The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association has identified several sources of training for planning commission members, zoning hearing board members, and other volunteer public officials in PA. Sponsoring organizations are noted below, with links to the appropriate website for the most current information.
TRAINING VIDEO: TOOLS FOR AN EFFECTIVE PLANNING COMMISSIONER
Produced by the PA Chapter of APA in association with Penn State Cooperative Extension
This video provides planning commissioners with an overview of what planning commissions do and where they fit in their city, borough, township or county government. The basic tools of comprehensive planning, subdivision and land development regulation, and zoning are described so commissioners can learn how they can effectively contribute to the quality of life in their municipalities. See more>>
PA Chapter of the American Planning Association
The PA Chapter holds an annual conference and training sessions throughout the year. Additional information is available at: www.planningpa.org, including a Calendar of Events for all known training in the state and surrounding area.
Center for Excellence in Local Government, Albright College
The Center provides training programs for elected and appointed municipal officials on a variety of land use and other topics. In cooperation with PMPEI, the Center and the Berks County Planning Commission (BCPC) sponsor the Master Planner Certification Program which requires the completion of three core land use courses. The Center and BCPC also have recently developed an Advanced Master Planner Certificate Program. The Center also hosts the PA Land Use Institute with the Governor’s Center and the Local Government Training Partnership. Additional information can be obtained at http://www.albright.edu/localgov/index.html.
Governor’s Center for Local Government Services
This organization oversees the PA Local Government Training Partnership. The Partnership includes: County Commissioners Association of PA, PA League of Cities and Municipalities, PA Municipal Authorities Association, PA State Association of Boroughs, PA State Association of Township Commissioners, and PA State Association of Township Supervisors. Their programs and schedule can be found at: www.palocalgovtraining.org. The Center for Local Government Services also has several training publications that may be of benefit to public officials, available at: http://community.newpa.com/library/local_government/publications_and_documents/?id=28
PA Municipal Planning Education Institute (PMPEI)
This organization is the educational collaboration of the PA Chapter of APA and the Pa State Association of Boroughs. Their programs and schedule can be found at: http://www.classes.boroughs.org
**Both the Local Government Training Partnership and PMPEI seek local sponsors for their courses, which cover topics such as zoning, subdivision and land development, community planning, and other areas. Local sponsors have included Chester County 2020 (www.cc2020.org), county planning commissions, and others. If you do not find training sessions in your area, contact a local planning organization and request that they host a Local Government Training Partnership or PMPEI training session. For information or to set up a sponsored PMPEI course, contact Ms. Terri Dickow, 800-232-7722 x 1042 or tdickow@boroughs.org**
PA State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS)
In addition to being part of the Local Government Training Partnership, PSATS holds some training on its own. Check their website for upcoming programs: www.psats.org
Penn State Cooperative Extension
In addition to being a partner in PMPEI, the Penn State Cooperative Extension offers additional courses related to grant writing, strategic planning, and other topics. For upcoming programs and information on their training courses, check: http://extension.psu.edu
Shippensburg University Center for Land Use
The Center for Land Use provides conferences, workshops, technical assistance, research, and community education programs to promote sound land planning and to enhance the quality of life in the five-county service region of Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, and Perry counties. For more information, see their website: http://webspace.ship.edu/landuse/
Philadelphia’s Citizen Planning Institute
The Citizens Planning Institute is the Philadelphia City Planning Commission’s official education and outreach arm. The focus of the Institute is to educate citizens about the role good planning and implementation play in helping to create communities of lasting value. Through education, we are building a constituency for good planning. CPI has been around since November of 2010. Participants successfully completing the three classes comprising the Core Course, two of the three electives, and the “course project”, earn a Certificate of Completion as a “Citizen Planner” of Philadelphia. For more information, visit: http://citizensplanninginstitute.org/.
Lancaster County’s Planning Commission’s Training
LCPC provides relevant educational opportunities for their planning partners – professional planners, municipal officials, consultants, designers, engineers, local planning commission members, and interested citizens. These programs will consist of live and recorded webinars and presentations on a variety of planning topics. Many of these programs will provide AICP CM and ASLA CEU credits..For more information see their website: http://www.eventbrite.com/o/lancaster-county-planning-commission-7712861729
American Planning Association (APA)
A variety of information and information on training opportunities is available on the APA website: www.planning.org