Wanna learn about comprehensive planning for communities? The Atlanta Regional Commission’s Community Planning Academy (CPA) offers high-quality, cost-effective training to help planners and decision-makers engage with stakeholders and lead their communities to achieve future goals.
In existence since the early 2000s, the program is particularly geared toward members of local government planning departments, local elected officials and other appointed boards and committees, as many of these “citizen planners” come into their roles without a formal education or background in planning. It’s also proven valuable for local government planning staff who may be new to the field or new to metro Atlanta.
Participants learn about the history and legal foundations of planning and zoning; the creation and implementation of a comprehensive plan; and how to incorporate best practices in their own communities in meeting management, preparation, and leadership. Sessions also expose participants to the broader role of planning in the Atlanta region in areas such as land use and zoning; urban design; transportation; natural resources; equity; climate resiliency; housing; and arts and culture.
“I’ve led CPA, including the Training for Planning Officials, since 2016,” said CPA Planning Coordinator Andrew Smith. “The program has evolved during that time to address timely, critical planning issues, such as housing and equity. Understanding local planning and how it fits into larger systems can be complicated. More than just offering a “crash course,” our aim is to de-mystify concepts, prepare our participants to be more effective in their roles, help them think regionally, and inspire them to learn more.”
What do participants have to say about their experience with CPA?
Aprell King,
Transportation Planner for DeKalb County“My experience with CPA has been phenomenal, and while I thought there might be some information I already knew coming in, I took something completely different out of many of the topics I thought I knew. While it can be uncomfortable to discuss, I greatly appreciated the speakers not holding back from tough conversations surrounding historic systemic racism in many levels of government – and how we can mitigate this as planners moving forward.”
“I would recommend this program to any planners or local government staff who are new to their roles and/or community leaders who would like to be more invested in the ins and outs of planning. The training truly gives you a solid foundation in understanding the origins of planning, why we plan, who we presently plan for, and who we should be planning for in the future – and it is done in a creative and engaging way.”
*Phillip Trocquet,
Assistant Town Manager, Tyrone, GA (Fayette County)“The commissioners meet up, carpool, and on the ride in, discuss what they learned in the training. It’s like our retreat. I would love to see other community planners put their commissioners and appointed and elected officials through this or something similar, to help build a bond among themselves, because all too often there is little time for connection when conducting business on the dais.”
* Phillip went through the program when it first started and has since sent more than 5 or 6 planning commissioners, and several elected officials to CPA.
These are just a few of comments received from CPA participants. If you are convinced that the Community Planning Academy provides great value, take the next step and learn more!
You can find out more details about CPA here: https://atlantaregional.org/what-we-do/community-development/community-planning-academy/ For questions about the program or course content, please contact Andrew Smith at asmith@atlantaregional.org.
What’s Next ATL, produced by the Atlanta Regional Commission, is a community resource that explores how metro Atlanta is growing and changing, and how the region is addressing its most pressing challenges.
