Short-Term Rentals, Split – Zoned Parcels, & More! The goal of the program is to provide a learning opportunity for Southwest PA planners to earn their required 1.5 Law continuing education credits. The two featured speakers are both attorneys that focus on municipal law work. The first presenter will focus on short-term rentals and the   …

The Future of Zoning: The View from the COVID-19 Lens Approved for 1.50 CM credits law In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our nation's shaky response, it is time to consider a wide range of modest tweaks and more dramatic shifts to American zoning law as potential steps to take in anticipation of future   …

APA Region 1 Webcast hosted by PA Chapter  Location Analytics for Coronavirus Preparation Planning | 1 CM (pending approval) This webinar will go over planning for emergencies and disasters, such as the COVID-19 outbreak, of this year, requires quick access to current data related to community resources and business, as well as identification of at-risk populations.   …

Farmers Markets Before, During and Post COVID-19 Approved for 1.25 CM credits  Farmers markets have long served as a way to increase food access in low-income areas, support small farmers and local businesses, and bolster a strong, locally empowering economy. Now, with food insecurity heightened, the agricultural food supply chain at risk, and local economies   …

Planning Commission Boards in PA: Requirements & Recommendations Approved for 1.25 CM credits  Having an active and effective board is an important part of planning at all levels.  Board members that  are aware of their roles and committed to service enhance the impacts of planning efforts.  Common problems planning  commissions  face in in carrying out   …

Micromobility Challenges: Sometimes You Feel Like a Scooter and Sometimes You Don't A brief exploration of the taxonomy and classification; legal status, safety considerations, planning implications, and open research questions for the expanding universe of powered micromobility vehicles. Attendees will evolve their understanding of current of micromobility classification, how that is applied via PA’s existing   …

Hello, It's Me: Introducing PA-SHARE PA-SHARE (Pennsylvania’s Historic & Archaeological Resource Exchange), the PA State Historic Preservation Office’s new, state-of-the-art GIS and online project management system, launched October 2020. As the primary interface for all PA SHPO programs, PA-SHARE will enable users to submit and track projects in real-time, receive confirmation of submissions and expedited   …

Making Quality Choices in Broadband Deployment Approved for 1.25 CM credits  High-speed Internet access, or broadband, is critical to economic opportunity, job creation, education, and civic engagement. But there are too many parts of this country where broadband is unavailable. In urban areas, 97% of Americans have access to high-speed fixed service. In rural areas,   …

Planning and the New Dynamics of the Demographic of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Growth The "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren" demographic is rapidly growing across Pennsylvania. Over 90,000 families have this situation. Millions of youngsters nationally are being raised this way. This panel will examine the role of the planner in working closely with this demographic and how   …

Planning with a Purpose...and Need: Connecting with PennDOT and FHWA to Build the Foundation for Sound  Transportation Projects Sound transportation projects start with sound planning! Properly identifying and documenting transportation problems early in a project's life cycle are key to developing a project's purpose and need for NEPA documentation and analyses. Purpose and need serve   …

PA Land Use Institute Co-sponsored by American Planning Association Pennsylvania Chapter and the Lehigh Valley/Berks Section, The Berks County Planning Commission, Berks County Bar Association, the Reading Berks Association of Realtors®, the Smart Growth Alliance of Berks County 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM - “Recent Land Use Court Decisions and Pending Legislation” This session presented   …

Making Planning More Adaptable Approved for 1.25 CM credits  With the complexities and uncertainties revealed in the pandemic and unrest of 2020, planning effectively for the next decade means being more adaptable. In this webinar, there will be discussion of the  three approaches to urban planning:  prescriptive, proscriptive and adaptive. The adaptive approach is best   …

PA Land Use Law Update - Zoning Cases The PA Chapter – APA - Northeast Section is sponsoring a PA Land Use Law Update webinar. This webinar will provide a review of the case law and administrative decisions issued in the last year pertaining to Zoning. Recent amendments to the PA Municipalities Planning Code as well   …

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Potential Redevelopment Options for Retail Spaces Approved for 1.25 CM credits  COVID-19 has had significant negative impacts on traditional shopping malls and other “big box” retailers. What are the potential options for owners of large retail spaces to reinvigorate the retail space in a post-COVID world, or pivot to   …

Planning at the Intersection of Technology, Growth, Revitalization and Inclusion The United States and the World are in the midst of the 4th Industrial Revolution. The forces of globalization, automation, connectivity, changing demographics, and shared and on-demand economy are changing everything from how we communicate to do business. The form of our communities is changing   …

Planning for Growth, Prosperity & Resiliency: Using the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies Plan and Process to Innovate and Guide Strategic Growth Approved for 1.25 CM credits  Although the Community Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) plan is required plan needed for regions to access Economic Development Administration (EDA) funding, the tool, when developed collaboratively and strategically, can   …

Beat the Heat Hunting Park: A Community Heat Relief Plan In Philadelphia, some neighborhoods can be 22 degrees F hotter than others and low-income residents and residents of color are more likely to live in these hotter neighborhoods. This pattern of unequal exposure to risk tells us that climate change is not only a public   …

What to expect: Guideposts to Decision Making: Ethics & Land Use Law workshop is sure to benefit you in many ways. The Ethics Session will provide a general overview of Pennsylvania’s Public Official and Employee Ethics Act, including the conflict of interest prohibitions and the Statement of Financial Interests filing requirements. Emphasis will be placed   …

Community Needs: Assessments That Planners Should Know About Approved for 1.25 CM credits  In the field of planning, the creation of plans is one of the foundations upon which decisions are made, recommendations are provided, and funds are invested.  Plans can range from overall comprehensive plans to those specific to open space and recreation, to   …

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Lunch & Learn Using Open Space to Deliver Economic, Social and Environmental Benefits Demand for open space is on the rise, and many people have moved out of cities to relieve stress and socially distance outdoors. At the same time, communities face significant challenges related to equity, public health, economic activity   …

The Evolution of Aerial Imagery and AI Insights The field of aerial imagery has exploded in the last two decades. Technology and advances in gathering data have made aerial images better, cheaper, and more accessible to a wide range of users. Today aerial imagery is used in a number of diverse sectors including engineering, construction,   …

Intergenerational Community Engagement & Planning - Values & Practices Approved for 1.25 CM credits  As individuals grow apart in today's society, communities need to come together. Communities not only provide a geographic location where people live, they also offer social interaction and common ties that bind people together. Ideally, these community features and related opportunities   …

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Lunch & Learn Tough But Fair on Freight & Warehousing This course will provide a brief overview of PennDOT’s Publication 790 on Freight Planning Guidance and expand on the best practices for evaluating freight movement and engaging stakeholders. Learn how freight operators and developers are thinking about infrastructure, their business, and   …

So You Want to Build a Trail: Tips for Planning, Design, Funding and Construction Multi-use trails have seen a surge in popularity as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and are increasingly being used for transportation, in addition to their traditional role as a recreational amenity. Due to this increased demand, communities may be motivated   …

Making Buffers Work for Your Community, Clients, and Residents Approved for 1.25 CM credits  Municipalities are often encouraged to install riparian buffers along community streams. One of the best ways to protect and improve streams is to add a forested area or meadow next to the water, known as a riparian buffer. A riparian buffer   …

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Lunch & Learn PennDOT Connects Municipal Support Program This session will highlight the PennDOT Connects policy and the role of local government in collaboration with PennDOT and regional transportation planning partners to improve transportation planning and project delivery at the local level. Explanation of the Municipal Support Program will feature free   …

Impact of COVID-19 on Traffic & Road Safety of the City of Pittsburgh, PA In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a world-wide pandemic. In response to that, countries across the world and states around the US introduced public health measures to contain and reduce its spread including closures of educational institutions, non-essential   …

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Planning Toolkit As part of the implementation of the TCRPC Regional Growth Management Plan, the online Planning Toolkit was developed to provide public officials, community leaders, regional stakeholders and the general public with information, resources and examples on a variety of important planning-related topics. In 2020, TCRPC staff began an update   …

Short-Term Rental Trends and How to Craft an Ordinance to Handle Them 1.25 CM credits (pending approval) The short-term rental (STR) market for using rental services such as Airbnb and VRBO has grown significantly in recent years. These services allow property owners to realize the economic benefit of renting all or part of their properties   …

So You Want Agriculture in Your Community: Have You Heard of PA Farm Link? 1.25 CM credits (pending approval) In some communities, agriculture is part of the land use of the community. As the age of our farmers gets older, there could be the opportunity for “creating farming opportunities” for the next generation. Pennsylvania Farm   …

Transit Supportive Community Development Frequent, all-day transit service is only one piece of the puzzle in creating a seamless, total lifestyle transit network, which is a key goal set in SEPTA Forward, the Authority’s Strategic Plan. We also need to ensure that development near stations and along frequent transit corridors supports ridership. To do so, SEPTA is launching a comprehensive Transit Supportive Community Development   …

Tactical Urbanism, Placemaking and More: Tools for Taking Quick Action to Implement Your Best Made Plans 1.25 CM credits (pending approval) As both an overarching idea and a hands-on approach for improving a neighborhood, city, or region, placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community. Strengthening the   …

And Even More Ethics This session will provide a more in-depth look at a variety of ethics scenarios, based on current planning practice. There will be case studies, and discussion associated with each of the core principles of the AICP Code of Ethics, and several other topics of relevant interest, such as social justice, climate   …

Barriers and Some Solutions to Affordable Housing This session will dive into the specifics of the current landscape of affordable housing, focusing in Pennsylvania. It will describe some of the more frustrating aspects of building affordable housing and some steps that can be taken to help alleviate those concerns. The panel of speakers includes a   …

Traditional Neighborhood Development: Planning Walkable & Connected Communities 1.25 CM credits (pending approval) Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) is a design technique that replicates historic development patterns found in American towns that mimic those built in pre-1950s America before the shift to low-density, automobile-dependent suburban developments. and applies their basic elements to new development projects. TND   …

Chesapeake Bay Webinar Series, A Planner's Guide to the Chesapeake Bay   This webinar will provide an orientation to the Bay, including geography, population, the Bay program, why it's important for planners to know about the Bay and how local decision-making impacts water resources.   More information

Climate Change Planning for Vulnerable Neighborhoods We will introduce the county-wide climate change vulnerability assessment as well as other hazard mitigation-related projects undertaken by the Planning Commission. In 2020-2021, the Planning Commission utilized free public information on (A) historical flooding and flood-prone areas, (B) historically heat sensitive areas, and (C) disadvantaged populations in order to   …

Central Section of PA Chapter of APA is excited to announce its partnership with the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP) to present a virtual  CAAP 2022 STATEWIDE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) SUMMIT. The two-part event will occur on Tuesday, February 15th and Wednesday, February 16th from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. What is   …

COVID-19 & Residential Property Sales in Rural Pennsylvania 1.25 CM credits (pending approval) The COVID-19 pandemic and extended period of business closures made many Americans re-examine their living and working conditions. Such re-examinations affected housing markets in Pennsylvania, which have seen an increase in rural home purchases and a decrease in urban home purchases in   …

Plan Integration for Resilience and Equity   Planners have a number of plans for which they are responsible. Two factors, climate resilience and equity, are top-of-mind as we try and integrate planning strategies to provide multiple benefits. The webinar would explore examples of successful plan integration and their relation to building in more resilient approaches   …

ATTENTION: This webinar is canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date                                   Advancing Racial Equity through Land Use Planning According to US Census Data, disparity in income and housing among diverse racial and ethnic populations has occurred   …

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design 1.25 CM credits (pending approval) Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design or CPTED (pronounced sep-ted) suggests that the design of buildings, landscaping and outdoor environments can either encourage or discourage crime. CPTED attempts to minimize crime and the fear of crime by reducing criminal opportunity and fostering positive social interaction among   …

Leveraging Hazard Mitigation for Water Quality Benefits   Efforts to reduce water pollution can also achieve hazard mitigation plan goals. This webinar will provide examples of how local planners have integrated water quality, such as Green Infrastructure, into their Hazard Mitigation Plans.   More information

Multi-Local Government Aggregation Programs: A Tool for Implementation Multi-municipal aggregation programs can be incredibly valuable to assist local governments with implementation of technical and/or high upfront cost projects. Aggregation programs provide lower cost and turnkey services to local governments by leveraging the purchasing and decision making power of participants. Further, these programs remove several key   …

NRCS and USDA RD: Funders That Planners, Municipal Officials, and Other Community Leaders Should Know Well 1.25 CM credits (pending approval) How community planners and other local leaders can utilize the agencies of the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) -- Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resource & Conservation Service (NRCS) & United States Department   …

How to Leverage Conservation, Open Space and Parks Funding to Maximize Multiple Benefits   How are localities leveraging conservation, open space and parks funding to maximize economic development, environmental stewardship, and quality of life? This webinar will explore the policies and opportunities that support conservation, recreation and open space at the local level.   More   …

Environmental Justice Overview & Pennsylvania's Draft Environmental Justice Policy After this session, participants will be able to: Define environmental justice, equity, and equality. Know some key precedents around the environmental justice movement nationally and in Pennsylvania. Learn the scientific basis of disproportionate impacts facing communities. Know about the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)’s Environmental   …

The One Water Approach and How It Benefits the Bay   Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), aka. the “One Water” approach, has been embraced by APA as a best practice. Clean water goals have a strong connection to the One Water approach. This webinar will present local planning jurisdictions that have taken a One Water   …

Off the Shelf and Into Action, Creating an Implementable Comprehensive Plan Ten years have passed since the implementable comprehensive plan approach was introduced. Interest continues to grow. RFPs from Pennsylvania communities regularly ask for an implementable plan. This webinar will provide a refresher on the implementable plan approach. It will describe how to create a   …

Smart Growth Tools for Protecting Water Resources   Water quality outcomes are directly tied to land use decisions made by local jurisdictions. This webinar would explore local land use scenarios that lead to triple-bottom-line (economic, social, environmental) results and pose questions on current land use trends watershed-wide that may threaten progress.   More information

Planning for Agriculture, Wind and Solar Policies in the United States promote expansion of renewable energy and protection of farmland. Sometimes these goals clash. This presentation reviews the land consumption issues, local opposition to renewable energy (NIMBYism) and competing state and local policies. The focus then turns on co-location, or how agriculture and renewable energy   …

Telling Your Story: Effective Strategies for Communication Successful public communication is more than surveys and opinion polls. It must also inform and educate, and that requires more than posting everything on your website. Even in a small community, that volume of data is overwhelming and can be frustrating to navigate. In this presentation, we will   …

Advancing Racial Equity through Land Use Planning According to US Census Data, disparity in income and housing among diverse racial and ethnic populations has occurred in the United States. Researchers have pointed out that many members of these specific populations have been adversely impacted by housing policies adopted in the first half of the 20th   …

Ethics Case of the Year : October 18th, 2022 — 12pm-1pm 1 CM: # 9258311 Join MAPC in case analyses of scenarios based upon both formal complaints and informal inquiries reviewed by the Ethics Officer and Ethics Committee in 2021. Speakers: Scott Duncanson, AICP, Senior Environmental Planner and Project Manager at Gannett Fleming, Inc., Lauren DeVore,   …

Tuesday, November 1st, 2022, 12PM-1PM Guns, Lawyers, & Land Use Webinar The Second Amendment Right to Bear Arms is implicated by local zoning and land use regulations. State and federal courts have decided an increasing number of cases that limit the scope of land use regulation on firearms. This presentation first provides and overview of   …

Pennsylvania Land Use Law Update: Appellate Cases from 2021-2022 Appellate Cases will be presented in traditional lecture format as well as interactively with hypotheticals to demonstrate how a recent case decided the outcome. Cases will range from traditional zoning approval cases (variances, special exceptions & conditional uses), zoning interpretation cases and validity challenges, to subdivision   …

Planning Ethics: What's New in 2022 and Elect Ethics Cases of the Year The AICP Code of Ethics was recently updated in 2021 with the updated code going into effect January 1, 2022. This session will present a summary of the updated AICP Code of Ethics followed by a review of several ethical scenarios/case studies.   …

POSTPONED Checking the Boxes with Green Infrastructure What are the impacts of trees? Maintenance costs, economic benefits, equity considerations, health factors, stormwater implications, regulatory challenges... This session will look at the multi-dimensionality of green infrastructure (not just trees!) and the long-term vision for risk reduction and health improvement with planner and municipal action opportunities woven   …

The Changes Taking Place in the Manufactured Housing Community Impacting Sustainability and Affordability and The Role of Planners There are approximately 1,600 manufactured home communities (MHCs - also known as “mobile home parks” or “land-lease communities”) in PA, home to thousands of working families, seniors, and ordinary Pennsylvanians. In the last 10 years, private-equity and   …

Planning for Clean Water: Chesapeake Bay Tributary Summaries and Data Dashboard Chesapeake Bay tools for accessing synthesis information for non-tidal and tidal water quality, restoration targeting, management practice implementation and planning for change in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Speaker, Breck Sullivan, is employed by the U.S. Geological Survey and works at the Chesapeake   …

Checking the Boxes with Green Infrastructure What are the impacts of trees? Maintenance costs, economic benefits, equity considerations, health factors, stormwater implications, regulatory challenges... This session will look at the multi-dimensionality of green infrastructure (not just trees!) and the long-term vision for risk reduction and health improvement with planner and municipal action opportunities woven throughout.   …

Planning for TOD – A Way to Transform your Community Transit-oriented development (TOD) capitalizes on public transit access by transforming underutilized spaces into walkable and sustainable communities, with a mix of land uses, a vibrant public realm, and excellent connectivity to transit amenities. The Montgomery County Planning Commission released a Model TOD Ordinance and Guidebook   …

Ethics Cases of the Year The AICP Code of Ethics was recently updated in 2021 with the updated code going into effect January 1, 2022. This session will present a summary of the updated AICP Code of Ethics followed by a review of several ethical scenarios/ case studies. The review of the updated AICP Code   …

Land Use Law Update This session will review opinions of the federal and Pennsylvania courts issued since the last APA PA annual conference and highlight developments in the law. The session will cover the adoption, administration, interpretation and enforcement of MPC-enabled ordinances; floodplain, stormwater and wetlands management; other state and federal statutes impacting land use   …

Are You Ready? A Framework for Identifying Climate Risks, Prioritizing Actions, and Securing Funding Anticipating, preparing for, and mitigating the impacts of climate change is critical to ensuring our communities continue to prosper and provide a high quality of life. This two-part session will first introduce a transferable methodology for assessing and visualizing the wide-ranging   …

You Didn’t Get the Grant: Now What? The Infrastructure Bill has presented us with once in a lifetime opportunity to pursue life-changing transportation improvements for the communities we serve. As a planner for Delaware County, philosophically we were ready to pursue the funding; but practically, we did not have the necessary expertise on hand to   …

Mid-Atlantic Planning Collaboration: Implications of Recent Clean Water Act Decision on Land Use Planning In May, 2023, the United States Supreme Court decided Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. The Court’s ruling reduces the number of wetlands subject to the provisions of the Clean Water Act, while likely providing some more clarity as to covered wetlands.   …

The Impact of Large & Medium Scale Solar Projects on PA Communities The webinar will provide a comprehensive discussion of large and medium scale solar developments on the PA landscape including where and why they are being sited, common concerns in communities, zoning and land use considerations in ordinance development and proposed legislation that could   …

Join the Mid-Atlantic Planning Collaboration for the next webinar in the resiliency series, highlighting the resilience planning efforts at the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) recognizes the critical role transportation plays in fostering societal well-being, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. In the face of increasing challenges posed by   …

Free webinar on Climate-Smart Agriculture to be presented on Thursday, November 21, 2024 from Noon-1;30 PM. This webinar entitled “Climate-Smart Agriculture: Planning for a Resilient, Sustainable and Innovative Agricultural Future” will be hosted by the PA Chapter of APA’s President, Leah Eppinger, AICP. Agriculture is one of the biggest industries and largest land uses in   …

Pennsylvania Land Use Law Update: Appellate Cases from 2023-2024 Pennsylvania appellate cases will be presented in traditional lecture format as well as interactively with hypotheticals to demonstrate how a recent case decided the outcome. Cases will cover topics related to zoning (variances, special exceptions, and conditional uses) and subdivision & land development (plan approvals, modifications,   …

Climate Change Adaptation Planning in the Great Lakes The International Joint Commission (IJC) Water Quality Board (WQB) initiated the Climate Change Adaptation in the Great Lakes project to develop a robust community of practice and provide access to dynamic planning tools designed for local and regional governments to support climate resilience in Great Lakes communities.   …

Motivating and Engaging Volunteers in Local Governance and Community Planning  1.25 CM credits (pending approval) Volunteerism plays a role in community and land use planning, ranging from volunteer planning boards to individuals and organizations undertaking community improvement projects. In this dynamic and interactive workshop, participants will learn about the role volunteers play in local government   …

Housing Affordability: Addressing the Housing Crisis: A Collaborative Approach to Building Local Solutions with the New Hampshire Housing Academy and the InvestNH program 1.25 CM credits (pending approval) As is true in many counties, a shortage of available and affordable housing continues to have a major impact on communities’ economic and civic health. The webinar   …

Blowing Up Your Boards and Other Bold Ideas to Bring Your Comp Plan to Life How do you guarantee that your community’s new comprehensive plan will see fruition? Operationalize its implementation. The presenters will explore fresh ideas for delivering on vision, highlighting an innovative accomplishment by the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon to completely restructure the   …

Data-Driven Decision-Making: What Does this Term Mean for Community Planning?  1.25 CM credits (pending approval) As is true in many counties, a shortage of available and affordable housing continues to have a major impact o This presentation explores how local governments can leverage data sources and community input to create effective planning outcomes. Through practical   …