Don't Miss the Call for Proposals for the 2019 National Planning Conference

The American Planning Association has announced the Call for Proposals for the 2019 National Planning Conference to be held in San Francisco, April 13–16. Proposals are due by June 25 (the due date is much earlier than last year). Full details are available on the National Planning Conference website.

Changes for the 2019 call for proposals reflect attendees’ and APA divisions’ and chapters’ reactions to the review process and track lineup in 2018, the first year in which peer review served as the primary method for selecting conference sessions, as well as input from two APA task forces on Academic Membership and Research. The year 2018 was a marked departure from prior years, reflecting the APA Board’s decision to create a National Planning Conference Committee that would broaden member participation in staging APA’s annual national conference. The committee was intended to shift much key decision making from staff to members, to utilize peer review for session selection, to benefit from increased year to year learning, and to reduce burdens on local host chapters. APA members were involved as peer reviewers for the 2018 conference, focusing on 12 tracks, each of which had a track chair and at least one track vice chair.

There are new conference tracks this year in Housing, Community, and Economic Development; International, Comparative and Global Planning; Small Town and Rural Planning; and Academic and Professional Research.

Proposal types sought include Education Sessions; Deep Dives; Fast, Funny and Passionate; and Mobile Workshops. There is also an effort to diversify the format of sessions with traditional panels to be complemented by debates, interactive conversations, facilitated group discussions, and other formats. In another change from 2018, Ethics and Law sessions will be scheduled in 90-minute time blocks to enable a full two-years’ minimum Certification Maintenance credit in these categories from each of these session types.

For 2019, Maxine Griffith, FAICP, is conference committee chair. John Reinhardt, AICP, is education subcommittee chair; Hing Wong, AICP, is local host subcommittee chair. There are 13 tracks. The intent is that there will be at least three peer reviews of each proposal submitted, in addition to further review by track chairs and vice chairs. To enter the process, your proposal should be submitted on the APA NPC portal no later than June 25.