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Continuing Education Opportunities – January & February 2026

Earn CM credits (including 1.0 Sustainability & Resilience CM) while learning about innovative approaches and strategies from Washington and beyond. Find information on upcoming webinars and Washington Planners’ Forums below.

Local and Global Perspectives on Extreme Urban Heat

Description: Extreme heat driven by climate change has become an increasingly urgent challenge for cities worldwide, and planners are uniquely positioned to lead efforts to strengthen heat resilience and adaptation. This session features a facilitated discussion with a panel of experts who will share how planning policies, strategies, and tools are being used across communities and countries to address extreme heat. Participants will gain insight into current best practices for heat-resilient planning across different city types and learn from international and global perspectives that can inform local action.

Breaking Bread, Breaking Tradition: A Masterclass in Collaborative Planning

Description: In this interactive session, four principals from different planning and design firms share hard-won lessons from the field, proving that collaboration and healthy competition can coexist to level up people and places. Learn how to build momentum, secure early-action wins, and lock down the bandwidth, buy-in, and budget needed to move from planning to implementation. Whether you're a seasoned pro or newly minted planner, you'll walk away with practical strategies, fresh perspectives, and renewed belief in what collaborative planning can achieve.

Small & Shared Spaces: Creative Solutions for Housing Needs

Description: As housing affordability challenges continue to grow across Washington, communities are exploring innovative solutions to meet the demand for more accessible and diverse housing options. Many residents are turning to smaller living spaces—such as micro-apartments and tiny homes—or shared housing models like co-living communities. Recent state legislation is encouraging or requiring local governments to accommodate these alternative housing types.This webinar will highlight how several Washington jurisdictions are creatively supporting the development of small and shared housing. Presenters will share real-world examples, policy strategies, and lessons learned from implementing these approaches in their communities.

Washington Planners’ Forums

The Planners’ Forums are a combined effort on behalf of Department of Commerce, the Planning Association of Washington, and the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association to educate and support planners throughout our state with new and important topics to planning. More information about Planners’ Forums can be found on the Department of Commerce’s website.

The following Planners’ Forum events are coming soon:

Southwest Washington Planners’ Forum

Description:

Topics for the upcoming Southwest Washington Planners’ Forum include:

  • Tribal Coordination
  • Preemptive Laws and STEP Housing
  • Siting Childcare Facilities

Eastern Washington Planners’ Forum

Description:

Topics for the upcoming Eastern Washington Planners’ Forum include:

  • Local Project Review Guidance
  • State Environmental Policy Act – requirements, exemptions and tools

Explore more CM credit opportunities using the CM Search function on APA's website!

Stay Connected

For questions or to share ideas for future training opportunities, contact Katie Enders, APA WA Continuing Education Chair, at [email protected].