the state. As planners, we have seen that housing prices are a function of many different variables, not just planning or regulations. APA Washington supports provision of sufficient housing supply and meeting affordable housing goals. In order to achieve those objectives, we need to look at all variables affecting housing prices. The studies referenced below take a broader look at growth management and housing prices.

On the national level, Professor Daniel Warner of Western Washington University prepared an article titled “The Growth Management Act and Affordable Housing” for APA, as part of our organization’s Knowledge Exchange. On the state level, Mike Stanger and Judith Stoloff, FAICP wrote an article titled “Is Growth Management to Blame for Housing Prices? Why Should Planners Work on Affordable Housing? And What Can Planners Do About It?” in the May 2006 issue of Planning Northwest. Also cautioning against drawing the wrong conclusions from the Eicher article was a joint response from the Cascade Land Conservancy and the Washington Association of Realtors. We believe these articles provide a different perspective on the issue. They are important resources to consider as we continue to collaborate with others to promote the provision of sufficient housing supply and meeting affordable housing goals through the Growth Management Act.

The Chapter is also working on our own white paper on this subject, and the topic will be discussed at our fall conference, October 13-15, 2008 in Spokane.

Draft Process for Proposing Legislation Available for Chapter Member Review and Comment

A subcommittee of the Legislative Committee has developed a process by which the chapter could propose legislation. The purpose of having an adopted process is not necessarily to begin proposing legislation. Rather, it is to provide a structure to work within when the chapter considers proposing legislation. Visit the Legislative Committee webpage to review and comment on the draft process.

2008 Regional Planners’ Forums Schedule

The Regional Planners’ Forums provide an opportunity for planners, planning commissioners and elected officials to talk informally about local issues, share ideas, and receive updates from state and federal agencies whose work impacts land use. Download the complete schedule.

Joe Tovar Receives Distinguished Contribution Award

The American Planning Association and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are pleased to announce the names of nine recipients of the 2008 National Planning Excellence, Achievement, and Leadership Awards. Washington Chapter President Joe Tovar has been honored with the Distinguished Contribution Award for his leadership in the 2006 "No on I-933" campaign.
 
The award announcement states "Washington Chapter APA President Joe Tovar played a critical role in ensuring that I-933, a 2006 "property rights" initiative in the state of Washington was defeated. The initiative posed significant obstacles to the use of sound planning tools and principles for smart growth.

Visit www.planning.org/awards for more information on this and other APA awards.

2007 Joint Washington/Oregon Chapter Conference Presentations are Now Available

Presentations from the 2007 Great Northwest Planning Conference - Planners Without Borders are now available! Presentations from the conference, which took place October 3-5, 2007 at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center in Tacoma, Washington are available at www.washington-apa.org/2007conf/program.html.

Washington Chapter APA Supports International Effort

Washington Chapter member Kojo Fordjour led the Ejisu Vision project in Ghana this past summer. In keeping with this year’s chapter conference theme of “Planners Without Borders”, Washington APA spent $2,000 to help underwrite the costs of this international effort. Click here to download Kojo’s report.

Need Coffee?

When you buy coffee from here, WA-APA Chapter earns $2 for every pound sold. Money earned by WA-APA goes to the Chapter's scholarship fund. More info is available here.

WA-APA Listserv

WA-APA members are invited to join the WA-APA listserve to communicate with other chapter members. Only members can join this listserve, so please include your name and organization in the comments field when you sign up.

Login National APA

If you are a member of the national American Planning Association (APA), you can login here to get information that is available only to the members.