Shaping Intentional & Equitable Spaces in Baltimore and Beyond

Dear APA Maryland Members,

Conscious Baltimore, is a new chapter of the global Conscious Cities movement—a grass-roots collective fostering healthy built environments to enhance the quality of life in our communities. 

For this year’s Conscious Cities Festival, the Conscious Baltimore chapter and the International Arts + Mind Lab are working together to facilitate an enriching and compelling conversation which will aim to answer the question: How can we shape the built environment with greater intention and how might that look in Baltimore, Maryland?

Please join us for this free talk, titled Shaping Intentional and Equitable Spaces in Baltimore and Beyond, at 2pm on Friday, March 21st, at the Central Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library (Creative Arts Center, 2nd Floor). You may register online. Additionally, we would appreciate your help in getting the word out about this event; please share the attached flyer with anyone who you think might  be interested.

Thank you, and I hope to see you next month!

Sincerely,

Megan Oliver, Conscious Baltimore Chapter Fellow

The Conscious Cities movement is supported by the work of The Centre for Conscious Design and its Fellows. Conscious Cities events have been happening all around the world since 2016, if you would like to explore past events and watch recordings of talks please visit the CCD’s Video Library. 

2024 MPCA / APA MD Conference Registration Now Open!

The wait is over! You can now register yourself, your staff, or your planning board members for the joint MPCA / APA MD conference, Two Tracks One Destination, at the Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City on October 20-22. 

The MPCA and APA MD are offering an early bird discount of $20 off the professional rate and $10 off the student rate) to all who register before midnight on September 20.

The Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA) and the American Planning Association Maryland Chapter (APA MD) are hosting this first-of-its kind joint conference over two and a-half days. American Planning Association Maryland Chapter (APA MD) are hosting this first-of-its kind joint conference over two and a-half days.

With the multiple challenges of climate change, the affordable housing crisis, and the concurrent – and sometimes competing – needs of sustainable development and economic growth facing Maryland and the country, this conference could not be more timely.

Gray background with 4 golf related images including a gold ball, putter and ball, shoes, and a woman taking a swing. Text: golf anyone? Date: Sunday, October 30. Tee time 7:30am (Finishing 12pm). Contact: ronbeattie@gmail.com

CONFERENCE SESSIONS: This conference will feature more than 40 sessions (and a chance to golf for those duffers amongst us!) and promises to be an outstanding network and educational opportunity for professional and citizen planners alike. 

Throughout the conference, experts in their fields will be sharing best practices, insights, and lessons learned on topics such as equity in the planning process and within our communities, sustainable planning practices, the importance of community engagement, hazard mitigation strategies, transportation planning trends, and affordable housing challenges.

These are just a few of the compelling and highly instructive presentation topics available at this year’s MPCA / APA MD conference! The MPCA and APA MD will be sharing updates on the conference program and speakers over the next few months.

Here is a small sampling of the many engaging sessions lined up for this year's conference:

• Balancing Conflicting Priorities

• Planning for Common Ground through Brownfields 

• Planning Accessibility: Solving Challenges  

• Cultivating Happier Citizens Through the Planning Process 

• Building a Better Maryland; The Bottom-Up Approach 

• How to Work with Your Local Indian Tribe 

• On Track Towards a More Sustainable Maryland: Promoting Transit-Oriented Development along the MARC Penn Line 

...not to mention some exciting 15-min lightning round sessions on topics including:

• Joy and Lamentations: Emptying Houses of Worship

• Strong Codes for Small and Rural Communities – How the Maryland Zoning Check-Up Can Help

• Top Sex Reasons to Spell Check Your Pubic Documents (yes, you read that right) 

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HOTEL REGISTRATION: Take advantage of all the conference has to offer by booking a room at the Turf Valley Resort! We have secured a block of rooms at a discounted price, valid until September 20, 2024. Make sure to take advantage of all the conference has to offer by booking a room at the Turf Valley Resort! We have secured a block of rooms at a discounted price, valid until September 20, 2024.

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SPONSORSHIPS: While some of the special offerings have been taken, some terrific opportunities for conference sponsorships including unique company branding ideas are still available. You can learn more on the conference webpage and by accessing e Conference Sponsorship Package and Sponsorship Form. 

Sponsors will have ample opportunities to engage with planners from Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region, including access to conference offerings, depending on sponsorship amount. Sponsors will also be included in digital conference communications and materials. 

Sponsorships go a long way in helping these important volunteer-based organizations expand their educational and assistance offerings to Maryland’s planners year-round. Learn more about sponsorship opportunities in the links above.  

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The MPCA and APA MD are looking forward to joining everyone at the Turf Valley Resort and sharing best practices, networking, and enthusiasm for the next generation of planning in Maryland! Please submit any registration questions or inquiries about becoming a sponsor to contact@apamaryland.org. 

Site Visit and Networking Opportunity!

Join us to discover the proposed enhancement in the Wilmington Area Planning Council’s East Elkton Plan!

Fields of Progress: Cultivating Success for Agricultural Expansion

Join the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA Maryland) on Thursday, May 23, as four experts examine the ever-changing nature of agriculture and agritourism in Southern Maryland.

This day-long session will look at the evolving landscape and significance of agriculture and agritourism in the region, examine activities that go beyond the traditional farming of crops and cattle, and explore county and state regulations that affect growth in these sectors.

The event begins at 9 a.m. and runs through 4 p.m. at Fridays Creek Winery, 3845 Chaneyville Road, in Owings, MD.  A wine tasting will be held at 4 p.m. The event begins at 9 a.m. and runs through 4 p.m. at Fridays Creek Winery, 3845 Chaneyville Road, in Owings, MD. A wine tasting will be held at 4 p.m. Following the conference, participants can participate in an optional wine tasting for an additional $10 (this will be paid at the event).

Speakers include:

Ron Marney, AICP, CFM, Calvert County Environmental Planning Regulator, who will discuss how to align proposed uses for farms and agritourism activities with county and state regulations.

Craig Sewell, Program Director, Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, who will discuss the support the Commission provides for farmers and producers to support the sustainability of agriculture.

Bernie Fowler, Founder of Farming 4 Hunger, Inc., who will explain how the program, rooted in southern Maryland, has expanded its reach beyond state and national borders. By collaborating with farmers and communities, this initiative goes beyond food provision, by emphasizing the importance of coming together to address broader needs beyond hunger relief.

Rich Cleary, co-owner of Fridays Creek Winery, will explain his company’s efforts to transition from traditional farming to cultivating grapes while working to foster a sense of community by establishing a welcoming space. This endeavor has required adapting to new agricultural practices, mastering the art of winemaking, and navigating regulatory hurdles.

Four AICP CM credits are available for session participants.

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2024 APA MD & MPCA Joint Conference: Call for Session Proposals

Submit Session

Proposals Today!

Deadline to Submit: May 31, 2024

The Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA MD) and the Maryland Planning Commissioners Association (MPCA) announce a Call for Session Proposals for the 2024 joint planning conference, to be held October 20 through 22 at the Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, Maryland.  

Across the state, citizen planning boards work with professional practitioners and state and local planning departments to tackle 21st century planning challenges and to implement change. This year, APA MD and the MPCA have joined forces to celebrate the collaborative work of citizen and professional planners over the course of this two-and-a-half-day event. 

We hope you will be inspired by this year’s theme:

Two Tracks, One Destination: Citizen and Professional Planners Working Together to Shape Sustainable Development Across Maryland

We aim to address current issues, trends, challenges, and solutions that are shaping the work of professional and citizen planners, and we need YOU to make that happen. Attendees will include planning commissioners, board of zoning appeals members, historic district commissioners, professional planners, Maryland county and municipal staff, and planning students.  

We encourage you to propose new ideas, new presentation formats, solutions, tools, interactive sessions, and mobile workshops that engage our state and/or the Howard County landscape.  

Submissions should identify a presentation team (one to five people), focus on a topic that expands on this year’s theme, be formatted for either 15 minutes, 45 minutes, or 1.5 hours, and propose an engaging presentation.  

We also invite participants to consider presenting our Lightning Round sessions, where they join others in a fast-paced series of entertaining 15-minute mini-presentations. Note that the 15-minute Lightning Round proposals will be combined with other Lightning Round proposals into a session of 90 minutes (15 minutes per speaker/topic, 5 speakers maximum). 

Download full document for more information.

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