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.

Job Opening: Planning Manager for Toole Design Group Boston, MA

Toole Design Group in Boston, MA is looking to hire an experienced and talented full-time Planning Manager. Do you have a strong planning background with a successful track record of project management for multimodal transportation planning and design projects? Do you feel passionate about providing safe, comfortable, and connected options to help people of all ages and abilities get where they need to go? Would you like to lead a team in advancing cutting-edge transportation projects that center social and environmental equity, implementing Vision Zero principles, and improving quality of life? Do you love mentoring other planners and bringing out the best in them? If so, please consider joining our Boston Planning team.

This Planning Manager position earns a competitive salary and great benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, a health savings account (HSA), and a flexible spending account (FSA). We practice what we preach and ensure that our employees also have access to transportation by providing them with financial incentives to bike, walk, or use transit for a better quality of life.

About Toole Design

Toole Design is the leading planning, engineering, and landscape architecture firm specializing in multimodal transportation. Since our start in 2003 as a single office in Maryland, we have expanded throughout the United States and Canada. Our talented team of planners, landscape architects and engineers are committed to delivering quality work that meets the needs of all people, regardless of age, ability, race, or gender. We have been named a "best firm to work for" and have one of the lowest staff turnover rates in the industry.

Every project our employees deliver directly and positively affects our communities. We are industry-leading experts, and we work hard to encourage a collaborative and team-oriented environment.

A Day in the Life of a Planning Manager

As a Planning Manager, you will lead a team of planners delivering multimodal transportation plans and projects at all scales for cities, counties, MPOs, and state DOTs. You will manage and mentor staff at all levels: coordinating workloads, supporting team morale, professional development, and ensuring high-caliber work products. You will tap into your technical expertise in multimodal planning to troubleshoot and coach team members on client and project management challenges. As a project manager yourself, you will also lead and support multimodal transportation projects throughout the Northeast region and across North America. You will partner with staff from a variety of disciplines: integrating input from a broad range of stakeholders to create award-winning plans and programs that build momentum toward positive change in communities.

Our projects are at all different scales, from national pedestrian and bicycle research and design guidance for the Federal Highway Administration to plans and studies for states, cities, and counties. We work on multimodal corridor studies, Vision Zero projects, transit plans and studies, active transportation plans, new mobility and curbside management, trails and greenways, Complete Streets, design guidelines, and more. We push ourselves and our clients to proactively think about equity every step of the way. You'll be recruiting staff in consultation with Directors and senior leadership and helping establish and maintain company culture that creates a desirable and inclusive place to work. You'll also lead and support proposals, business development initiatives, and strategy/negotiations, while keeping abreast of new methods, developments, and opportunities that emerge in the industry.

Qualifications of a Planning Manager:

• Bachelor's or master's degree in urban planning, landscape architecture, urban design, or a related field

• 10+ years of experience

• 2+ years of consulting experience

• 5+ years of project management experience, including success managing larger ($200K or more) complex transportation projects; overseeing parallel tracks of work by staff teams, consultants, and subconsultants; maintaining high levels of client satisfaction on challenging projects; and managing schedules and budgets

• Experience or interest in supervising a team including involvement in hiring, personnel matters, performance reviews, and staff mentorship

• Experience delivering community transportation plans, corridor studies, safety studies, or other types of multimodal transportation projects

• The drive to identify and pursue business development opportunities for a growing office

• A willingness to develop new techniques, lead projects in new practice areas, or oversee the use of new tools

• The ability to facilitate training for other employees, clients, agency staff, and professional organizations

You'll be great here if:

• You have strong leadership skills and enjoy supervising planners who are passionate about and great at what they do

• You enjoy and excel at mentoring and coaching staff toward shared goals

• You are internally motivated by a mission-driven approach to safe, sustainable, and equitable transportation planning

• You enjoy producing high-quality work products and seeing your projects get built

• You have strong communication skills, whether written, verbal, or through graphics

• You can build relationships, bring inspiration and enthusiasm to projects, and are detail oriented with strong problem-solving skills

Work Schedule for a Planning Manager:

This position typically works a flexible full-time schedule. We also provide employees with the flexibility and necessary equipment to work from home 3 days per week. The Boston office of Toole Design is conveniently located just outside of Post Office Square in downtown Boston, blocks from multiple MBTA subway lines and walking distance from both North and South Stations. The office is easily accessed on foot, by bicycle, and via transit. Our team is a dynamic mix of engineers, planners, landscape architects, and administrative professionals. Our projects range from city-wide plans to street transformations throughout the United States.

Ready to Join our Boston Planning Team? We understand your time is valuable, so we have a quick and easy application process. If you feel that you would be right for this Planning Manager position, please fill out our application by clicking on the link on this page.

At Toole Design, diversity is a necessity, not a nice-to-have. We have a collaborative culture where people of all backgrounds come together to share ideas and build better, more inclusive communities. We encourage those who identify as women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, individuals with disabilities, and people at all the intersections in between these and other underrepresented groups to apply. Even if you don't think your current skill set checks every box, but this role seems to align with your strengths, we want to hear from you.

We're proud that about half of our managers are women and we are committed to achieving racial diversity in our leadership as well. Toole Design is a woman-owned business and an equal opportunity employer (EO/AA/VEV/Disabled employer).

Individuals may request accommodations or assistance with the application process by contacting 301-927-1900 and asking for Human Resources or emailing HR@tooledesign.com.

For more information about Toole Design, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.