APA's 2009 National Planning Conference

April 25–29, 2009 • Minneapolis

General Session Proposal Submissions

Deadline: August 26, 2008

Sessions are 75 minutes in length and take place starting Sunday morning through Wednesday morning in 2009.

One-half of the conference program is devoted to proposals submitted by volunteers. The other half of the program comprises symposia, training workshops, division sessions, Local Host Committee sessions, and special APA research and policy initiatives. The competition for the volunteer sessions/general submissions is heavy, and approximately one in three proposals is selected.

Special Session Tracks: Each year, APA invites session proposals on topics that will be highlighted at the conference. Your session proposal does not have to fit a track and tracks will be only a portion of the program. Select a track ONLY if your session proposal directly relates to track. There is no competitive advantage in selecting a track. Click here to read more about the 2009 special tracks listed below.

Civic Planning and the Role of Foundations (mini track)
Climate Change and a Sustainable Future
Green Urban Design
Is Regional Planning Coordinated Planning?
Planning and Community Health and Activity
Neighborhood Planning in a Citywide Context
Reclaiming the Waterfront (and the Mississippi River)
Small Town and Rural Planning
The Arts and Culture Economy
The Changing Face of the American Community
Transportation Infrastructure: The Next Hundred Years
Why Places Grow
Youth Engagement in Planning

Both APA members and non-members may submit session proposals; please see the appropriate section below. Read the instructions carefully.

APA Members

APA members will need to use their ID number and website password to access the online submission area. Your ID appears on the mailing label of Planning.

Step 1
Before deciding to submit a proposal, it is very important that you read the Speaker Registration Policy. All speakers are required to register and whether you submit a proposal may be determined by your speakers' acceptance of this policy. When you recruit speakers, you must inform them of the registration policy, so they can give you an honest answer about whether they can attend and speak.

Step 2
Read Tips for Successful Proposal Submissions and the descriptions of the 2009 Special Tracks.

Step 3

Click here to begin a general session proposal

Click here if you are a division member submitting to a division

Click here if you are APA Staff

Non-Members of APA

Non-members of APA are invited to submit a session proposal.

Step 1
It is vital that you read and understand the Speaker Registration Policy before you submit. APA requires all speakers to register. Also, any session submitted by a non-member MUST have at least one APA member as a speaker. If selected, you will find that the APA member will help you shape your session for the audience and will help guide you through the preparation and presentation process.

We encourage session proposers to join APA. You will find APA membership provides substantial savings on conference registration in addition to many other benefits. Click here for information on joining APA.

Step 2
Sessions must be shaped for a planner and planning official audience. Here are some important tips:

• Sessions are educational and cannot be a promotion of a product, service, or organization.
  
  
• Familiarize yourself with the APA and the work of planners before you submit; study the APA website.
  
  
• Sessions must offer multiple points of view to establish the value of the topic to planners.
  
  
• Sessions will focus on issues and programs that have reached some level of maturation so that the lessons to be learned have been developed clearly.

Step 3
Read Tips for Successful Proposal Submissions and the description of the 2009 Special Tracks.

Step 4

• If you have never logged into the APA website before, you will need to create a Non-Member record before you can continue. Once you create a Non-Member record you must return to this page to complete your proposal.  It is necessary to create a login because we use your ID# to track your proposal.
  
  Click here to create a Non-Member login ID and password.
  
  
• Even if you don't know your ID number, it is possible that we have information about you in our database, perhaps from past conference attendance. If you are not a member but were a speaker at one of the 2005-2008 National Planning Conferences, you already have an ID number.

Click here to search for your ID and password.

Step 5

After you complete the profile please return to this page to log in with your new Non-Member ID number and password. After you begin working on your proposal you may complete the form now, or save it and return at a later date. If you plan to continue working on it later, hit the "save" button. You can return to your proposal by visiting www.planning.org/2009nationalconference/sessionproposal, clicking "View My Proposals," and logging in when you are ready to continue working. If you are finished with your proposal and are ready to submit it, hit the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page. You cannot make changes to your proposal after you hit submit.

Click here to begin a general session proposal