The Latest News from PA Chapter of APA…
Climate Change Adaptation Planning in the Great Lakes
February 5th from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
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. This project highlights issues primarily through the lens of small to medium-sized communities. There are many municipalities in the region that could benefit from an effort to share tools, networks, and guidance. CM credit sustainability/resilience is pending approval. You must attend the webinar live to earn CM credit.
Deadline to register is February 4.
National Planning Conference
The National Planning Conference (NPC25) will take place from March 29, 2025 – April 1, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. The early registration deadline is Friday, February 28th. Register online.
NPC25 offers two great ways to connect and engage with planners: in-person or online. Make the most of your experience by choosing the option that fits your interests, schedule, and budget. If you opt to experience the excitement of Denver in person, you’ll also get complimentary access to the online sessions.
To get the best-discounted rates for NPC25 registration, we invite you to join APA today and become a member.
For more registration information, visit our Frequently Asked Questions. If you would like to be invoiced, please fill out this form.
Planning Webcast Series
Earn over 50 AICP CM credits each year online—at no cost to members of participating organizations that support the Planning Webcast Series. Webcasts take place live on Fridays from 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET and are worth 1.5 CM credits (for live viewing only) unless otherwise noted. More information is available online.
PMPEI
The Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Education Institute will be offering courses online and in person in 2025. Courses include: Building a Strong Planning Commission, The Limits of Zoning, Managing the Subdivision Review Process, and The Zoning Officer & Zoning Hearing Board. Please check the website for the most up to date information.
Opportunities for Giving
Each year the Chapter offers a scholarship to support individuals seeking funds for academic degree programs, internships, and professional development activities. If anyone would like to contribute to the Chapters Scholarship fund donations can be made online. We accept all major credit cards, and you can also send a check. Please make your check payable to “PA Chapter of APA Scholarship Fund” and mail it to P.O. Box 4680, Harrisburg, PA 17111.
New YouTube Account and CityVision Videos
The American Planning Association Pennsylvania Chapter has a new YouTube channel. If you haven’t subscribed yet, make sure you subscribe online. You’ll find the full playlist of City Vision videos created by our Student Engagement Committee on the channel.
- City Vision Trailer
- City Vision 1: Finding Your Way
- City Vision 2: Specializations
- City Vision 3: Small Towns Part 1
- City Vision 4: Small Towns Part 2
- City Vision 5: The Dark Side of Planning
- City Vision 6: Community Engagement Part 1
- City Vision 7: Community Engagement Part 2
Northeast Section Holiday Lunch
By Kate McMahon, AICP
The Northeast Section held a holiday lunch on December 6, 2024 at Grande Pizza in Moosic. The keynote speaker for the event was Larry Malski, President of the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRRA). Mr. Malski provided an update on an effort to reestablish passenger rail service between New York City and Scranton. The New York City to Scranton rail line is being advanced through Amtrak’s Corridor Identification and Development Program. The initiation of a Service Development Plan for the Scranton to New York City line was recently announced.
During the Holiday Lunch, Peter Wulfhorst was recognized for his service to the Northeast Section. Peter recently retired from Penn State Extension in Pike County. He previously served as the Northeast Section Chairman and most recently as its Secretary. Peter was the recipient of the Governor’s Award for Local Government in 2021.
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
By Kate McMahon, AICP
A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is a strategy-driven plan for regional economic development. The CEDS should analyze the regional economy, serve as a guide for establishing regional goals and objectives, develop and implement a regional plan of action, and identify investment priorities and funding sources. It should also address economic resilience by identifying both vulnerabilities that a region may face and ways to counter them. The CEDS is developed through engagement with a diverse group of public and private sector stakeholders.
Having an updated CEDS is a requirement for an organization to be recognized by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) as an Economic Development District (EDD) and to apply for funding through EDA’s Public Works or Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs. In Pennsylvania, there are currently seven EDDs, and they are required to update their CEDS at least every five years. To learn more about Pennsylvania’s economic development districts and their current CEDS, please visit their website.
Congratulations to our Pennsylvania Chapter members who passed the AICP exam in November!
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Stay tuned for details about the AICP exam preparation session to be scheduled this spring!
No One Wants to Work Anymore: A Review of Employalty by Joe Mull
By Amy S. Evans, AICP
In its 2025 Trends Report, the American Planning Association notes big changes in how many people relate to their work, in that more and more people think of their job as something they do, not something they are. People are also increasingly looking for work that fits seamlessly into their lives in reasonable balance with their personal goals, obligations, and leisure activities.
Business consultant and podcaster Joe Mull, in his 2023 book Employalty: How to Ignite Commitment and Keep Top Talent in the New Age of Work, argues that current staffing challenges are the fruits of 40+ years of increasing demands on workers: “People have been forced to work longer hours with fewer resources, doing more demanding jobs, for reduced benefits, less job security, and stagnant wages. In what amounts to a transactional relationship—the exchange of skills and effort (from an employee) for employment and compensation (from a company)—one side has been getting hosed for years.” Mull coined the word ‘employalty,’ a mash up of employee, loyalty, and humanity, to describe his answer to these pressures. Mull observes that it’s not that “no one wants to work anymore,” it’s that people, especially those with in-demand skills, are prioritizing their needs very differently. In a current work climate where the number of jobs far outpaces the number of workers, employers must focus on creating great jobs in order to attract great employees.
Mull’s central thesis is that “people generally do a great job when they believe they have a great job.” In short, a thriving workforce demands ideal jobs, meaningful work, and great bosses. An ideal job balances compensation and workload fairly and offers flexibility in when and where work happens. Second, the work must be meaningful. Meaningful work occurs when an employee can feel good about the purpose of their work, the work leans into their individual strengths, and they have a sense of belonging in the organization. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most influential factor is having a great boss. As Mull notes, “Years of research suggest that bosses are the biggest reason someone leaves a job or stays.”
The Great Resignation is not an artifact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ever-increasing work pressures over many decades are pushing people to find better situations, while more jobs than workers continue to be added to the US economy. As Mull notes, “ … the Great Upgrade, as [the Great Resignation] should be called, has been around for a decade, has increased year over year, wasn’t caused by the coronavirus, and is expected to continue until who knows when. This is not a blip or a fad. Staffing challenges and candidate shortages are here to stay and, in most industries, will get worse.”
What do organizations do in the face of these big picture trends? Mull advises that leaders start by seeing their employees as human beings, not commodities, then aligning policy and practice accordingly. The first step to attracting quality candidates may be as simple as asking yourself, is it that employees don’t want to work, or is it that they do not want to work for me?
Communication and Membership Committee
We are looking for volunteers to contribute articles for our monthly E-News. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Amy Evans or Amy McKinney
For additional Chapter News, check out our LinkedIn group, Facebook page, X feed, YouTube channel, and website.