Early Registration Ends August 13, 2021

APA California is happy to announce that online registration for the APA California 2021 Conference, Changing Plans | Changing Planning, is open.

Over the course of the three-day event, you’ll have access to over 30 outstanding sessions, with over 80 diverse speakers representing 70 public, private, nonprofit, and academic organizations. In addition, building on the success of last year’s virtual event, the conference will feature several “big conversations” and keynote speakers.

All registrations will include the full conference program, including education sessions and networking events, and access to recorded sessions on the mobile app and online website app through December 31, 2021.

For registration questions, please contact Francine Farrell, Registration Manager, admin@apacalifornia.org.

For additional information and to register: https://cvent.me/7yQAlQ

“Big Conversations” Address Intractable Issues Facing California and the Nation

To find solutions to our most pressing planning challenges, we must understand the intricate social, political, and economic systems that have created and sustained the status quo. As planners, what can we do to facilitate the necessary conversations, policy development, investments, and systemic changes to make real progress for future generations? This will be the focus on   our conference “Big Conversations.”

Big Conversation #1: The Homeless Crisis in California

California has the largest population of unsheltered individuals in the United States, and homelessness continues to become more prevalent and visible. A more aggressive and coordinated strategy is necessary by state and local policy-makers.

Panelists will discuss if Governor Newsom’s $12 billion proposal and other initiatives can comprehensively address the immediate human tragedy and the long-term systemic causes of homelessness as well as the role of planners in advancing solutions.

Big Conversation #2: Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation in California

By 2100, California projections include increased average daily temperatures, a two-thirds decline in snowpack water supply, a two- to threefold increase in heat wave-related deaths, and more frequent extreme wildfires. How can planners contribute to creating more resiliency to the consequences of climate change? Panelists will discuss federal, state, and local initiatives to protect California’s people, natural systems, and infrastructure, including the equity implications of adaptation strategies.

Big Conversation #3: The Future of Community Infrastructure

The pandemic exposed the fragility of the systems that make our country run—transportation, broadband, education/childcare, goods movement, and healthcare—but even prior to COVID-19, this fragility was foreshadowed through failing power grids, bridges, and water systems. As age, climate change, and harmful privatization increasingly impact these systems, how can planners help define the infrastructure debate so that investments in infrastructure are equitable to ensure a community’s sustainability?