Students in urban affairs and planning receive award for mapping a walking tour of local historical African American community

by Barbara Micale

"The Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association (VAPA) awarded its 2012 Student Planning Award to five Virginia Tech students in the Urban Affairs and Planning (UAP) master’s program in the National Capital Region during the organization’s annual conference. Martha Coello, Paola Reyes, Catherine Spoehr, Kate Webb, and Chris Winnike were recognized for their innovative urban design studio project, “Giving Voice: African American Walking Tour, Falls Church and Fairfax County.” The tour was developed for the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation."  Read more of the story at http://ncr.vt.edu/highlights/Highlight-102512.html.

Sat Oct 13: NCAC-APA Managing Public Conflict: Facilitation, Negotiation, and Mediation - Planners Bootcamp

From the APA-NoVa Listserve:

"MANAGING PUBLIC CONFLICT: FACILITATION, NEGOTIATION, AND MEDIATION
Saturday, October 13, 2012, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Location: Edward M. Crough Center School of Architecture and Planning, at the Catholic University of America
Brookland-CUA Metro stop on the Redline

At various points all architecture, engineering, and planning projects encounter some degree of public controversy. Whether it is confronting the “not-in-my-backyard” (NIMBY) syndrome or balancing the conversation at a public meeting, architects, engineers, and planners have to know how to meaningfully consult with the public and manage conflict.

This half-day workshop provides an overview “alternative dispute resolution” techniques that address facilitation, negotiation, and mediation.

Planners Bootcamp: A Workshop for Students and New Professionals
Sponsored by: The Catholic University of America, School of Architecture and Planning (CUArch),
and National Capital Area Chapter of the American Planning Association (NCAC-APA)

RSVP: planningdegree@cua.edu

To learn more about the Vision for a Sustainable DC, visit www.sustainable.dc.gov"

Falls Church News Press Commentary on Award-winning Project by @UAPVirginia Tech Studio Class

An award-winning project completed by a UAP graduate studio class in Falls Church, Virginia is the focus of this commentary in the most recent Falls Church News-Press.  The project considered the idea of creating an arts and cultural district within the City of Falls Church and the class was led by UAP Professor of Practice Elizabeth Morton. The project was recently recognized by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association with its 2012 Student Planning Project Award.

Coalition for Smarter Growth Hosts Columbia Pike Walking Tour

From APA Virginia:

 

"Columbia Pike Walking Tour

Coming and Going on Columbia Pike

Saturday, September 8, 2012

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon

2.0 CM Credits (Pending)

Event Location

Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization offices

2611 Columbia Pike

Arlington, VA 22204

Join the Coalition for Smarter Growth to see some of the dramatic changes on Columbia Pike since its first community design charette and learn about the new residential plan and streetcar. It will be the first suburban streetcar to return to our region following the demise of the first systems upon the arrival of the automobile.

Check out today's PikeRide bus service, consider urban design and neighborhood transitions, and discuss Arlington's strategies to preserve and add affordable housing. What will the next 20 years in Columbia Pike look like?

Register for the event at: http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/2041/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=67879

Coalition for Smarter growth: http://www.smartergrowth.net/anx/index.cfm"

UAP Design Studio Wins VAPA Student Planning Project Award

The UAP 5634 Urban Design Studio class, taught by Professor of Practice Elizabeth Morton, Ph.D., has been recognized by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association with its 2012 Student Planning Project Award.  The class project was the Tinner Hill/Falls Church African American Audio Tour and the group authored the report, “Giving Voice: African American Heritage Walking Tour Report.”  The award will be presented at the 2012 VAPA Conference in July.  Please join us in congratulating Dr. Morton and the class on their project and the award!

May 17 Planners Diversity Network Breakfast

From APA Virginia:
"PLANNING. DIVERSITY. CM CREDIT*. FREE BREAKFAST. GOT YOUR ATTENTION ? (*pending)

Come join us for the Planners Diversity Network Breakfast on at the Water Street Center (407 E. Water Street) in Charlottesville on May 17. Join us for breakfast with invited guest speaker Helen Cauthen, President of the Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development.

The event is free and Certification Maintenance Credit (1 CM) is pending. RSVP is required due to limited availability.

Please RSVP to Daniel Nairn (DNairn@tjpdc.org  or (434 979-7310) without delay. For more information about the ECDC, or to help organize an event, contact Nicole Thompson and Joseph Curtis at (ecdc@apavirginia.org). "

2012 APA Virginia Annual Conference Call for Session Proposals and Awards Nominations

From APA Virginia:

"We invite you to submit a proposal for a conference session and have set April 11, 2012 as the deadline for submittal. Please visit the website to get the form, which must be completed and sent via email to vaplanning@comcast.net (Chapter Office). AICP Certification Maintenance credit will be requested for each session.

Interactive, non-traditional session format is encouraged, as are the topics of redevelopment, economic development, infill development, sustainable design, technology, technical skills for development evaluation, Community Development Authorities, Tax Increment Financing, and innovative transit, pedestrian planning, etcetera, etcetera. Please feel free to submit on any relevant topic.

Additionally, previous conference attendees have commented on the need to reduce the number of presentations that use text heavy slide displays; therefore, we encourage you to prepare interactive, non-PowerPoint presentations.

Contact Earl Anderson by email or at 757-890-3497, if there is a session you would like to see at the conference or for questions about submitting. Thank you!

2012 Awards Program Applications

The Chapter extends an invitation to submit applications for the 2012 Planning Awards to be presented during the 2012 Annual Conference. Please help us recognize outstanding efforts in Planning by submitting one or more nominations. Visit the website for the forms and instructions about nominations and past winner information.

The deadline for submittal will be no later than 2:00 PM EST Friday April 13, 2012. If you have questions about the awards, please contact Elizabeth Friel, Vice President for External Affairs, at 571.205.9141 or by email.

Please send all submissions to

CHAPTER OFFICE

APA-Virginia

2231 Oak Bay Lane

Richmond, VA 23233"

Tuesdays at APA-DC - You're Invited!

You’re Invited – Next Tuesday!

Tuesdays at APA-DC

October 25 @ 5:30pm

Congestion Management

Speaker: Michael Grant

Principal, ICF International

Traffic congestion continues to challenge urban areas, resulting in wasted fuel, time, and costs to the economy. Efforts to address congestion in urban areas are one of the primary demands on transportation funding. The federally-required Congestion Management Process (CMP) for metropolitan areas with populations over 200,000 creates a solid framework for addressing congestion within the transportation planning process. While historically these efforts were often viewed simply as a data analysis exercise or report to identify capacity needs, the CMP is intended to be an on-going process, fully integrated into the metropolitan transportation planning process, addressing regional goals and objectives and multimodal system performance needs. In this session, Michael Grant of ICF International will discuss the new Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidebook on the CMP, highlighting key elements of the process, and the broader links between congestion management, livability, and multimodal system performance.

CM | 1.0

RSVP for the October 25 Tuesdays at APA

Learn more about this event and upcoming events on the APA website

Tuesdays at APA–DC

Join APA in Washington, D.C., each month for this after-work lecture and discussion series. Practicing planners, researchers, and professionals from allied fields discuss innovative ideas and concepts or present their latest projects. The events are free and open to APA members and nonmembers. Directions Please enter on 15th Street and check in with security desk American Planning Association - Headquarters 1030 15th Street, NW, Suite 750 West Washington, DC 20005 Metro – Farragut North (red line) McPherson Square (orange/blue lines) Parking available in paid parking lots or on street See you there!