Written by: Phillip Green, AICP, 2025 Conference Chair
Our planning cups runneth over with the joy and energy brought by the 2025 APA-IL State Conference. Held from October 8-10, 2025 at the historic Old Post Office in Chicago, the conference saw a record number of the brightest minds in Illinois and beyond gather to learn, reconnect, and recharge.
Thanks to our friends at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) for welcoming us back to the Old Post Office and helping us achieve another milestone for our Chapter - a record-shattering 841 attendees!
From finding out their planner archetypes in a Buzzfeed quiz before the conference, to sharing photos and memories afterwards, this was truly an immersive experience for all.
Throughout three days of learning, laughter, and love of planning, our attendees told their planning stories. Our Conference Chair, Phil Green, AICP, made a point of planning this conference with a consistent storytelling thread - from the opening session to our keynote, Margaret Chandra Kerrison who inspired our attendees with the power that stories can give our placemaking and placekeeping.
One of our lead storytelling was done through our new conference app this year, Yapp, thanks to Tier I Sponsor The Lakota Group.
APA-IL’s 70+ educational sessions tackled topics ranging from curbside management to riverfront planning, sustainability in buildings to the latest legal tips for e-scooters, ADA accommodations, hemp products, and more. Thank you to Programming Chair, Sara Egan, AICP, and all of our programming committee members for turning a record-breaking number of session proposals into an excellent program!
A record 18 mobile workshops took planners all over the City of Chicago. Our intrepid mobile workshop goers took bus tours with local historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas, walked the historic Chicago pedway system, and toured Union Station. The APA-IL takes a lot of pride creating these opportunities for our conference attendees. Thanks to our friends at Cubic for providing transit passes for our mobile workshop attendees.
All of the sessions, mobile workshops, and, heck, the overall conference, have a lot of moving parts that take a lot of volunteers. A special thank you to Brian Larson, our Volunteer Coordinator, and his troupe of 80+ volunteers who kept the conference moving. If you see Brian, please be sure to thank him for all the work he poured into our conference and volunteers. Preferably by buying him a drink.
On Wednesday night, planners gathered to hear tales of the exemplary plans and planners recognized as this year’s APA Illinois Award winners. A hearty “hail, and well met” to Reema Abi-Akar, who as our dungeon master awards chair led our party of intrepid explorers. We recognized Ray Lees (Most Important Planner) and Dudley Onderdonk, FAICP (Lifetime Achievement Award), Emerging heroes like Kat Trotter and Edith Portales, AICP, and the best quests projects from across our fair land. After the Awards Ceremony, we all adjourned to the beautiful rooftop garden at The Old Post Office, The Meadow, and enjoyed libations and provisions all thanks to our Tier I Sponsor, Houseal Lavigne Associates.
While each of our many educational sessions offered something unique and empowering for attendees, our opportunities to come together for inspiring plenaries throughout the week really helped to make the conference special. From the importance of “telling the planning story” as shared by Bruce Knight, FAICP, and Phil Green, AICP, to the power of being your authentic self and telling the story of your community with Nina Idemudia, AICP and Angela Brooks, FAICP, attendees got the opportunity to meet and hear from distinguished planners who are doing important work.
Of course, all of this built up to our tremendous keynote speaker, Margaret Chandra Kerrison. Margaret, a creative writer with experience on projects including Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, empowered planners to use the tenets of good storytelling to build great communities for all. Margaret spoke on effectively working across multidisciplinary teams, the importance of knowing your own values, the necessity of questioning whether or not you are even the right person to tell the story you are telling, and shared tips for using the power of lived experience to communicate your message. Just don’t go bringing any live tigers into public hearings.
Conferences though, are all about the opportunities to network, meet other planners, and socialize. A hearty thank you to Muse Community & Design for sponsoring our Thursday Night Trivia (and our Conference Chair’s entire body), and Dan Saphiere, AICP for pulling the whole show together. Thanks also to our Membership Committee for arranging the “State of the Chapter” lunch and providing our members with a space to learn about opportunities to find community.
Several of you have expressed interest in getting involved in future conferences - as you witnessed this year, it takes a large village to pull off an APA-IL conference. Whether you can only volunteer the day-of or you have interest in becoming involved in a larger role, we have a place for you! Please be sure to fill out our volunteer form HERE.
Aesop’s Bundle of Sticks reminds us that one stick can be broken, but a bundle bound together cannot. Our heartfelt thanks to our partners and sponsors—your support bound this conference together and made it stronger than ever.