Each year my excitement for the upcoming APA National Planning Conference (NPC21) starts to build in the December of the previous year. That’s when registration typically opens and I start planning for my time at the conference.
But this year, much like last, that plan has gone awry. The National Planning Conference will not be held in Boston. So no baseball at Fenway. Also, no local dive of a pub serving New England clam cowda’ or fish n’ chips. No wandering the historic streets of one of the nation’s oldest cities. But I wasn’t a fan of the conference center there. Though a nice place, the rooms were tight and the sessions were packed.
NPC21: Anticipate and Adapt
Due to COVID-19 concerns, instead of an in-person event, APA will once again hold a virtual conference as a replacement. This year’s event is titled “Anticipate and Adapt”, which is apropos as we all have been forced to do over the past year. But if it is like last years program, it should be a great opportunity to learn acquire my credits.
Breaking news: #NPC21 will be a fully digital event, taking place virtually May 5-7, 2021, due to the pandemic and current #COVID19 restrictions.
The call for both proposals and reviewers is open until Jan. 6. Join us in building and experiencing #NPC21! https://t.co/798viPx66y
— American Planning Association (@APA_Planning) December 16, 2020
Although I’m excited to attend most of the sessions, there are a few that have piqued my interest from the rural planning aspect:
- A Planner’s Toolkit to Reboot Small Businesses
- Updating the Planning Toolbox
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Closing Keynote: Jack Dangermond, founder of ESRI
Much like last year, I’ll do a follow-up post one what went down, what I learned, and what readers might see more about in the coming months due to the conference.
I’ll just have to get my fish n’ chips fix from local restaurants….
Be sure to follow Rural Resurrection on Twitter as I’ll likely post a few times during the event.