APA National Update – Region II

Submitted by Ben Hitchings, FAICP, CZO
APA Director, Region II

I want to talk for a moment about courage. Last summer, my wife and I visited the Normandy Beaches. The day we spent on Utah and Omaha Beaches, in Saint-Mère Église, and in the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer reminded us of the best qualities that we possess as Americans. People from all backgrounds and walks of life working together in common purpose. A determination to do what is right. Impressive planning and logistics. A willingness to help those in need. Hours of hard work and practice. A commitment to invest public resources to advance the common good. Creative problem-solving. And courage in the face of tremendous uncertainty. We owe our country and our freedom to the people who displayed these traits in that moment, and in numerous moments like it throughout our nation’s history. And now it is our turn.

We are blessed that our chosen profession offers us one means to live our values. I am here to report that APA National is working hard to help us do that. At the end of March, we had a wonderful 2025 National Planning Conference, both in Denver, and online, with more than 5,300 planners participating. This included some of the best sessions and mobile workshops I have ever attended, including tours on missing middle housing and green streets, as well as abundant opportunities to connect with old friends and make new ones.

As part of NPC25, APA conducted a number of listening sessions to hear firsthand from members about the issues and challenges you are facing as a result of changing federal policy. As a follow up, APA has launched a number of resources to help members, including:

• A Resource Hub for Shifting Federal Landscape that includes federal policy updates, member financial support, CM guidance, and messages from APA leaders;
• A Portal for Requesting Reduced Member Dues if you are unemployed or in transition;
• A new online newsletter titled Nexus that provides timely policy updates, actionable planning guidance, and insights to support your personal resilience; and
• Disaster Recovery Resources including documents, podcasts, links, and other resources to help your community recover effectively.

APA will be holding additional Listening Sessions in the upcoming months, so we invite you to tune in and share your thoughts on the issues and challenges that you, your organization, and your community are facing, and let us know how we can help.

At the end of May, the APA Board of Directors held its 2025 summer retreat in Chicago under the leadership of APA President Sue Schwartz and APA CEO Joel Albizo. This included conducting an internal scenario planning workshop to anticipate and prepare for possible futures in the evolving political environment. We will continue this work moving forward to develop strategies to help members and the profession as events unfold.

The Board also approved a strategy for the future of the APA Foundation’s Diversity Scholarship to ensure its continued availability to students, as well as an approach for implementing a complementary membership in the APA division of your choice, with associated dues changes, for all APA members beginning October 1, 2025.

Looking forward, two opportunities to take constructive action include the following:

On June 25th, APA will hold this year’s APA’s Planners’ Day on Capitol Hill (a virtual event). This provides a chance to share key information with our legislators. If you haven’t signed up already, the deadline has passed, but you can still contact your legislators using APA’s Planners’ Advocacy Network. I can’t think of a more important time to share your views.

This is also a great time to continue investing in programs we value, including helping the next generation of planners develop the knowledge and skills to be effective in their work. Please consider making a donation to the APA Foundation’s Diversity Scholarship to help make the profession accessible to emerging planners with limited means and to attract the best and brightest to our profession.

Reflecting back on the Normandy Beaches, one of the most striking things about our visit last summer was how normal a scene it was. The sun was shining. Families were sunbathing. Kids were playing in the sand. It was a potent reminder that with focus, collaboration, and perseverance we can move through challenging times. As national events continue to unfold, remember the heroism of everyday Americans on D Day, and use it as inspiration to stay connected with your colleagues and find the courage to continue to live the values you hold dear in the months and years ahead.

Ben Hitchings, FAICP, CZO, is APA’s Region II Director. He welcomes you to contact
him with your input and ideas via email.