 VOLUME XX, ISSUE 8 AUGUST 2007
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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
By now you should have received the Preliminary Program and Registration mailer for the Chapter’s Annual Conference in Tacoma: Planners without Borders. If somehow you have missed receiving yours, information is available on the Chapter’s website at http://www.washington-apa.org/. Be sure to block October 3, 4, 5 on your calendar for the biggest and best planning conference in the State of Washington since, well, at least the 1997 national conference. The host, program, mobile workshop, and sponsorship committees have done a stellar job. Here’s my advice for those of you from the Thurston or central Puget Sound regions: resist the temptation to "stop by the office" on your way to the conference. From my own experience, such responsible and well-intended acts are akin to planning a brief stop-over in the La Brea tarpits. If you’re going to the conference, go to the conference. Your day job will be waiting for you when you get back – and you’ll be better equipped to do it well if you get all the benefit out of attending the conference. AICP is now accepting nominations for the 2008 Class of the College of Fellows. Selection as a Fellow of AICP recognizes excellence in professional practice, teaching and mentoring, research, community service, and leadership. Almost 200 of our Chapter members have now met the minimum eligibility requirement of 15 years as AICP (see the AICP page of our Chapter website, http://www.washington-apa.org/career/aicp.shtml, for a list)If you meet this requirement and would like more information about FAICP, including the nomination guidelines, form, and process, visit http://www.planning.org/faicp/faicp.htm. Any AICP member may be nominated by the endorsement of ten other AICP members in good standing or by the Chapter Executive Committee. If any member would like to be considered for endorsement by the Chapter, please contact me at jwtovar@comcast.net by August 31, 2007. Nominations packets to be sent to AICP must be postmarked by October 23, 2007. Finally, word has reached my ears of some anxiety regarding AICP’s upcoming Certification Maintenance requirements. I have heard many good questions that need answers and an equal number of good suggestions about how to make CM accessible, affordable and worthwhile. I agree with the sentiments expressed by the Chapter’s Professional Development Officer Nancy Eklund in her article in this month’s newsletter. We need to focus our efforts on how to make CM work, not on how and why it can’t. To that end, I want to thank those members who answered my call in last month’s newsletter to step forward to bolster the Chapters’s continuing education committee. The committee’s work will broaden the offerings for AICP members looking for certification maintenance credits. Chair Judi Fani has been joined by Mike McCormick, Deborah Munkberg, and Jill Sterrett. We still need volunteers from Inland Empire, Northwest, Peninsula, and Southwest sections, so please contact Judi at jfani@seattlehousing.org. I believe it’s important to have representation from all parts of the state in designing a program to provide accessible and worthwhile learning opportunities for chapter members. This is true whether they are looking to meet certification maintenance for AICP or simply to build their competence as practitioners. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer. There are challenging, exciting and fun times ahead this fall and into 2008, including the upcoming legislative session. See Anindita Mitra’s article in this month’s newsletter. More to come from our legislative committee chairs Josh Peters and Esther Larsen in next month’s newsletter. Upward and onward! 
CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW AICP MEMBERS
Congratulations to the 21 planners those who passed the May 2007 AICP exam! This is an important professional milestone in a planning career, and certification of planners strengthens the entire planning profession. Please congratulate these folks on their accomplishment.
Washington Planners again passed the AICP exam at a rate higher than the national average. Pass rates are shown in the following table.
AICP News Upcoming AICP Schedule The application and registration period for the November 2007 exam is now open (click here for more information about the AICP exam).
Certification Maintenance (CM) Inquiring minds want to know what’s up with CM, but unfortunately, we don’t have any information from AICP national yet about the details. Guidance on how to become a "registered (training) provider" should be released in August 2007. Undoubtedly, there will be many training providers will need to be listed, but it may take a while to get them all on board with the new requirements. Please be patient with this new system as it gets established – and remember that, officially, the new program doesn’t even go into effect until January 2008. Even though the chapter is not yet a registered provider, we expect the sessions at the fall Chapter conference to be approved for CM credit. The conference will offer sessions on ethics and law, so it should be possible for AICP planners to acquire those required credits at that time. Other Planner "Certifications" Many of you may have received information about a recently developed professional certification proposed as an alternative to AICP. For the record, neither APA nor AICP have been involved in this proposal. APA and AICP are also in no way affiliated with any certification except AICP.
WA-APA TAKING ON ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
In 2006, the WA-APA Board adopted a Legislative Agenda that included putting forth a Bill for including an Energy Element in Comprehensive Plans. Vetted through the Legislative Committee and Chapter’s lobbyist, Michael Shaw, HB 5871 recommends that the GMA be amended to include an Energy Element as a mandatory element of comprehensive plans in Washington State. The intentions behind the Bill include a) reducing a community’s overall energy demand and consumption; (b) minimizing and mitigating a community’s dependence on carbon-based fuel(s); (c) and integrating energy efficient and renewable energy based technologies and systems into the community. The Bill proposes that the element include at the minimum (a) a carbon scorecard that tracks a community’s fuel consumption patterns, especially the demand for carbon-based fuel; (b) recommendations for updating building, site development and street design codes and guidelines to meet the above goals; (c) strategies for improving access to and the use of transit and non-motorized travel modes; as well as (d) a list of incentives and a funding plan for implementing relevant strategies. The Bill also suggests the development of community indicators and performance targets that are tied to the goals established in this element. Senators Adam Kline and Craig Pridemore were the prime sponsors of the Bill. HB5871 got a hearing in February and was generally favorably received. Several concerns that were raised at the Hearing related to its dominant urban focus and the perception that it would constitute an "unfunded mandate." The first concern will be carefully addressed before the Bill is reintroduced in the Legislature next session. However, the second concern is already addressed in GMA. Any new plan element introduced after 2002 requires the legislature to appropriate funding for implementation, otherwise the new element cannot be deemed mandatory. This is an important distinction as this allows the element to be listed among the mandatory elements, but protects jurisdictions from the risk of an unfunded mandate. There is precedent for this, as the GMA was amended several years ago to add an Economic Development Element to the list of mandatory elements, but it's mandatory for local jurisdictions only when full funding is provided by the legislature. The Chapter is looking for volunteers who can help carry this Bill forward into future legislative sessions. If interested, or if you have any questions/concerns regarding this Bill, please contact Anindita Mitra at amitra@crea-affiliates.com.
ON-LINE PLANNING EDUCATION PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR WORKING PROFESSIONALS
Professional planners are busy people, between work during the day, public meetings at night, and obligations at home it can be a challenge for planners to find the time to go back to school. Five years ago The Ohio State University launched the Planning Education at a Distance (PED) program to provide continuing education opportunities to planners in an online format. This program has been successful in providing public officials and professional planners with continuing education credit. Since the inception of the program, the program director received repeated pleas from professionals asking for graduate level for-credit courses. Two years ago the Planning Education at a Distance program responded by creating a series of four graduate planning courses designed specifically for professionals working in planning to provide advanced skills that upon completion leads to a graduate certificate in Facilities Planning and Management. Participants learn how to manage a planning department, how to design spaces to meet user needs, the fundamentals of real estate finance, and ultimately integrate everything they have learned into a capstone project. "Reviewing the captstone projects is my favorite part of the curriculum," said Jack Nasar, Professor of City and Regional Planning in the PED program. The participants always produce very interesting projects. One student conducted an analysis of the need for low income housing after a fire destroyed homes, stores, and schools in a nearby community. Her project looked at how to engage the public, identified funding, a site, and the design of affordable housing in Alaska. A student working for the Navy in Japan evaluated base closures to determine successful redevelopment projects and the lessons learned that can be applied to communities facing base closure. Another project in Texas evaluated the need for a dementia focused living facility in Collin County, identified alternative sites, and developed a facility master plan. A participant in Ohio evaluated the reuse of a municipal facility for municipal offices. The project made recommendations on how to renovate the facility in order to most effectively accommodate city employees. Jackie Graham, Instructor in the PED Program, remembers her favorite project, a proposal for a Gelato franchise. The participant had tried a gelato during a vacation and liked it so much he thought perhaps he should open a gelato store as a side business. He went through the entire process of conducting a market analysis, selecting a site, developing a project management plan, and determining the cash flow. In the end he discovered that while the concept was a good idea, the net revenue wasn’t likely to be enough to make the venture worthwhile. Through the integration of audio/video components, PowerPoint slides, and reading materials, PED provides participants with hands-on training to strengthen skills needed to both manage land development through planning and bring new planning techniques to their practice. The participants come from an array of backgrounds, some with planning degrees others without. Some selected the program to help them in pursuing a graduate education, while others participate as a way to advance their skills. For example, one past student works for a consulting firm in Alaska and did not have access to a nearby planning school and participated in the program to enhance her planning skills. A participant in Arizona chose to enroll because of the convenience of taking courses online. A participant from Alabama took advantage of her employer’s tuition assistance program to further her planning education. With the new Mandatory AICP Certification Maintenance Program, courses offered by an accredited planning program qualify for continuing education credit. This curriculum provides a way to meet the continuing education needs of certified planners. Program Director, Jennifer Evans-Cowley notes, "we have been fortunate to be able to make an arrangement with Ohio State University to charge a fixed tuition, rather than a different rate for participants living out of state or out of country. We’ve worked hard to try to create an affordable graduate education program." The tuition for the 2008 program is $1,200 per quarter or if a participant pays in full upfront the cost is $4,400. For more information on the Planning Education at a Distance Program visit http://knowlton.osu.edu/ped or contact Jennifer Evans-Cowley, PhD, AICP Planning Education at a Distance Program Director at (614) 247-7479 or cowley.11@osu.edu. Applications for the January 2008 graduate certificate program are open now and available through October 31, 2007. Participants can register at any time for the continuing education courses. Jennifer Evans-Cowley, PhD, AICP is an Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning and the Planning Education at a Distance Director. Evans-Cowley also serves as the Professional Development Officer for the Ohio Planning Conference.
REMINDER Last year the board approved a new chapter-only group membership opportunity. This membership is available to planning commissions, city councils and commissions, tribal councils, and board members of non-profit organizations and other professional associations. Up to 10 members may be included in a group membership. The group rate is $150 and is administered by the chapter office. To obtain a group membership form or learn more about the benefits of this membership, contact Anna Nelson, AICP, Membership Committee chair, at (206) 382-9540 or anelson@buckgordon.com.
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Have a project you want to highlight for planners across the state? An issue you think more planners need information on? Planning Northwest is always looking to highlight projects and research of our members. If you are interested in having an article published feel free to contact the editor. The deadline for the newsletter is the fifteenth of every month, preceding the publication month. Please submit all newsletter articles to newsletter@washington-apa.org. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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