The American Planning Association (APA) is a professional organization representing the field of city and regional planning in the United States. The APA was formed in 1978 when two separate professional planning organizations, the American Institute of Planners and the American Society of Planning Officials, were merged into a single organization. The American Institute of Certified Planners is now the organization's professional branch.
The association also publishes the Journal of the American Planning Association ("JAPA", ISSN 0194-4363). JAPA was founded in 1935 as Planners' Journal, and was from 1943 known as Journal of the American Institute of Planners (ISSN 0002-8991).
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Like many professional organizations, the American Planning Association's main function is to serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas between people who work in the field of urban and regional planning. The organization keeps track of the various improvement efforts underway around the country, which may include the improvement or construction of new parks, highways and roads, or residential developments.
The organization is also a starting point for people looking for employment[1] in the city and regional planning field.
The association holds an annual conference which attracts planners and planning students from throughout the United States, Canada and the world. The conference has been held in the following cities April 9-12, 2011 - Boston, MA 2010 - New Orleans, LA 2009 - Minneapolis, MN 2008 - Las Vegas, NV April 14-18, 2007 - Philadelphia, PA 2006 - San Antonio, TX[2] 2005 - San Francisco, California[3] 2004 - Washington, DC,[4]
The 2007 Conference was held in Philadelphia, PA, from April 14 to April 18; among the discussions were items on Hurricane Katrina, universal design, transit oriented development, protected open space, urban open space, land use, the development of Philadelphia itself (as well as the surrounding area), and other planning-related topics.[5]
The association is subdivided into state chapters, such as the NJAPA (New Jersey Chapter of the APA).[6]
To manage the various interests of American planners, the APA has created 21 divisions.[7] APA divisions offer professional networking opportunities for planners. They also produce newsletters and special publications, develop conference sessions, collaborate with related organizations, and contribute to policy work. The divisions focus on planning strategies for professionals with focused interests.