American Planning Association

{{Short description|Professional organization representing the field of urban planning in the United States}}

{{Hatnote|'Planner's Journal' and 'Plan J.' redirects here. Not to be confused with 'The Plan Journal' {{ISSN|2611-7487}}.}}

{{third-party|date=October 2018}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}

{{Use American English|date=April 2015}}

{{Infobox organization

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| logo = American Planning Association logo.svg

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| formation = {{start date and age|1978}}

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| type = Non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization

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| purpose = {{longitem|style=white-space:nowrap|To provide leadership in the
development of vital communities}}{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

| headquarters = 205 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1200, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

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| leader_title = President

| leader_name = Kurt E. Christiansen, FAICP

| leader_title2 = Past President

| leader_name2 = Cynthia Bowen, FAICP

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| key_people = Joel Albizo
{{small|(CEO and executive director)}}

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| subsidiaries = {{longitem|class=wraplinks|American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)}}

| affiliations = 47 member chapters (2014)

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| name = American Planning Association

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| abbreviation = APA

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American Society of Planning Officials}}

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| website = {{url|planning.org/}}

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The American Planning Association (APA) is a professional organization representing the field of urban planning in the United States.{{cite web |title=American Planning Association History |url=https://www.planning.org/history/ |website=American Planning Association: About Us |publisher=American Planning Association |access-date=20 June 2018}} APA was formed in 1978, when two separate professional planning organizations, the American Institute of Planners and the American Society of Planning Officials, were merged into a single organization. The American Institute of Certified Planners is now the organization's professional branch.{{cite web |title=Aim High: AICP |url=https://www.planning.org/aicp/ |website=American Institute of Certified Planners |publisher=American Planning Association |access-date=20 June 2018}}

Functions

Like many professional organizations, the American Planning Association's main function is to serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas between people who work in the field of urban planning. The organization keeps track of the various improvement efforts underway around the country, which may include the improvement or construction of new parks, highways and roads, or residential developments. The organization is also a starting point for people looking for employment.{{Cite web |url=http://www.planning.org/jobscareers/overview.htm |title=Overview |access-date=28 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219124851/http://www.planning.org/jobscareers/overview.htm |archive-date=19 February 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}

The association also publishes the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA, {{ISSN|0194-4363}}). JAPA was founded in 1935 as Planners' Journal, and was from 1943 known as Journal of the American Institute of Planners ({{ISSN|0002-8991}}).{{cite web |title=Aims and scope |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=rjpa20 |website=About the Journal of the American Planning Association |publisher=Taylor and Francis Publishing |access-date=20 June 2018}}

National Planning Conference

The American Planning Association holds an annual national conference that attracts planners, local government officials, planning commissioners, advocates and planning students from across the United States, Canada and the world.{{cite web |title=About NPC18 |url=https://planning.org/conference/npc18/ |website=National Planning Conference 2018 |publisher=American Planning Association |access-date=20 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620181006/https://planning.org/conference/npc18/ |archive-date=20 June 2018 |url-status=dead }} Each conference hosts several hundred individual sessions with thousands of attendees.

Chapters

The association has 47 state/regional chapters, such as the NJAPA (New Jersey Chapter of the APA){{cite web |title=American Planning Association - New Jersey Chapter |url=http://www.njapa.org/index.html}} or the Western Central Chapter of the APA.{{cite web |title=American Planning Association Western Central Chapter |url=http://www.wccapa.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051126132734/http://www.wccapa.org/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=26 November 2005 |website=www.wccapa.org}} APA members in the United States are required to belong to a local chapter. Many APA Chapters meet regularly, and most are a source for local conferences and education, networking. Each of 47 local chapters publishes a newsletter and maintains a presence on the web and on social media.

Divisions

To manage the various interests of American planners, APA has 21 divisions.[http://www.planning.org/divisions/ APA Divisions Web Page] 21 APA Divisions. Retrieved 29 January 2009. APA divisions offer professional networking opportunities for planners. They also produce newsletters and special publications, develop conference sessions, collaborate with related organizations, and contribute to policy work.

References

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