Sustainable Communities Division
Empowered planners creating sustainable, resilient, and equitable communities.
Welcome
Welcome to the new American Planning Association (APA) Sustainable Communities Division (SCD) website! Our division supports a broad range of sustainability-related programs and initiatives for planners and our allied professionals. Please participate in our events and collaborative discussions, utilize our available resources, and join us in our cause to advance sustainable, resilient, and equitable communities.
Hello SCD members and supporters!
I’m excited to step into the role of Chair of the Sustainable Communities Division after six years as an Executive Committee volunteer and then its Secretary-Treasurer. Many thanks to Merrill St. Leger for her superb leadership of SCD, and for the ongoing support of other Past Chairs and of the dedicated and professional Executive Committee team!
It will be my honor to oversee SCD’s top-notch programs and make division participation ever more rewarding! SCD’s twin goals - to advance social equity and respond effectively to climate change through planning work - challenge me to take our efforts further in every way. I invite you to be part of that challenge and take advantage of the many resources and opportunities at your fingertips through SCD along the way! Let’s rise to this challenge together.
Karla Ebenbach, AICP, LEED Green Associate
New: View Results from the “Planner Perspectives on Climate” Survey
Nearly 1,000 planners answered the Planner Perspectives on Climate Survey in late 2023 as part of the Divisions Council Initiative, providing key insights on how planners respond to climate change in their professional practice and about what tools and resources are needed to be more effective. Learn more here.
Current and Upcoming Events
Recent SCD Initiatives
As has been recently announced by APA, new mandatory AICP CM credit (one of four required credit hours) has been initiated for the 2022-2023 CM credit cycle. The inaugural topical-based mandatory credit will be focused on sustainability and resilience. SCD members, in association with the AICP Commission, led and participated in the Task Force which developed the new credit framework and criteria. SCD webinars and educational opportunities are an excellent resource for meeting your AICP Sustainability and Resilience requirements! Please check our our upcoming events and educational events often and subscribe to our mailing list to receive notifications about upcoming events.
SCD members under the leadership of APA’s Legislative and Policy Committee worked collaboratively to draft a comprehensive update to the 2011 APA Climate Change Policy Guide. The new Climate Change Policy Guide has been approved by the Chapter Delegate Assembly is pending publication in 2021. To ensure comprehensiveness and synergy with other APA efforts, the polices in the new guide have been grouped and organized by the six (6) APA Sustainability Comprehensive Plan Standards categories, including the Livable Built Environment; Harmony with Nature; Resilient Economy; Interwoven Equity; Healthy Communities; and Responsible Regionalism. There is also a separate category focused on needed federal and state climate change policies.
SCD led efforts to prepare a comprehensive update to the 2010 Planner Advisory Service (PAS) Report related to Climate Change. This new Climate Change PAS Report is published and is a comprehensive resource for planners to better understand climate issues, and access best practices and case studies as it relates to climate readiness planning for resilient communities.
Our 2023-2024 Sponsors
