Newsletter Highlights:

• APATX17 keynote speaker announced! Visit www.APATX17.com for more info.  Sign up to Sponsor/be an Exhibitor ASAP, and stay tuned for the new #APATX17 Digital Engagement Toolkit to be released soon!

• June 30: APATX17 session proposals due

• July 1: APATX17 online registration begins

• July 28: APATX17 Texas Chapter Planning Award submittals due

The American Planning Association (APA), Texas Chapter Conference (APATX17) will be held in North Texas on November 1-3, 2017 at the Frisco Convention Center. We’ve made it easy for you to view all conference information at www.APATX17.com, but we’ll continue to update this page as more details become final. Online registration begins July 1, 2017!

Gabe Klein is the Co-Founder of CityFi and former commissioner of the Chicago and Washington D.C's Department of Transportation. In both cities he revamped technology platforms and government processes while focusing on putting people first vs. automobiles on city streets. This included launching two of the first and largest bikeshare systems in the U.S. and building protected bike lanes and better pedestrian infrastructure for vulnerable citizens citywide, as well as facilitating private services like carshare and rideshare that could help each cities mobility goals. Gabe honed his creativity and leadership skills working in business, including Zipcar, where he served as Vice President, Bikes USA as national Director of Stores and his own electric powered, organic food truck chain, On The Fly. Klein is also the author of "Start-Up City: Inspiring Private and Public Entrepreneurship, Getting Projects Done, and Having Fun."  Read more

The Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center at 7600 John Q Hammons Drive, Frisco, TX 75034 is the conference hotel for APATX17. The APATX17 group rates for guest rooms in the hotel are $174.00 plus tax per night. The cutoff date for making hotel reservations at the conference rate will be September 30, 2017. Reserve your hotel room here.

Planning for the APATX17 conference is in full gear and we are looking for conference sessions. The conference theme is "The Art of Planning: Uniting Diverse Perspectives."  APATX17 will include approximately 80 sessions in 10 tracks including Emerging Planning Leaders, Law and Ethics, Short Course for Appointed and Elected Officials, and other topics to be determined based on proposed sessions. 

Have a great idea for a session at APATX17? Submit it! Sessions are strongly encouraged to be related to the conference theme and interactive. Handouts/leave-behinds are also encouraged for all sessions. The deadline to submit your session proposal is June 30, 2017. Download the Session Proposal Form at www.APATX17.com.

The APA Texas Planning Awards Program recognizes individuals, organizations and communities for outstanding contributions to planning in Texas.  The Awards Committee evaluates nominees based on innovation, transferability, quality, implementation, and comprehensiveness. Winners will be notified in September, and the Awards Luncheon will take place on November 3, 2017 in Frisco, Texas.  To download the award application, criteria, and view past winners, visit the Texas Chapter Planning Awards webpage.

Deadline is July 28, 2017.

The reason Texas has the best chapter conference is because we have the best Sponsors! Interested in becoming a Sponsor or Exhibitor for APATX17 in North Texas?  Then check out our sponsor and exhibitor forms online, and do not wait for us to call you! We have a new twist to the Exhibit Hall that you’ll want to read!  Annual Sponsors will also be recognized at the 2018 National Planning Conference in New Orleans.  Thank you to our 2016 Sponsors who made our year a success!

The City of Austin (Austin Historic Cemeteries Master Plan), University of Houston + Avenue CDC of Houston (Near Northside Quality of Life Agreement), and City of Plano (Plano Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan) were recognized at the National Planning Conference last month. To learn about these great planning efforts, view the National Planning excellence website. Way to make Texas proud in NYC!

The APA Texas Board of Directors met on June 2 at Hermann Park in Houston to conduct a strategic planning workshop. The purpose of the workshop was to identify organizational goals and actions for the next five years. A membership survey will be available this summer to provide you an opportunity to give input.

The American Institute of Certified Planners and the APA Texas Chapter encourage those with financial hardships to become AICP members by taking advantage of the Reduced Exam Fee Reimbursement Program.  This program offers assistance to those individuals who may defer taking or are unable to take the AICP exam because of the high cost. The APA Texas Chapter will offer three (3) additional reimbursements to Texas planners that plan to take the November exam. 

View more information here!