2022 APA-ISS Spring Conference - Registration is Open!
Updated: Mar 3

The APA-IL Illinois State Section (APA-ISS) is excited to hold this year's 2022 Spring Conference -- two (2) days of virtual sessions in May and multiple, in-person mobile workshops during the summer and fall of 2022. While we will miss seeing everyone in-person during sessions this year, we are excited to be back in-person for mobile workshops in communities throughout Illinois this summer.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN
Updates will be posted on this webpage and we will make announcements through emails and social media.
2022 APA-ISS Spring Conference
May 12-13, 2022, held virtually via Zoom.
Session recordings and CM credits will be available to attendees until 12/31/22.
Mobile workshops will be held in-person during the summer and fall of 2022.
A Great Fit For Your Planning Department Budget
You can’t beat the cost of the APA-ISS Spring Conference! Excellent sessions and networking for a fraction of the price.
$70 member rate
$80 non-member rate
$15 student rate
Includes admission to all virtual sessions and in-person mobile workshops.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN
Virtual Sessions are a Great Fit for Your Busy Schedule
The APA-ISS is busy planning a total of seven (7) sessions totaling 7.5 CM credits including LAW & EQUITY CM! The APA-ISS will bring issues from across Illinois, from Rockford to Metropolis.
Start looking forward to...
Day 1 - May 12, 2022 - Tentative Schedule
10:00 am - 10:30 am - Networking and Announcements - LIVE
Join us at 8:30 am for some virtual networking! Shortly after 8:30 am, Cristen Hardin, 2022 APA-ISS Conference Chair and APA-ISS Director Lacey Rains Lowe will kick things off with some announcements and acknowledgements.
10:30 am - 11:45 am - Planners' Help Desk (CM | 1.25) - LIVE
Does your community have a problem you can't quite figure out? Would you like to pick the collective brain of your colleagues to help solve it? Submit a brief summary of the issue and we may select it for discussion at our ever-popular Planners' Help Desk session! If you did not submit an issue when you registered, issues may be submitted by emailing iss@ilapa.org with the subject: "Planners' Help Desk".
Speaker: Stephanie Brown, AICP, Chastain & Associates
11:45 am - 1:00 pm - Lunch
Informal Networking and Announcements
1:00 pm - 2:00 am - A New Vision for Downtown Edwardsville (CM | 1) - LIVE
Learn about how Edwardsville, Illinois updated their zoning ordinance to enable a new vision for downtown! The City relied on public input to develop a human-centered approach to placemaking. The ordinance uses form-based zoning and imagery to translate these goals into regulations.
Speaker Emily Fultz Calderon, City of Edwardsville
2:00 pm - 2:15 pm - Break
12:00 pm - 1:15 pm - 2020 Census Results: What they mean and what you can do (CM | 1.25) - LIVE
With 2020 Census results gradually being released, some communities have expressed surprise (and disappointment) in their decennial census population results. Population results are critical to many communities because these results are tied to federal and state funding formulas for roads and social services. They can also impact whether a community meets state-mandated requirements for Home Rule authority. Municipal officials often turn to planning staff to get a better understanding about why population number may have come in lower than hoped and what can be done to address the situation. US Census staff member Craig Best will lead a discussion on how to navigate the US Census process for requesting the Census Bureau to review and re-consider 2020 Census results and how communities can prepare to conduct a Special Census when that option becomes available in late 2023. Co-presenter Scott Hanson, AICP will also provide his insights as city planner for an Illinois community that formally appealed their 2010 Census results and later conducted a successful Special Census.
Speakers: Scott Hanson, AICP, Crawford, Murphy, & Tilly; Craig Best, US Census Bureau
Day 2 - May 13, 2022 - Tentative Schedule
9:00 am - 9:15 am - Networking, Announcements, Welcome - LIVE
9:15 am - 10:15 am - DEI in Transportation Planning (CM | 1) - LIVE
The session will bring together a diverse group of planners and practitioners working across downstate Illinois to discuss how to deliver equitable transportation solutions for all. With an introduction from Betsy Tracey from FHWA, attendees will learn what is equitable transportation and why it matters in their communities. This panel will explore strategies for both urban and rural areas and focus on providing insight on best practices and lessons learned to ensure we are developing equitable transportation policies and programs for all modes, ages, and abilities.
Speakers: Betsy Tracey, FHWA; Katy Shackelford, AICP, PTP, Stantec; Reema Abi-Akar, Tri-County RPC; Greg Crowe, AICP, City of Decatur; Ryan Shrimplin, Cape Girardeau
10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break
10:30 am - 11:45 pm - Illinois Plat Act (CM | 1.25) - LIVE
Have you ever wondered about the Illinois Plat Act? Of course you have! Learn about how this legislation shapes land development in Illinois.
Speakers: Scott Hanson, AICP, Crawford, Murphy, Tilly; Fred Michael, Madison County
11:45 am - 12:45 pm - Lunch Break
Informal Networking and Announcements
12:45 pm - 1:45 pm - Boneyard Creek: How a flood mitigation project became an economic development showcase for Champaign (CM | 1)
The Boneyard Creek projects within Champaign are designed to protect the city against the 100-yr flood event. An additional benefit of the projects is an increasing economic development along the restored stream corridor. The City of Champaign’s forward-thinking vision to create an amenity out of necessary rainwater management is reaping financial and equitable benefits. The City of Champaign and Farnsworth Group designed an entire corridor of park amenities that function to mitigate flooding within the City. Wet basins to store rainwater are designed as natural-looking ponds with rocky outcrops and waterfalls. The Boneyard Creek meanders between the basins with a large, flat floodplain heavily planted with native vegetation on which to flood. A multi-purpose trail connects people to the natural basins and to other sections of the City. The Boneyard Creek corridor has been transformed to a beautiful park. Due to the transformation, the City has seen a sizable increase in development adjacent to the Boneyard Creek projects. Economic development is thriving in the Boneyard corridor, as residents desire to eat, play, and reside near this valuable destination in Champaign. In addition, the project has provided an opportunity to increase environmental equity in areas of the City where there were deficits in environmental amenities. By changing the perspective of stormwater management to a rainwater amenity, the City of Champaign has created a showpiece corridor along the Boneyard Creek that energizes our economic partners.
Speakers: Emily Poynter Jenkins, PhD, PE, CFM; TJ Blakeman, AICP, City of Champaign
2:00 - 3:45 pm - How to Craft a Social Media Policy That Won't Get You Sued #Lawyered (CM | 1.25 LAW) - Recorded Session with live Q&A
Are you interested in raising your organization's social media profile, but worried about legal ramifications? Learn about best practices for your social media policy from the experts at Ancel-Glink. Then, the folks at the Village of Buffalo Grove will share insights on how they use social media to connect with their community.
Speakers: Greg Jones, AICP, Ancel Glink; Nicole Woods, AICP, Village of Buffalo Grove
Mobile Workshops - Summer & Fall 2022
After sitting in 10 CM credits worth of sessions in May, this summer it will be time to get all planners on the move! We are delighted to offer in-person mobile workshops throughout the summer and fall of 2022. Logistics are being worked through so please stay tuned for details.
June 10, 2022, Champaign - Urbana, IL - Boneyard Creek & Downtown Urbana Walking Tour
June 24, 2022, Rockford, IL - Bike Tour
July 22, 2022, Quincy, IL - Quincy Bay Area Restoration and Downtown Residential Redevelopment Program
Alton, IL or Mascoutah Mid-America & Boeing
Metropolis, IL - Planning Charette (tentative)
✔️ May 6, 2022, Peoria, IL - Scottish Rite Theater & Sankoty Lakes Tour - Read a summary and view pictures here!
If you register for the 2022 Spring Conference, it includes registration at all our mobile workshops. We will just ask that you RSVP to let us know you're coming. A coupon code for 100% off the mobile workshop will be given to you and separate will be shared at a later date. Please note, some mobile workshops may include bike rental, lunch, etc. that will not be covered by registration.
If you do not purchase a 2022 Spring Conference registration but are interested in attending a mobile workshop, the APA-ISS will offer separate registration at a small cost for each mobile workshop. Stay tuned for details.
Registration FAQ
If I have a coupon/promo code, where do I enter it in Eventbrite?
At the top of the pop-up window where you select your tickets there will be a link: "Enter Promo Code".
If I register multiple people, will everyone get a confirmation email?
Yes. If one person is registering multiple attendees, each attendee will be emailed at the e-mail address included with the registration. Each attendee will need to open the Eventbrite email received, click on the Claim Your Order button, then either login or create an Eventbrite password.
What if I don't know my Member ID?
Email Paula at webmaster@ilapa.org
Questions about the APA-ISS conference?
Please email iss@ilapa.org
Not a Member? Grab a Membership Before You Register and Save!
If you are not an APA or APA-IL member, it isn’t too late to become one and save $$! The APA-IL Chapter Only membership is just $50/year. Not only can you save on the APA-ISS Conference now, but save on all APA-IL events in 2021 including the 2021 State Conference. Sign up today!