APA-PA Southeast Section Blog

The PA Chapter of the American Planning Association is pleased to announce the Call for Presentations for the 2010 Annual Conference. This year’s conference takes place October 3-5, 2010 at the Lancaster Convention Center and Marriott in Lancaster, PA. The theme for the event is “Cultivating Strong Communities.” The Conference Planning Committee has identified a list of suggested workshop topics supporting this theme. Applicants are encouraged to submit presentation proposals that support the theme and suggested topics, although submissions on other topics are also welcome for consideration.

The deadline for submission of presentation proposals is Friday, March 19, 2010. Submissions are accepted online only at www.planningpa.org. Please review the “Call For Presentations Instructions” prior to completing a submission. The Instructions include the topic list, important information, and a list of the items needed for the submission.

Thank you in advance for your submissions and support of this year’s Annual Conference! Download the attachment below for all the details. Please forward this message to interested colleagues in your networks. If you have any questions about the online application, please contact the PA Chapter Office at 717-671-4510.

Don’t miss your opportunity to present and participate in the 8th annual Design on the Delaware Conference. Submissions are due 5 pm, April 1, 2010.

We invite knowledgeable, articulate individuals willing to share their expertise and real-world experience to submit presentation proposals for the conference.

Created by WMRT (now WRT)

Each year, APA recognizes an innovative planning effort that is historically significant and has created communities of lasting value with the National Planning Landmark Award.  This year, this high honor was awarded to The Plan for the Valleys, created in 1963 by Philadelphia-based WMRT, now WRT.

The Plan for the Valleys provided a thoughtful, strategic, and implementable vision for the Green Spring and Worthington Valleys, a rural region of Baltimore County, Maryland of approximately 75 square miles located northwest of the City of Baltimore. In the early 1960s, the pressure of urbanization in the Valleys was more intense than any other area of the Baltimore Region. The community had the foresight to realize that if uncontrolled, the growth would surely wipe out the historic character and natural amenity of the area. The need for good, progressive public policy on land planning and conservation was urgently recognized to retain the natural beauty of the Valleys.

The Future City Competition was held on January 23^rd at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall in Philadelphia. Our APAPA Chapter and Section sponsored “The Excellence In Planning Award” which was given to a project from the New Hope Area “because the students had well-thought out ideas about land uses and their interrelationships,” says Council member and past chairman Brian O’Leary, AICP, our representative judge. Brian also thought that the student projects were all excellent with lots of fun and mind-bending designs.

 

Happy New Year from Future City!  Our 40 remaining schools are heading towards the finish line, completing their models and practicing their presentations.  All we need now are more volunteers to make the competition run as smoothly as it has in the past.  Please consider volunteering for the following positions:

 

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) and Zoning Code Commission (ZCC) will carry out an “in­tegrated planning and zoning process” over the next several years to envision a bright future for Philadelphia, plan for it strategically, and take action to ensure success. The process includes three interrelated components:

Philadelphia2035: The Comprehensive Plan

The Comp Plan consists of two tiers: a Long-range Citywide Plan and 19 Strategic District Plans. These coordi­nated efforts will yield a broad, long-term vision that is fully integrated with geographic-specific imple­mentation strategies for communities across the city.  This work officially begins in winter 2010, building upon the data-gathering and early public-outreach efforts of Imagine Philadelphia: Laying the Foundation.

 

Citizens Planning Institute

The Institute is intended to be the educational arm of the PCPC.  It will provide an accessible forum for the public to learn about general planning principles and how to help resolve specific planning and zoning is­sues as they arise. Importantly, the Institute will increase the capacity of citizens and civic organizations to participate in planning their com­munities and the city.  A spring 2010 launch is planned.

 

Zoning Code Rewriting and Remapping

The zoning-reform effort will result in a new code and the means for implement­ing it. Sections of the city will be remapped based on classifications established in the new code and the goals, principles, and recommendations of the Comp Plan.  The code rewriting process is in full swing and expected to be completed by end of 2010, with remapping—district by district—to take place over several years thereafter.

 

Philadelphia’s Zoning Code Reform Process

In 2007, the voters of Philadelphia created a Zoning Code Commission (ZCC) to reform and modernize Philadelphia’s outdated and complex zoning code.  The 31-member Commission - comprised of City officials, representatives of business, civic and labor organizations, as well as attorneys, planners, architects and developers - is supported by a Consultant Team led by Clarion Associates and Duncan Associates.

 

The project has three phases:

• Recommend.  Develop a roadmap for the new code.
• Rewrite.  Write a proposed new code and a plan for zoning remapping.  The ZCC will release the proposed new code in three modules.
• Remap.  Remap areas of the City, consistent with the new code. The Philadelphia City Planning Commission will carry out this phase..

 

The ZCC completed Phase 1 in November 2009. The timeline for the remaining phases is as follows:

• February 2010: ZCC solicits feedback on Administration and Procedures module.
• April 2010: ZCC solicits feedback on Districts and Uses module.
• July 2010:  ZCC solicits feedback on Development Standards module.
• Fall 2010:  ZCC presents revised zoning code to Philadelphia City Planning Commission and City Council.
• 2011: PCPC begins remapping.

 

For more information and key documents released by the ZCC, updates and general zoning information, please visit the PCPC and ZCC’s websites:  www.philaplanning.org and www.zoningmatters.org. 

The PA Chapter of APA is currently in the process of updating the Chapter Development Plan that guides the Chapter’s activities and initiatives. The current plan takes the organization through the end of 2010. The new plan will take affect in 2011.

As a part of this process the Chapter Board of Directors will meet in early 2010 for a chapter development plan retreat. The Chapter is seeking professional management consulting and meeting facilitation services for this retreat to update its five year strategic plan. Proposals are currently being sought and all PA Chapter members are encouraged to view the RFP and forward it to consultants in their networks. Proposals are due by January 4, 2010.

To view the Request for Proposal visit the PA Chapter’s website at www.planningpa.org.

 

The 2009 Design on the Delaware session has been approved for AICP CM credits.

1. Click here.
2. Click "Activity by date"
3. Click "List view"

Under October 28, it is the 12th item down.

The APA PA Chapter recently released the October/November 2009 Issue of their newsletter:
The Vantage Point

This edition of the newsletter contains a recap of the 2009 Conference held here in the Southeast in early October and organized by a number of hardworking Southeast Section leaders. To view The Vantage Point online visit: http://www.planningpa.org/services_newsletter.shtml. The December issue will have more information on the Conference, including an article on why King of Prussia was chosen as the conference location.

In this issue of The Vantage Point:
CM Tips: Important Updates
2009 Conference Recap
Port Authority’s Transit Development Plan
Lending Library Expansion: earn up to 18.75 CM credits
PMPEI at 18 Years Old

Léon Krier is one of the best-known—and most provocative—architects and urban theoreticians in the world, and a leading influence on today's generation of classical and traditional architects and planners. In The Architecture of Community, Mr. Krier shares his thinking on the making of sustainable, humane, and attractive villages, towns, and cities. The book includes drawings, diagrams, and photographs of his built works, which have not been widely seen until now.

 

Léon Krier: The Architecture of Community

• When: Tuesday, December 8, 2009 ~ 6:30 pm
• Where: Carpenters’ Hall, 320 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
• Cost: $20 General Admission / $10 ICA&CA Members / Students Free
• 1 AIA/CES (HSW) LU
• Advance Registration Requested: (215) 790-0300 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it