2020 Conferences in Planning and Design

An annual sampling of some of the best professional development conferences in the coming year for planning and design professions, by L.A. County Planner Clement Lau.

1 minute read

October 23, 2019, 6:00 AM PDT

By wadams92101


2019 National Planning Conference

The Photo Group / Courtesy of the APA

Another new year is fast approaching and so it is time for Clement Lau’s annual list of favorite planning and design conferences taking place in 2020. Neither presuming to be exhaustive nor objective, Lau, a Los Angeles County park planner, writes about what he likes in each of the conferences.

Included in his preview are the following:

  • UCLA Extension Land Use Law and Planning Conference (January 24, 2020; Los Angeles, CA)
  • Active Living Conference (February 2-5, 2020; Orlando, FL)
  • AEP State Conference (April 19-22, 2020; Yosemite, CA)
  • APA National Planning Conference (April 25-28, 2020; Houston, TX)
  • National Outdoor Recreation Conference (April 27-30, 2020; Knoxville, TN)
  • A’20: AIA Conference on Architecture (May 14-16, 2020; Los Angeles, CA)
  • CNU 28 (June 10-13, 2020; Saint Paul and Minneapolis, MN)
  • APA California Planning Conference (September 12-15, 2020; Riverside, CA)
  • Designing Cities 2020 Conference (September 14-17, 2020; Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville, MA)
  • Conference on Landscape Architecture (October 2-5, 2020; Miami, FL)
  • ULI Fall Meeting (October 12-15, 2020; San Francisco, CA)
  • ACSP Annual Conference (November 4-8, 2020; Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Please read the source article for Lau’s description and review of the conferences. 

Monday, October 21, 2019 in UrbDeZine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Bird's eye view of large apartment complex under construction next to four-lane road near Atlanta, Georgia.

How Atlanta Built 7,000 Housing Units in 3 Years

The city’s comprehensive, neighborhood-focused housing strategy focuses on identifying properties and land that can be repurposed for housing and encouraging development in underserved neighborhoods.

April 9, 2025 - Governing

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

45 minutes ago - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

1 hour ago - Smart Cities Dive

Aerial view of narrow two-story Chicago townhomes.

‘Clybourne Park’ Sets Stage for Housing Equity Discussions

Clybourne Park, a play exploring race, real estate, and community tensions, can set the stage for discussion on the lasting impacts of housing discrimination, gentrification, and the fight for affordability.

2 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine