The Spring 2023 GPA Conference was held on Wednesday, April 19 in Midtown Atlanta at the Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone that helped make the GPA Spring Conference a success! Over 270 people attended, enjoying a total of 16 regular sessions and 4 mobile sessions as well as networking over our lunch program by Out of Hand Theater, and the post event happy hour. We give special thanks to the 9 conference sponsors, the Programs Committee members, lunch program facilitators, our 66 speakers, and the 12 student volunteers that gave their time, resources, and talents to make the event possible.
Spring Conference Gallery
A glimpse into a day of learning, networking and growing in our profession in midtown Atlanta.
Lunch Program
From Awareness to Action: Tools for Georgia Planners
We tried something new at lunch this year — an Equitable Dinners program. We heard from some people that were uncomfortable or emotional during the program and it raised questions for many. This was a beginning for GPA, and we hope to create a safe space for courageous conversation — for stories, for questions, for self-reflection and ultimately for broadening our understanding of the impact that our processes, policies, and plans have.
This program is designed to build awareness of systemic inequities in communities, businesses, and organizations where you serve. Participants were equipped with foundational skills to engage complex issues and used social capital to make a positive difference. The program uses dialogic and transformational principles and is intentionally self-reflective to connect how personal change significantly impacts our collective transformation.
Presentations
- The Fiscal Impact of Land Use and Economic Development
- Lived Experience: Exploring Housing Affordability Through Experiential Learning (Equity)
- Connecting Clayton: MARTA’s Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Bringing Transit to Clayton County
- Strengthening Teams in Transition
- Innovative Solutions for Rural Housing: Lessons from the North Woods of Maine
- Moving Goods in the City: Atlanta Region’s Freight Cluster Planning
- Zoning Updates and Changes to the Zoning Procedures Law + The Ongoing Debate Over Zoning and Housing Reform at the GA General Assembly (Law)
- Thoroughfare Plans: Connectivity and Complete Streets for Suburban Communities
- Bicyclists on Sidewalks: Why They’re Not Going Away, What We Can Do About It, and How e-bikes Change the Game
- Riches to Rags to Riches: A Look Inside Midtown Atlanta’s Blueprint for Transformation
- Partnering with Banks to Achieve Community & Economic Development (Law)
- Georgia’s Housing Landscape: News, Trends, and Case Studies
- E-mobility and Electric Vehicle Infrastructure for Local Governments in Georgia
- Urban Design, Data Analytics and Sustainable, Resilient, and Socially Inclusive Future: Advancing US Capabilities Through Practice in Asia, Middle East and the Caribbean (S&R)
Student Presentations
- Toward an Integrated Model of Placemaking
- Identifying Land Use Conflict
- Connecting to the Chattahoochee, a Neighborhood-scale Plan for Industrial Redevelopment
- Commercial Missing Middle
- Barriers to Effective Clean-up: How the EPA Region IV is Confronted With and Navigates Resistance to Lead Remediation Efforts in the Westside Lead Superfund Site
Save the date for the 2023 Fall Conference in Savannah — September 20-22!
