President's Message

I hope you all are enjoying spring time as much as I am! One of the best parts about spring is the chance to broaden my horizons with a trip to the national planning conference, which just concluded in Philadelphia this year (there’s an online version April 26-28 if you weren’t able to travel). I had a blast connecting with planners and APA members from around the country, and I was struck by a few things:

We’re all facing similar issues – housing affordability, sign codes, equitable economic development, continuing education credits
Sometimes it takes a gathering on the far side of the continent to be able to have space for a full conversation with folks that live and work 20 miles away
Philadelphia is really old! I forget sometimes how different “old” is on the east coast. Here’s an image of the city’s first plat, from 1683, and a few pictures I took in my strolls about the city.

What we do is important! In many of the sessions I attended I was reminded of the great impact of our work on the people of this state and nation. Whether that’s protecting people from environmental health hazards, reducing the toll of our transportation system, ensuring broad and equitable access to housing, healthcare, and employment, finding a way out of the climate mess we’re in, and helping ensure our cities and towns are exciting, calming, safe, and inspiring by design. You’ll see a new campaign that APA national rolled out called “It Takes a Planner”, intended to remind us of the power of our work to literally save the world. We are superheroes!

We’ll turn our sights now to the state chapter conference in Spokane on October 11-13 for what will surely also be an engaging, informative, and fun gathering. Save the date, start thinking about travel and session proposals, and stay tuned!

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