Sustainable Development Committee

COMMITTEE CHAIR CONTACT:

bcreamer@nitscheng.com  or
jtozeraicp@gmail.com

The Sustainable Development Committee plays an active role within the Chapter by:

  • Providing a forum for professionals, students and other interested parties involved with sustainability to discuss planning issues;
  • To increase fellowship among committee members through the exchange of information and ideas;
  • To further sustainable development and land use planners’ knowledge of the growing sustainability practice throughout all aspects of the planning field within Massachusetts

APA’s Sustainable Communities Division

APA’s newest division was approved in the Fall 2012. The mission of the Division is to advance sustainability as a framework for integrated policy planning, create a platform upon which to address contemporary issues in the built and natural environments, and to realize the outcome of thoughtful urban and regional planning. The goals of the Division are:

1. Showcase real sustainability

2. Advocate within APA on sustainability issues

3. Communicate – with planners, members, chapters, other divisions and APA staff

In 2016-2017, the APA-SCD members in Massachusetts partnered with the APA-MA Chapter to lead a volunteer service project to conduct a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for the City of Lawrence. This HIA studied the impacts of the an urban street tree planting program called Green Streets Lawrence, led by Groundwork Lawrence. This groundbreaking study was presented at conferences throughout the region (including MAPD and SNEAPA 2017), featured on two podcasts, and was the subject of the August APA-SCD Webinar. The project is being nominated for two Division awards in 2018. For more information or to read the final Green Streets Lawrence Health Impact Assessment visit the APA-SCD website.

For more information or to join the APA-SCD division:

www.planning.org/division/sustainable  or  https://apascd.wordpress.com/