Digging Deep into the Data - Analyzing Your Community Using Census Bureau Online Tools

April 5, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET

Guest Host: APA Northern New England Chapter

The Census Bureau has valuable data that are helpful for community planning, analyzing, reporting, grant-writing, etc. In this Webinar, you will learn about popular Census Bureau surveys and the type of information you can access from them. You will receive a brief tour of the Census Bureau’s website and live demonstrations of popular data retrieval tools to help you find data quickly and build a customized data query. Topics include the various geographical levels of how data can be accessed, where and how to find data regarding your community such as population, demographic makeup, economic, and housing, and the various data view/download options, to include data tables, Excel spreadsheets, and mapping features.

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Planning, Preservation & Change: The Federal Perspective

May 31, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET

Guest Host: APA Urban Design & Preservation Division

The Honorable Sara Bronin, Chair of the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation, will discuss the Council's recently adopted federal policy statements on Housing and Historic Preservation and Climate Change and Historic Preservation and how they relate to our broader planning issues. Chair Bronin will also discuss her recent report and recommendations to the Council on applying and interpreting federal historic preservation standards.

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GIS Automation for Planners: Model Builder

July 12, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET

Guest Host: APA Technology Division

Automating software workflows enables planners to conduct analysis to inform decision making accurately and efficiently, opening up more time to engage with results. In this webcast, planners will be introduced to the capabilities of ArcGIS Pro's Model Builder, with a focus on its components and advanced features like iterators and model-specific functions. The session will provide practical tips for creating efficient, modular workflows alongside guidance on developing parameterized tools from models, and considering aspects like workspaces and documentation. Additionally, we'll discuss the limitations of Model Builder in handling highly complex workflows. This session is tailored for planners looking to integrate GIS automation into their work, offering practical insights for effective application to common planning tasks.

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Planning and Zoning for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)

January 19, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET

Guest Host: APA Sustainable Communities Division

The electric energy system in our country is in the midst of dramatic changes, with new technologies deployed and infrastructural investment occurring at a speed and scale unprecedented in our nation’s history. One example is the rapid increase in use of battery energy storage systems (BESS). Batteries are increasingly part of consumer devices and vehicles, but also as part of “behind-the-meter” electric systems in homes and businesses, as part of utility substations and transmission systems, and incorpo-rated into solar and wind electric generation projects. What do planners need to know about BESS when evaluating risks and nuisances? Where might BESS be located in the community?

Large-scale energy storage in liquid, gas, and solid fuels is quite common in our communities. But electric energy storage in batteries is a different thing. Or is it? Communities will need to consider how stationary battery storage – BESS – fits into land use plans and zoning regulations. This webinar will describe the local benefits and risks that different battery land uses bring to the community; what communities should expect of battery developers, owners, and managers; and how planners can begin to put this new energy technology in the context of local land use decisions.

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Adapting to Climate: Urban Landscape Transformation in the 21st Century

February 16, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET

Guest Host: APA ENRE Division + APA Water and Planning Network

There is a tremendous amount of change happening in urban landscapes, especially in the western U.S. Driven by climate change more broadly, and its symptoms of water scarcity, stormwater flooding, and heat, these changes present both challenges and opportunities for planners. The conversion of our cities will not be easy, or quick. To do this right, we must address this as systems-change, with robust attention to both the social and physical details. To address this challenge, the recent Lincoln Institute/Babbitt Center White Paper “ Research-Informed Documents of Practice: Helping Urban Planners and Water Managers Direct the Change Needed for Creating Climate-Adapted Urban Landscapes”, researched 3 different sources of information to gather a snapshot of current activities, stated goals, and future directions to make this transformation happen. This webinar will cover what was learned.

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Emerging Practices for Local Approval of EV Charging Stations

March 8, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET

Guest Host: APA Transportation Division

How should planning and zoning issues be considered for the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging? This session will discuss planning, zoning, and permitting for EV charging — the challenges and lessons learned. National building code organizations have dedicated considerable attention to developing model codes to provide local officials with the guidance needed to address health and safety concerns of the installation and operation of the charging equipment. However, local approval often goes beyond code review to include planning and zoning concerns for land use, parking, traffic, design, and aesthetics. These concerns cause reviews to get hung up with zoning staff, zoning boards, and commissions. Hear how these issues have been addressed by the Sustainable Energy Action Committee (SEAC) Electric Vehicle Charging Working Group through their collaborative effort with RMI, IREC, electric vehicle service providers, and local planners. The group’s recently released report, Planning and Zoning Guidance for Electric Vehicle Charger Deployment, is available online.

How do these solutions work in practice? Hear about the EV Smart pilot program and Distributed Energy Resource Permit Accelerator Pilot- two programs that support local jurisdictions in setting and achieving equitable EV-readiness goals. See how cities and counties in Ohio, Michigan, and Minnesota are working to streamline their permitting and inspection processes, improve regulatory practices and their broader efforts to attract EVs and the charging stations necessary to support them.

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Trails as Resilient Infrastructure

March 22, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET

Guest Host: APA Sustainable Communities Division

Trails are part of a resilient transportation infrastructure system and can be planned and designed to be resilient and sustainable, as well as play a role in emergency planning and response. Trails of all kinds are places for recreation, exercise, and active transportation. They are also a crucial tool for making communities more resilient in the face of climate change and other emergencies. Multi-use trails can help reduce carbon emissions by shifting more trips to walking, biking, and rolling. Urban, suburban, and rural trail corridors present opportunities for managing stormwater, improving water quality, providing wildlife habitat, and inhibiting the spread of fires, among other benefits. However, trails can also be particularly vulnerable to climate impacts. This session will examine the ways in which planners can work towards making trail infrastructure more resilient to environmental shocks and stresses as well as towards allowing trails to strengthen the resilience of the surrounding community. Presenters from Trust for Public Land and Toole Design Group will provide information and guidance in support of these goals, based on recent programs and experience.

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