Arizona Planning Association chapter conference recap
The Sustainable Cities Network and ASU Project Cities attended the AZ Planning Association (AZ APA) State Conference from September 11 to 13, 2019. The conference is an annual gathering of planning professionals from both the public and private sectors to share best practices and celebrate successes. Several fascinating workshops were offered in four main areas: Nuts & Bolts, Environment, Transportation and Communities.
Former Project Cities student Maggie Dellow, PC Program Manager Steve Russell, Rudy Esquivias of Apache Junction, and Meagan Ehlenz from the School of Geographic Sciences and Urban Planning delivered a panel discussion on Friday morning to a packed house of over 100 attendees. The session highlighted a spring 2019 research project conducted by Dellow as her capstone project with the ASU Master in Urban and Environmental Planning Program. This was Dellow’s third public presentation of her research with Project Cities; past presentations were delivered to the Apache Junction City Council during a work session meeting (time 26:59 - 50:50), as well as to the ASU community via the Project Cities Spring 2019 End of Semester Showcase (time 1:05:36 -1:21:13).
In addition to the panel discussion, ASU and its partners were also honored during the AZ APA Annual Awards Luncheon. First, Dellow’s project was honored as the Best Student Project (an award typically given to group projects, making her receipt an exceptionally notable achievement). The Sustainable Cities Network and the City of Scottsdale were also awarded Best Master Plan/Project/Study for the development of the Low-Impact Development Handbook; a free resource guide to help city planners incorporate sustainable green infrastructure into facility designs. Project Cities’ Community Partner, Apache Junction, also received an award for Best Transportation Plan. Another group of ASU students and faculty from the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Jonathan Davis,David Pijawka and Elizabeth Larson, were also recognized for Best Public Outreach on their project with Sif Oidak District Council of the Tohono O'odham Indian Nation.
Congratulations, AZ APA on a job very well done. The conference was an incredible (and very enjoyable) event to highlight successful urban planning activity across the state of Arizona.
Project Cities is a member of the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities Network and is administered by ASU’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and the Sustainable Cities Network.