FAU well represented at Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association Conference

Jaap Vos & Bill Nemser

The Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (FAPA) held its annual conference October 13-16 in Gainesville.  Many students and faculty of the FAU Urban and Regional Planning Program participated in this event.

Students were able to actively involve themselves in mobile workshops and other seminars including topics such as Green Building and Sustainability, Downtown Redevelopment, Economic Development, Pedestrian/Bike Master Planning, and much more.

Especially important was the Student Professional Development Session in which a panelist of guest speakers showcasing a variety of careers gave the students practical advice and welcomed dialogue.  Jaap Vos, Frank Schnidman and James Carras of DURP, were all speakers at this year's conference and all did a great job.  Dr. Vos presented a paper by Sayre Berman (who was unable to attend) that was very well received and was the topic of several discussions after the conference.

Former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening

The students were fortunate to hear renowned icons in the planning world like John Norquist, the President of the Congress for New Urbanism and Parris Glendening, the President of the Smart Growth Leadership Institute. Students were able to network with professionals and other planning students across Florida. Most importantly, students were present to support their fellow classmate, Bill Nemser who was awarded FAPA Student Planner of the Year. Overall, it was a major FAU success!

Harvey is all smiles at the GIS lecture

The planning 'Help Wanted' bulletin board was full of career opportunities.