The Planning Academy is focused on providing professional development opportunities to professional planners, but is open to all residents and is typically attended by engaged community members, government officials, real estate and urban design professionals, and city and county planning commissioners.

The Planning Academy is designed to provide an overview of local government, how it is financed, and the impact of State and Federal laws, environmental policy, and planning issues facing the host County and its cities today. The program typically includes several meetings to help participants become more informed, confident and comfortable in participating in local land use planning decisions. In a mix of lecture, panel discussion and group interaction, Planning Academy topics cover a range of planning issues such as zoning history and legal context; environmental review laws and procedures; natural resource management; redevelopment, government and real estate economics; regional government; transportation and infrastructure; urban design; water and utility planning and constraints, affordable housing, ethics and civic engagement. Each evening will cover a different topic.

The 2023 Planning Academy will be a 6-week virtual course conducted as a series of 1-hour lunchtime sessions. It is geared toward professional planners, both veterans and early career, but also has much to offer planning commissioners, community advocates, development professionals, academics, and others. The series will also offer CM credits for participants interested in maintaining their AICP certification. The Planning Academy is hosted by APA Central Coast and highlights emerging and core topical areas in the planning profession including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, General Public Outreach, State Law, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing and Housing Elements, Transportation, and Climate Change/Changing Environment.

Dates and Times: The series will be hosted weekly on Thursdays at lunch beginning at noon. The course’s first weekly session will start on March 16, 2023.

Content and Session Descriptions: The academy will feature speakers that are leading the industry in the respective topics. For the 2023 Planning Academy, APA Central Coast will host these meetings virtually through Zoom. Stay tuned for more information on the individual sessions.

• COMING SOON!

February 2021, the Central Coast Section brought back another popular Planning Academy series. The 2021 Planning Academy was organized as an 8-week virtual course conducted as a series of 1.5 to 2 hour sessions. It  was geared toward professional planners, both veterans and early career, but had much to offer planning commissioners, community advocates, development professionals, academics, and others. The series also offered CM credits for participants interested in maintaining their AICP certification.The Planning Academy is hosted by APA Central Coast and highlights emerging and core topical areas in the planning profession such as environmental justice, affordable housing, climate action planning and adaptation, public space planning, emerging technology, and transportation planning.

Dates and Times: The series were hosted weekly on Wednesday evenings beginning at 5:30 p.m. The course’s first weekly session started on February 17, 2021.

Content and Session Descriptions: The 2021 Planning Academy was offered as a series of eight sessions with the common theme of social equity, environmental justice, and California-based planning. The academy featured speakers that are leading the industry in the respective topics. For the 2021 Planning Academy, APA Central Coast hosted these meetings on a digital platform. See syllabus for details.

• Session 1. State Law –  Application to Project Programs and Approval [Session 1 Recording]
• Session 2. Spaces for All – Designing for Various User Groups [No Recording Available]
• Session 3. Transportation [Session 3 Recording]
• Session 4. Social Equity – Planning For All [No Recording Available]
• Session 5. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) [Session 5 Recording]
• Session 6. Housing – Implementing Fair Housing Laws and Utilizing Regional Partners [Session 6 Recording]
• Session 7. Climate Action Planning – Getting the Biggest GHG Reduction for Our Buck [Session 7 Recording]
• Session 8. Tech in Planning [Session 8 Recording]