The Latest News from PA Chapter of APA…
The Chapter’s annual conference is just around the corner, and we hope you’ll be able to make it to beautiful Erie! This month, we focus on all things Erie and the conference, including a description of recent planning initiatives in Erie, an overview of Great Places in Northwestern PA, a review of the many recent chapter awards going to this corner of the state, and an announcement of the Great Places award winners, which will be featured at the conference. Also, check out our article on National Preparedness month. Enjoy!
APA PA Conference
The Annual Conference, Investing in a Dynamic Culture of Planning, will be October 13-15, 2024 at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, PA. Our conference committee are working diligently to plan a creative and innovative event, one that will pair both educational and provide networking opportunities. Conference registration closes October 4. More information online.
This is your reminder to make your hotel reservations. The easiest way to make a reservation is online. The rate is good until September 20, but don’t wait to make your reservation. The chapter only has a certain number of rooms in our block and once it’s full, it’s FULL so don’t wait…book now
Planning Webcast Series
Earn over 50 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 online.
Communication and Membership Committee
We are always looking for volunteers to contribute articles for our monthly E-News and LinkedIn page. It’s a great way to share your work and local news with a statewide audience! Authors are credited with a by line and tagging on social media, if applicable. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Amy Evans or Amy McKinney.
PMPEI
The Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Education Institute will be offering courses online and in person. Please check the website for the most up to date schedule.
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 Chapter’s Scholarship fund, donations can be made here. We accept all major credit cards, or you can 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.
Come See Erie, Pennsylvania’s Flagship City on the Lake
By Matthew Waldinger
As the crisp autumn air sweeps through Pennsylvania, there’s no better place to gather for the Chapter’s annual conference than Erie. Scheduled from October 13 to October 15, this year’s event promises not just valuable insights and professional development but also the chance to experience a region that is being transformed through innovative planning and development.
Northwest Pennsylvania might be known for its breathtaking views of Lake Erie, but the area’s evolution into a vibrant hub of economic and community revitalization is equally impressive. Over the past several years, Erie County has undergone a significant transformation, driven by strategic planning, investment, and a commitment to sustainable growth.
One of the most notable development initiatives is the Erie Downtown Development Corporation (EDDC), a nonprofit organization formed in 2017 with a mission to revitalize downtown Erie. This public-private partnership has sparked a renaissance in the heart of the city, focusing on creating a thriving, mixed-use environment. Through projects like the North Park Row redevelopment, the EDDC has attracted new businesses, residents, and visitors, breathing new life into Erie’s historic downtown.
The Erie Refocused Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2016, has been a cornerstone of the region’s revitalization efforts. This comprehensive plan has guided Erie’s development with a focus on smart growth, sustainability, and enhancing quality of life, and served as a catalyst for many surrounding Erie County communities to update their comprehensive plans. Implementation of these plans has led to the revitalization of key neighborhoods, the expansion of green spaces, and improvements in infrastructure throughout the county.
Another significant development is the Bayfront Parkway Project, a multimillion-dollar initiative aimed at improving connectivity between downtown Erie and the waterfront. By redesigning this critical corridor, the project enhances pedestrian and bike access, making the stunning Lake Erie waterfront within reach and enjoyable for everyone.
Beyond its development achievements, Erie offers a rich cultural experience. During the conference, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the region’s many attractions, from the Erie Art Museum and the historic Union Station to the bustling culinary scene that showcases local flavors with a modern twist. Don’t miss a visit to Presque Isle State Park, where you can enjoy miles of scenic trails, beaches, and some of the best sunsets you’ll ever see.
This year’s conference in Erie isn’t just an opportunity to learn from top experts in the field of planning; it’s also a chance to witness firsthand the transformative power of thoughtful, strategic development. Erie’s story is one of resilience, innovation, and community, and there’s no better way to appreciate the impact of these efforts than by experiencing them for yourself.
Join us in Erie and see why this lakeside city is not only a model of successful planning but also a fantastic place to visit. Whether you’re interested in urban redevelopment, waterfront revitalization, or sustainable community planning, Erie has something to inspire every planning professional.
We look forward to seeing you there!
A Great Place for a Great City
By Amy Evans, AICP
While you’re in Erie for the Chapter’s Annual Conference (and hopefully enjoying beautiful October weather), don’t forget to visit the Fourmile Creek Trail at Wintergreen Gorge. Fourmile Creek Trail is a 2022 Great Place in Pennsylvania located on the campus of Penn State Behrend. The trail follows Wintergreen Gorge for 1.2 miles, moving from the bottom to the top. Eco-friendly design elements like the trail surface, boardwalks, rain gardens and stone benches will catch your eye along the way. People come from near and far to experience the unique geologic and natural features of the Gorge, fishing access, interpretive signage, important bird habitats, and distinctive plant species, meadows, and floodplain forest. Additionally, the Trail and Gorge serve as an outdoor laboratory for student projects. Access to the Trail is available from trailheads at either end, as well as from the Bayfront Bikeway and Erie bus system.
Bonus Great Place: If your route to Erie takes you through Meadville, make a pit stop to see The Arc Community Green Space adjacent to the Arch Street Gateway to downtown, a 2023 Great Place in Pennsylvania. The Greenspace project convened the community to turn a previously blighted lot into a bright and lively community gathering space.
Northwest PA, a Hotbed of Planning
By Brian O’Leary, AICP
Over the past decade, many communities in Northwestern Pennsylvania, including Erie, have been doing excellent planning work that is original, innovative, transferable, and effective. Four of these efforts have received awards from the chapter, and a fifth one will be receiving an award at October’s chapter conference. The four past award winner’s are described below, and you’ll hear more about the upcoming award at the conference.
- 2019 Award for a Plan: Albion’s Plan
Albion’s Plan is a shining example of implementable planning for a small town of 1,500 people. The plan was done in partnership with Erie County planning staff with no paid consultant. It focuses on four community priorities, determined by extensive input from citizens, written in their words not in plannerese, with each priority having talking points, goals, realistic action plans, and sections indicating how residents, businesses, and organizations can help. It spurred early action, with a zoning ordinance update underway before the plan was finished. - 2019 Award for a Plan: Embrace Millcreek
Embrace Millcreek was undertaken to help the 53,000-population suburb of Erie face potential disinvestment and decline after decades of development and prosperity. The plan is fearless in addressing challenges. It combined a field survey of 19,000 properties with market data to develop surgical strategies for neighborhoods. It defines core values arising from neighborhood and stakeholder meetings, and “We will…” statements of planning principles to guide township decisions and actions. Embrace Millcreek was informed by and aligned with recently-updated plans for neighboring Erie City and Summit Township. - 2018 Award for a Project, Program or Practice: My Meadville
My Meadville is a community-based initiative that helped the City of Meadville in Crawford County devise a plan for the city’s future. My Meadville used the Orton Community Heat & Soul process grounded in storytelling, discussion of shared values, and collaboration towards positive change. Over two years, My Meadville organized potlucks, staged story-collecting booths and story circles, and did surveys and interviews, amassing 1,400 data points leading to eight community value statements with achievable actions for the city. My Meadville’s work helped spur a city zoning ordinance update, including urban ag provisions, a façade improvement program, entrepreneur program, and a human services “neighborhood hub.” - 2016 Daniel Burnham Award for Comprehensive Plan: Erie Refocused: Comprehensive Plan & Community Decision-Making Guide
The City of Erie Comprehensive Plan, adopted in March 2016, has a presentation style that brings clarity to the city’s recent weak market conditions and spreading disinvestment, and invokes the need to right-size and prioritize. A “trade-off exercise” helped make difficult choices about deployment of limited resources. The plan provides strategies tailored to specific sub-markets. It provides principles for decision-making, including “civic dos and don’ts,” to guide city council, departments, and local organizations in investing in and improving the city.
Congratulations to the 2024 Great Places in PA!
By Pam Shellenberger, AICP
The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association is proud to announce the 2024 Great Places in PA. Great Places are unique, memorable places that display a wealth of best practices in community planning, serve as a community focal point, and strengthen the local economy. They also demonstrate the rewarding results that occur through planning, partnerships, and community engagement.
For 2024, the categories were Great Public Spaces and Great Transformations. Two Great Places were designated in each category. There are now 59 designated “Great Places in PA” located in 32 of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties.
- Great Public Space: Bryn Coed Preserve
- Great Public Space: Schwenksville Borough Hall & Community Complex
- Great Transformation: New Kensington’s Fifth Avenue
- Great Transformation: The Navy Yard
National Preparedness Month
By Kate McMahon, AICP
September is recognized as National Preparedness Month. As planners, we can have a significant impact on ensuring that our communities are prepared through our resiliency efforts. According to the 2023 National Climate Resiliency Framework, resilience is defined as “the ability to prepare for threats and hazards, adapt to changing conditions, and withstand and recover rapidly from adverse conditions and disruptions.”
As planners, we work within our disciplines to identify and plan for hazards in our communities. In order to be prepared for hazards and coordination before, during, and after disasters, it is critical to include a variety of stakeholders in hazard mitigation planning. These stakeholders include government and regulatory agencies, nongovernmental entities, community-based organizations, educational institutions, private-sector organizations, businesses, and residents. The American Planning Association has developed a Hazard Mitigation Policy Guide to develop, share and encourage planners to use best practices for hazard mitigation.
In addition to mitigating potential hazards, communities must also be prepared to deal with hazards when they do occur. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) has developed an Emergency Preparedness Guide to help communities and individuals be prepared for different kinds of emergencies, create emergency plan and kits, and plan ahead for those with special needs.
Silver Jackets & Their Role in Hazard Mitigation
By Pam Shellenberger, AICP
Silver Jacket teams began as a pilot project in 2005 (Ohio) and 2006 (Indiana). The intent was to create interagency teams to supplement and strengthen hazard mitigation efforts, as well as build collaborative relationships, in areas where they did not yet exist. The success of the two pilot teams resulted in the creation of many more Silver Jacket teams across the nation. However, even today, many people are not familiar with the Silver Jackets.
Who are the Silver Jackets? They are interagency teams comprised of a mix of state, federal, regional, and sometimes tribal and/or local agency representatives, who work cooperatively as a team to assist with finding collaborative solutions to flood risk priorities. Occasionally, other natural disaster risks are addressed. By applying their collective expertise, Silver Jacket teams have developed more comprehensive and cohesive solutions to augment preparedness, mitigation, and response and recovery efforts. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supports state-led Silver Jackets teams through its Flood Risk Management Program.
Where do Silver Jacket teams exist? Silver Jacket teams exist in all 50 states, as well as four territories and the District of Columbia.
What are the Silver Jacket focus areas? Key team activities often include assisting with updates to the state hazard mitigation plan, developing emergency action plans, offering educational workshops and webinars, and creating inundation mapping. However, focus areas for each team will vary depending on state priorities.
Why are they called Silver Jackets? Agencies involved in disaster response are typically identified by their jacket or shirt color. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) usually wears blue jackets or shirts, while the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) wears red. The name “Silver Jackets” was created to reflect the multiple agencies working together as a team to address flooding issues.
Pennsylvania Silver Jackets
Vision: The vision of the Pennsylvania Silver Jackets is to “create solutions to reduce flood risk and flood damages in the Commonwealth and increase public knowledge of flood risk.”
Team Members: This interagency team includes representatives of 7 federal agencies, 9 state agencies, 3 regional agencies, and 3 agencies in the “other” category (American Rivers, Keystone Emergency Management, and the PA Association of Floodplain Managers).
Goals: Among the team goals are to work collaboratively to provide hazard mitigation assistance to high priority communities, participate in review of and updates to the Commonwealth All-Hazard Mitigation Plan, develop a public education strategy, develop a process for interagency flood risk communication and outreach roles, and develop relationships to share information and find answers to issues more quickly.
Education and Outreach: The Pennsylvania Silver Jackets offer a variety of educational activities including webinars, flood risk workshops, flood proofing workshops, ice jam training, flood inundation mapping tools, and shared success stories.
To highlight a few, the Pennsylvania Flood Resiliency Success Stories document, developed in 2023, provides information about successful flood resiliency projects throughout the Commonwealth to enable communities to learn from one another. The Flooding 101 webinar offers information on flood types, messaging, impacts, safety, and preparedness. Flood proofing workshops educate participants about techniques, technical assistance and funding programs, disaster planning for historic properties, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and the Community Rating System (CRS).
Hopefully, this brief introduction to the Silver Jackets has piqued your interest. To learn more and gain access to webinar/workshop recordings, and other resources online.