 VOLUME XX, ISSUE 9 SEPTEMBER 2007
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2007 GREAT NORTHWEST PLANNING CONFERENCE — PLANNERS WITHOUT BORDERS
The Washington and Oregon APA chapters and joint Conference Committee, invite you to the 2007 Great Northwest Planning Conference, October 3-5, 2007 in Tacoma, Washington, the City of Destiny. This marks the third time Pacific Northwest planners have united to share insights and learn from one another. The conference theme, Planners Without Borders, not only reflects the commonalities of our two states… but also how global challenges affect us and offer solutions. Whenever the two state APA chapters come together, we find that comparing and contrasting our approaches to problem solving stimulates critical thinking and interesting dialogue and yields positive approaches to resolving issues in our local communities. Sessions in five conference tracks provide ample opportunity to examine issues of the day, and eight mobile workshops around the area offer planners a chance to see and reflect on outstanding planning projects up close. You'll find inspiring presentations from speakers across the planning continuum, including keynote speakers Anthony Flint from the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, and Dr. Milica Bajic Brkovic, Secretary General for the International Society of City and Regional Planners. The Tacoma host committee has lined up a variety of fun events, including a reception to network with colleagues, make new friends, mingle with exhibitors and view student posters; a sunset dinner at Chambers Bay (bring your golf clubs to play at the new championship course before or after the conference); and an evening at the Emerald Queen Casino. There are also numerous local attractions such as the celebrated Museum of Glass and Chihuly Bridge of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum, and the revitalized waterfront and shoreline esplanade all within easy walking distance from the Sheraton Tacoma, our headquarters hotel, and the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center. We look forward to seeing you in Tacoma! For more information, go to: http://www.washington-apa.org/2007conf/. 
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
While churning through some old files the other day I unearthed a relic from the 70’s, a tongue-in-cheek bumper sticker that urged “World Peace through Better Zoning!” This was aimed at soliciting a chuckle rather than true pax terra. Yet, like most humor, it resonated with a target audience (planners) at least in part because it spoke to one of our core beliefs. That belief is that we are smart enough to build societies and communities that are not only more efficient, prosperous, and beautiful, but more fair and sustainable as well.
Indeed, worsening energy, human health, and climate change crises make clear that humanity’s very survival will depend on our success in planning for change and managing to change. In that context, the starry-eyed, over-the-top bumper sticker from the 70’s looks somewhat less so. Perhaps more current and clear-eyed expressions of that sentiment would be “Planners connecting the dots” or “Planning without Borders” — an acknowledgment that there are strong linkages between global forces and consequences on one hand, and local and regional decisions and behaviors on the other. It also suggests that defining and solving problems will increasingly require efforts that transcend city limits, county borders, state lines and even international borders. By the time you receive this newsletter, we will be just a few short weeks from the 2007 joint conference of the Washington and Oregon APA Chapters (October 3,4,5 in Tacoma). If you haven’t yet signed up, it’s not too late. Just surf over to http://www.washington-apa.org/2007conf/. This year’s theme, as you may have guessed, is Planners without Borders, and presents a major opportunity to learn from others in both states as well as other countries. In keeping with this year’s conference theme, Washington APA has supported two outreach efforts across international borders this summer. The first is the “Ejisu Vision” project in Ghana led by Chapter member Kojo Fordjour, the second is a visit to the Seattle region by a delegation of French planners. The latter event was organized by Chapter member Judi Fani, with tours and lectures hosted by Chapter members Eric Shields, Mark Hinshaw, Emil King, and Steve Butler. Articles highlighting what we learned and taught will be featured in future issues of Planning Northwest. Also coming up in October is “National Community Planning Month” or NCPM for short. This presents an opportunity for some coordinated (or at least roughly simultaneous) efforts in communities across the state to increase the public’s awareness of and support for planning. The APA National website http://www.planning.org/ncpm/ suggests ideas such as community open houses, speakers day in schools, charettes, etc. Also, posted on the Chapter’s website are two other tools you may use to call attention to NCMP in your community: a model Press Release to send to area media and a model resolution for adoption by local city and county councils. Finally, on the subject of outreach, I have had several discussions with Darby Wilson, about the possibility of a joint Washington APA conference in spring of 2008 with the local chapters of the American Institute of Architects and American Society of Landscape Architecture. Darby is the incoming Chair of APA National’s Urban Design and Historic Preservation Division, and is aware of similar joint efforts in other parts of the country. We are still exploring the possibilities at this time, but one promising idea would be to borrow the model of the APA Puget Sound section’s Planning Law conferences, which are held in odd-numbered years. We could have a one day Planning/Design conference jointly with AIA/ASLA in the even numbered years, strengthening our ability to work effectively with these related professions. That’s it for this month’s message. I hope to see you in Tacoma!
REQUESTING YOUR INPUT
One of the duties of the chapter vice president is overseeing publication of the monthly newsletter (with invaluable assistance from Andrew in the chapter office and MRSC for publishing). For most of us, the monthly newsletter is the primary means of communication from the chapter. There is usually a message from the president, updates on conferences, continuing education, legislative committee and other regular features or stories. What other content would you like to read? How about resurrecting “Planners on the Move” or a monthly biography on a chapter member? Would you be interested in a showcase on a different community’s planning efforts each month, book reviews, or technical articles? Should each newsletter have a designated theme (maybe coordinated with that month’s Planning Magazine theme)? Please e-mail me at scottg@burienwa.gov with your ideas for improving the newsletter and making it a useful everyday tool.
SCHOLARSHIP AWARD WINNERS SHARE VISION FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY EFFECTIVE BUILDING PRACTICES
The Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s annual Washington APA Scholarship awards. Margie Hall and Meghan Pinch are recognized by the chapter as outstanding planning students with a commitment to community planning. Margie Hall was enrolled in Eastern Washington University’s Business program when she learned of the university’s studies in Urban & Regional Planning. Inspired by the rapid change affecting towns in the West, she describes the planning program as “the perfect fit” even though changing majors would require a fifth year that wasn’t in her budget. We’re glad that Washington APA can help Margie make it to graduation in 2008. Ms. Hall has worked with several Spokane neighborhoods on both planning and economic development projects. This past October she passed the USGBC LEED exam and became a LEED Accredited Professional. After graduation, she seeks to utilize her planning education, building industry background and LEED affiliation to educate communities and their developers about environmentally effective building practices and benefits and to help them assimilate those practices into their neighborhoods. Meghan Pinch shares Ms. Hall’s interest in environmental building practices. Following her first year at the University of Washington’s Urban Design and Planning graduate program, Ms. Pinch is spending her summer working at O'Brien and Company, a Green building consulting firm, where she is learning about implementing sustainable development and Green building practices. Ms. Pinch’s interests also take in the range of issues that planning embraces, including: brown fields, affordable housing, food systems, equality, neighborhood planning, and agricultural and rural land preservation. She’s specializing in real estate and land use. Someday, she contemplates returning to her native Spokane either as a city planner or as a Green and affordable housing developer. Washington APA awards an annual scholarship — based on a combination of academic achievement, commitment to the profession, and financial need — to a planning student at each of the state’s two accredited planning programs — the University of Washington, Department of Urban Design and Planning and the Eastern Washington University, Department of Urban Planning, Public & Health Administration. The Chapter congratulates Margie and Meghan on receiving the Washington APA Scholarship awards and is proud of the commitment they have made to the planning profession.
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@GordonDerr.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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