PROGRAM
Download or view the .pdf for a printable version of the program. This .pdf also lists all allied events taking place over September 28-30th and is constantly being updated (be sure to download the latest .pdf through the link above). Scroll down this page for program highlights.
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Looking for lunch suggestions? Click here for a .pdf of nearby eats.
Agenda at a Glance
All events will be held at The Old Post Office unless otherwise indicated (*).
Items below are subject to change.
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
(in-person)
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Breakfast & Registration
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Welcome
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AM Sessions & Mobile Workshops*
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Keynote
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PM Sessions & Mobile Workshops*
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Awards Ceremony
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Awards Reception and Exhibitor Meet & Greet
Thursday, September 29, 2022
(in-person)
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Breakfast & Registration
- AM Plan Commissioner Training
- AM Sessions & Mobile Workshops*
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PM Plan Commissioner Training
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PM Sessions & Mobile Workshops*
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Social Events*
Friday, September 30, 2022
(in-person)
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Breakfast & Registration
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Drawing & Design Workshop
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AM Sessions & Mobile Workshops*
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AICP Exam Prep
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PM Sessions & Mobile Workshops*
!! Please note: items on this page are subject to change !!
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All events to be held at The Old Post Office unless otherwise indicated (*).
Featured Sessions
Keynote Speaker:
Michael Strautmanis
Executive Vice President
External Affairs, Obama Foundation
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
CM | 1.0
Through civic engagement and strategic partnerships, Michael Strautmanis has built the Obama Foundation's impact agenda to create an anchor institution that will catalyze economic renewal on the South Side of Chicago and develop the city’s next generation of leaders. He also leads the My Brother's Keeper Alliance, an initiative to create safe, healthy, and nurturing communities for boys and young men of color.
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Michael spent over a decade in Washington, D.C., working to increase access to economic opportunity, strengthen the judicial system, and champion equity and inclusion. He served in the Obama White House as Chief of Staff to Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett in the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs. After serving during President Obama’s first term, Michael joined the Walt Disney Company where he led an enterprise-wide initiative to consolidate, focus, and deepen the impact of Disney’s corporate social responsibility programs.

Plan Commissioner Training
Thursday, September 29, 2022
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Cost for Commissioners: single day $75 | full conference (3 days): $200
It's back! Plan commissioners work hard reading packets, reviewing cases, conducting public hearings, and considering policy matters; but they rarely get the chance to sit back and look at the big picture of what they do and the significance it has to the communities in which they live. That will be the focus of this all-day track.
Most commissioners are not professionals in the planning or development field and can benefit from a bit of extra training on the topic. Even seasoned commissioners appreciate the chance to step back from the task of plan review and approval, learn what’s new in planning, and discuss their role with fellow commissioners.
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All planning officials, boards, and commissions are welcome.
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Session 1: Panel Discussion with Planners and Attorneys (start: 9:00 AM)
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Introduction to planning and tools of the trade – History, comp plans, zoning, roles of other parties, responsibilities of commissioners
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Planning Tricks of the Trade – Running a meeting, Findings of Fact, Ethics, Ex Parte, conflict of interest, open meetings
Networking Lunch
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This is a great opportunity to network with commissioners from other communities! Lunch is included in registration fee.
Session 2: Mock Hearing (1:00 - 3:00 PM) CM | 2.0
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We will cover typical items that occur during a public hearing and how best to handle the process. Commissioners will be asked to volunteer to read a script and play the parts, such as developer, attorney, engineer, architect, planner, neighbor. At several points, we will ask the audience how the hearing is going based on what they learned in the morning. We will discuss whether certain things could have been handled in a different manner so the commissioners will learn about best practices for conducting a hearing.
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2 CM will be offered for planners that would like to attend.
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Optional Reception (commissioners only) (3:00 PM)
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Location will be announced at the conclusion of the training.
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Learning Outcomes
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Learn about the concepts and standards of planning.
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Learn about the roles and responsibilities of a plan commissioner.
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Learn about the roles and perspectives of others involved in the development approval process.
Trainers
Michael Blue, FAICP, Teska Associates
Tom Farace, AICP, Village of Carol Stream
Greg Jones, AICP Ancel Glink
David Silverman, AICP, Ancel Glink

Speed Planning
Thursday, September 28, 2022
2:45 pm - 3:45 pm
CM | 1.0
A conference favorite! Stick around for this fast-paced, interactive session where you can hear about the many planning projects and efforts going on
throughout the state!
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Speakers: TBD

Let’s Bake a Master Plan! Back in the Kitchen for an Expanded Drawing and Design Workshop
Friday, September 30, 2022
8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
CM | 3.0
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Making a master plan can be just like baking a cake! You need a great framework (recipe), great plan elements (ingredients), and the right drawing/design tools (utensils). You need to practice (and practice more) until you find your own way to draw and design. Most importantly, you have to love the process of making, and the joy of watching others enjoy places you helped create. This highly interactive 3 hour workshop will expand on the successes of the online drawing webinar “Lets Bake a Master Plan” held in 2021. Each workshop attendee will receive a free drawing supply kit courtesy of Ginkgo Planning & Design Inc. The session will be capped at 56 attendees.
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Speakers: Ferhat Zerin, FAICP, Ginkgo Planning & Design Inc.; Pericles Georgopoulos, Ginkgo Planning & Design Inc.; Matt Frank, AICP, Village of Schaumburg; Caron Bricks, AICP, Village of Roselle; Matthew Strange, PLA, ASLA, Confluence; Elizabeth Maxwell, City of Crystal Lake

Plenary Session: All talk, no walk: Why your DEI strategy is performative and how to address it
Friday, September 30, 2022
11:30 PM - 12:30 PM
CM | 1.0, CM | 1.0 Equity
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Despite equity being foundational to urban planning, the field continues to struggle to actively address racist planning practices that permeate not only our workplaces, but in processes, plans, and policies. While planning organizations post-George Floyd have increased investments in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), these strategies remain largely performative with limited tangible outcomes that address the culture of White privilege in workplaces and professional practice. We will discuss equity gaps in representation, hiring, promotion, pay and the lack of implementation of DEI in organization processes, plans, and policies. We will also offer best practices for planners working in the public and non-profit sectors that aim to transform the culture of White privilege in workplaces and professional practice.
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Learning objectives
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Learn how to build a culture that promotes greater inclusion in the workplace of historically marginalized populations.
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Learn how the centrality of White supremacy in America requires planners to recalibrate their roles to influence transformative change within entrenched systems of oppression
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Apply lessons learned to implement DEI strategies in processes, plans and policies that go beyond performative measures that can lead to actionable change in the planning field.
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Speakers: April Jackson, Ph.D. (UIC CUPPA); Nina Idemudia, AICP (City of Chicago), Katanya Raby (Far South Community Development Corporation)

AICP Exam Prep
Friday, September 30, 2022
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
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The APA-IL is proud to once again provide the widely successful AICP Exam Prep Workshop. The session will be led by the same trainers who have conducted AICP training throughout the country for over a decade and the past National APA Conferences. Each registrant will be provided a course booklet .pdf.
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Cost: Free, anyone not attending the conference is welcome to register separately for this session only. Registration is required.
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Speakers: Brandon Nolin, AICP (Houseal Lavigne Associates) and Trevor Dick, FAICP, LEED AP (City of Aurora)
