National Conference Will Urge Planners To 'Think Big'

For the first time in a generation, the American Planning Association is hosting its National Conference in Los Angeles. Organizers view the event, April 14-17, as a chance to inspire planners to assert themselves and start dreaming big again.

1 minute read

April 10, 2012, 5:00 AM PDT

By Josh Stephens @jrstephens310


Josh Stephens speaks with APA President Mitchell Silver, planning director for the city of Raleigh, NC, and local conference chair Marissa Aho, a planner with Rosenheim & Associates, about the upcoming conference, its relationship with California, and what it portends for the planning profession.

Says Silver: "We're naming it "ReImagine": reimagine your profession, reimagine your career. The purpose is to get planners to see their value and what they offer to communities, this country, and the world in a whole new way. It's a very different conference than past conferences. It's going to be a big celebration of planning."

"We want to challenge planners to step up and start to think big and think bold so that we can be both leaders and help communities adapt to a changing reality, whether it ‘s a county, a region, a city, rural area we want to challenge them to think big."

Thanks to Josh Stephens

Wednesday, April 4, 2012 in California Planning & Development Report

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

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

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.

April 18 - 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.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive