CDPA holds its annual meeting in Albany

The Capital District Planners Association, a section of the New York Upstate Chapter of the American Planning Association, held its Annual Meeting and mentorship event this evening. About 30 members were present to approve an update to its bylaws and to elect a new executive board.

The new section officers are:

• Section Director Jesse Vogl, AICP

• Deputy Section Director Liz Podowski King

• Treasurer Melissa Marton

• Communications and Media Officer Sergio Ramirez

• Professional Development Officer Ethan Warren

• Secretary Mirren Galway

• Programming Officers Matthew Lee and Tess Drauschak

• Student Representative Shan Prevatt

Queen City Hub Revisited

The City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning recently engaged on a strategic planning initiative. The city will review the progress made and utilize data to refresh the strategies necessary to achieve the vision of the city’s 2003 Queen City Hub Plan in light of the hidden challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, the team has prepared a survey to gather data from several different perspectives about the state of downtown.

If you’d like to learn more, please check out: https://www.buffalony.gov/1707/Queen-City-Hub-Revisited-2024-Downtown-A

Call for proposals! NY Upstate Chapter Conference

The New York Upstate Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA), Southern Tier APA Section is proud to announce that the 2024 Annual Chapter Conference will be held in Ithaca, New York at the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, from Wednesday, October 9 through Friday, October 11.  The Planning Committee is now seeking proposals for presentations from those willing to share their talents to make this year’s program memorable.

The conference theme “Planning for Protopia: Designing with Empathy in Upstate New York” will bring together urban planners, designers, and community stakeholders to envision and create a future for Upstate New York that is prosperous, equitable, and sustainable. This year's conference emphasizes the importance of designing with empathy – understanding and incorporating the lived experiences and needs of diverse residents into the planning process. This Conference is an opportunity for planners and allied professionals, planning students, and community advocates to learn and share successful strategies for revitalization in their communities and the Upstate region.

The 2024 Conference Planning Committee is developing a conference program to bring various planning, design and other allied professionals together to learn from each other, as well as acquire new skills. We are seeking presentations that present cutting edge skills and/or highlight current issues relevant to planners throughout Upstate New York. We are also developing ideas for mobile workshops and ways to encourage involvement of graduate students and citizen planners. Sessions are also sought on Law, Ethics, Equity, and Sustainability & Resilience that would fulfill the 1.0 hours (each) of AICP Certification Maintenance (CM).

If you have a presentation that you would like to share at the conference, please submit your session proposal by 4:30 pm on July 22, 2024 through this short online form .

If you have questions about sessions, submittal requirements or related topics, please contact Ray Burger at rburger@dryden.ny.us or 607-844-8888 ext 213. Questions about the conference can also be directed to the Southern Tier Section Director, Greg Hutnik at planner@danby.ny.gov.

Award Deadline Extended

The award deadline has been extended until June 28.

Information on the award criteria and the submission form are here: https://www.nyupstateplanning.org/about/chapter-awards.