APA Equity in Zoning Policy Guide Training Workshop

Session 8A | Friday | 8:30 AM – 9:45 AM (PT)

About the Session

In December 2022, the APA Board of Directors adopted a new Equity in Zoning Policy Guide to supplement its 2019 Planning for Equity Policy Guide. In the intervening years, Washington and other states have adopted new legislation designed to address housing affordability, housing equity, or both. This session will include a hands-on work session on how to apply the Equity in Zoning Policy Guide to current zoning regulations, as well as a discussion of the equity impacts of Washington's recent housing-related legislation. It will also address the potential tensions between zoning changes intended to improve housing affordability and those designed to improve housing equity.

About the Moderator

None.

About the Speakers

Don Elliott, FAICP

Senior Consultant -- Clarion Associates

Donald L. Elliott, FAICP, is a Senior Consultant with Clarion Associates, LLC, a national land use consulting firm. Don has assisted over 70 U.S. and Canadian communities in updating plans and regulations related to housing, zoning, sustainability, fair housing, and land development. He teaches a graduate level course on Land Development Regulation at the University of Colorado at Denver and is a former member of the Denver Planning Board. He is the author of A Better Way to Zone (Island Press 2008) and co-author of The Rules that Shape Urban Form (APA 2012) and The Citizen's Guide to Planning (APA 2009). He was also one of the authors of the 2022 APA Equity in Zoning Policy Guide. Don has a bachelor's degree in Urban Planning and Policy Analysis from Yale University, a law degree from Harvard Law School, and a master's degree in City and Regional Planning from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

Anindita Mitra, AICP

Independent Practitioner, CREA Affiliates, LLC

Ms. Anindita Mitra, AICP, Assoc. AIA, has a rich and diverse background in strategic planning, public policy, and urban design that spans more than three decades. Her commitment to fostering inclusive and equitable approaches in planning is evident through her advocacy and active involvement in various initiatives and organizations in Washington State and beyond. One notable action in promoting equity within the planning profession is Ms. Mitra's change.org petition to the National American Planning Association (APA) Board of Directors in 2015. A number of initiatives to recognize and address disparities within the planning profession and practice soon followed. She also co-authored key reports such as the APA's Equity Guide (2019) and the APA Washington Chapter's Equity Charter and Action Plan (2017). Her contributions extend beyond theoretical frameworks, as evidenced by her efforts to integrate equity into long-range comprehensive land use and infrastructure plans. Furthermore, her engagement with local publications such as the Daily Journal of Commerce and MRSC, and participation in Boards and Commissions such as the Seattle Design Commission and Washington State DOT's DBE Advisory Committee demonstrate her proactive approach to knowledge sharing and initiating change. Ms. Mitra's entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to driving positive change in the field of planning and urban design spurred the establishment of CREÃ„ in 2001. It has since provided her with a platform for creating sustainable and inclusive communities. She is currently taking advantage of a year's sabbatical from her consulting practice.

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