Hello to all of our APA members in the New Year!

Jill Sterrett—President, Washington APA

The start of the New Year gives us a chance to think about what we can do that is new that will help to make the future better than the past—a perfect role for planners, don't you think?

APA is involved in two related efforts that are intended to do exactly this:

• Development of the APA-WA 2012 Strategic Plan to guide the direction of the organization and the efforts of the Board.
  
  
• Preparation of the Game Changing Action Agenda as an outcome of the October symposium, co-hosted by the WA and OR Chapters of APA.

The 2012 Strategic Plan is built around a 3-pronged long term vision and 5 themes, as shown below. Each of the themes includes a number of actions for the Board and the membership to implement. More details on these will be available in January.

STRATEGIC PLAN: Vision

With the implementation of this 3-year strategic plan, the Chapter will have:

1. Supported and Satisfied Members, with increasing opportunities for involvement in a variety of Chapter functions, including information resources, training and conferences, website and other digital tools for information sharing, and vibrant Sections engaged in training and social activities.
2. Advanced the Planning Profession in Washington, such that the profession is recognized and respected for its leadership role throughout the state, both public officials and the general public understands and values planning, planning education is prevalent from elementary to PhD levels, and academic/professional ties are well established.
3. Enhanced Washington Communities, such that planning is well integrated in public decision-making, and that planning has demonstrably contributed to community health and well-being; an environment that is health, diverse, and sustainable; and an equitable distribution of jobs and housing in Washington communities.

STRATEGIC PLAN: Themes for 2012 Strategic Plan

1. One APA/Organize the organization—reduce the size of the Executive Committee, streamline committee structure, increase the role of all Sections, better communication between national, chapter and section—define what each does best, add targeted conferences, depth in training.
2. Member Services/Involve the Next Generation—expand training and mentoring for young professionals, student planners and kids—activities relevant to each, initiate minority scholarship fund
3. Engage in Legislative Action—Proactive participation in the laws that are being made, make sure that members are involved in establishing priorities, providing resources for planning and plan implementation, and modernizing planning law to cover climate change & sustainability in GMA/SEPA.
4. Build Partnerships—Link with other organizations, share information, increasingly important to be successful, also look at new issues, such as health, social equity, economic development, etc.
5. Celebrate & Communicate the Value of Planning—Media is a priority, establishing a press officer, merge and communicate messages clearly, expand PODO outreach to Planning Commissioners & elected officials, expand CPAT (especially with 2015 conference)

Action Agenda: Vision

When this effort succeeds, we will have:

A nation of Great Communities where social institutions promote collaboration, compromise, and shared sense of community; where public decisions honor the long-term health of the planet and the health and well-being of present and future generations; and where the physical form of the community and region supports social, economic, and environmental activities that are robust, resilient, and renewable.

Action Agenda: Initiatives

There is a crucial need to build a greater sense of community and common purpose within our neighborhoods, cities, regions and nation. The public trust in government is at an all time low and deep seated divisiveness prevents cooperative action on a host of crucial issues from a struggling and unfair economy and diminishing resources, to the looming impacts of climate change. In order to truly address these emerging challenges, we must first reform our existing institutions and practices to be more responsive. Public leaders, active citizens, and interest groups of all stripes must be brought together to translate common values into a compelling vision and a consensus for collective action. Planners, designers and their colleagues in allied professions must play a new role in helping to initiate, facilitate and implement those efforts through six Game Changing Initiatives:

1. Turn APA Inside Out—Move APA from an organization focused on supporting our membership to one that also sets a clear agenda, communicates with the public and other organizations, and takes an advocacy role to achieve social and political change.
2. Communications Initiative—Form a Moving Forward Task Force, using APA as a platform, to envision future scenarios, influence public opinion, translate deep seated values into proposed actions, and actively seek to create the future we envision.
3. Alliances Initiative—Build alliances with other professional associations and interest groups to create a constituency aimed at solving critical issues through broad-based collaboration
4. Livability Initiative—Define a broad spectrum Livability Agenda that would include physical form, public health, education, social equity and the economy, taking into account the crisis issues of climate change, sustainability, and the need to accommodate the increasing consumption rates and an expanding population.
5. Data and Research Initiative—Conduct and support research and trial studies, including theory and practice, on aspects of this Livability Agenda, the crisis issues, and the other Game Changing Initiatives.
6. Political/Legislative/Institutional Initiative—Reconfigure our governance and institutional structures to better address the scale and scope of the crisis issues and the Livability Agenda.

Each of the Action Initiatives includes a number of steps to be taken by APA or other allied organizations. We will provide more detail on these in the future.

Both of these documents were presented to the Board in September, and we will be incorporating their comments. By January 15, we expect to provide these documents to the membership. We would like your comments on the documents, so that we can reflect the goals and preferences of the full membership in our final products, before they are considered for adoption at the March Board meeting.

Please watch for an announcement around January 15, or check the APA Washington Chapter website where they will be posted. Please send your comments to me at: jill.sterrett@gmail.com no later than February 15, 2012.

Finally, I hope all of you are following the Communications Bootcamp webinars and how-to-guides provided by national APA. The past sessions are archived on line at: http://www.planning.org/policy/communicationsbootcamp/

The January Communications Bootcamp materials are: