Diversity Summit

1
Diversity Summit

• APA National Conference
• San Francisco, CA
• March 21, 2005
• Prepared by the APA Diversity Task Force

2
Overview

• Diversity Task Force Charge
• What happened at the 2004 summit?
• What happened after the 2004 summit?
• Diversity Task Force Recommendations
• What happens next?

3
Diversity Task Force

• APA President Mary Kay Peck appointed a 15-member
  Task Force
• The Diversity Task Force was charged with
• Holding a Diversity Summit in 2005
• Developing concrete ways for APA to attract,
  retain and better serve minority members

4
APA and AICP Membership

• All Members APA only AICP only US Pop.
• White (non-Hispanic) 79.4
  73.6 85.3 62.7
• Asian 3.1 3.6 2.7 3.6
• Black 2.8 3.9
  1.7 12.3
• Hispanic 2.1 2.3
  1.9 12.5
• American Indian/
• Alaska Native 0.4 0.5
  0.3 0.9
• Other groups/Mixed race 0.8 1.1
  0.4 8.0
• Unknown 11.4 15.0 7.7
  --
• 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
• Source APA 2004 and US Census

5
APAs Growth Strategy

• Growth Strategy was adopted in April 2004
• Goal Increase membership by 15,000 in 10 years
  (2015)
• Minorities are one of five targeted groups for
  growth
• Nine recommendations in APA Growth Strategy
• APA Board recommended a summit to be held to get
  input from members and non-members

6
2004 Summit Objectives

• To find out why minorities are not joining APA or
  retaining their membership.
• To find out the type of programs and services APA
  should establish to attract minority planners.
• To find out the planning issues in
• minority communities that APA
• should cover.

7
2004 Summit Objectives

• To validate the initiatives APA is currently
  undertaking.
• Develop an action plan and strategy to increase
  minority membership.

8
What happened at the 2004 Summit?

• The Summit was held at APAs National Conference
  in Washington, DC in April 2004
• Over 100 members and non-members attended
• Participants offered input on three topics
• and a questionnaire
• Over 470 comments were collected

9
4 Themes Emerged

• The planning field has low visibility in minority
  communities, and where it is known, tends to be
  perceived negatively.
• APA membership and activities are too expensive
  and many of its services are not relevant to
  planners of color.
• The planning profession, and APA in particular,
  provide few opportunities for career advancement
  and professional growth for planners of color.
• APA focuses too little on issues that matter to
  planners of color.

10
10 Key Observations

• Lack of outreach to the minority community.
• Lack of training and educational opportunities
  geared towards minorities.
• Lack of knowledge about planning and APA.
• Financial considerations, cost and value of
  membership and quality of service.
• Perceived racism, lack of social equity within
  APA.

11
10 Key Observations

• Relevancy of planning and impact on society.
• Lack of opportunity for career advancement and
  recognition by the profession.
• Limited number of conferences or special events
  targeted to people of color.
• Lack of partnerships with minority organizations
  and CDCs.
• Topics such as environmental justice,
  gentrification, displacement are not sufficiently
  covered in APA publications.

12
What happened after the 2004 Summit?

• Creation of an APA Diversity Listserv
• Articles on APAs website and Interact
• Appointment of a Diversity Task Force
• Diversity efforts by a number of chapters
  (Oregon, Washington, NY Metro, New Jersey,
  Virginia, California, National Capital and
  Illinois)

13
Summit Participants Requested

• A follow-up summit should be held to measure
  progress by APA.
• APA agreed to hold a follow-up summit in 2005
• The next summit should be held earlier in the
  conference and at a more convenient location
  summit serves as networking opportunity.
• 2005 summit is being held on a Monday in the
  main conference area. A venue has been secured
  for networking after the summit.
• Leadership should attend the next summit.
• APA leaders were encouraged to attend in a
  variety of ways.
• Participants want to stay in contact with one
  another after the summit.
• A listserv was created by APA to facilitate
  ongoing communication.

14
Diversity Task Force

• Task Force prepared a report
• Increasing Diversity in the Planning Profession
  A Report on
• the 2004 Minority Planning Summit and
  Recommendation
• for Future Action
• Executive Summary
• Overview
• Recommendations
• Appendices

15
Task Force Recommendations

• The Diversity Task Force Recommendations fall
  into
• five categories. These recommendations
  supplement
• the nine recommendations in the APA Growth
  Strategy.
• Outreach
• Education
• Inclusiveness/Accountability
• Recognition
• Planning Topics

16
What the Report did not address

• The Task Force concluded that several issues that
  were
• raised at the summit were either beyond the scope
  of
• the task Force or APA is already addressing the
  issue.
• Mentorship
• Affordability
• Leadership Development
• Career Advancement

17
Outreach Recommendations

• Create an Ambassadors Program to recruit
  minority members.
• Reach out to and establish partnerships with
  non-profit organizations where many minority
  planners are employed.
• Promote APA and planning through
• magazines and publications that target
• minority markets.
• Create a diversity and planning link
• and section on APAs website.

18
Education Recommendations

• Develop packages for high school and college
  career counselors and encourage National APA and
  chapter involvement at high school and college
  career fairs.  
•   
• Increase the dollar amount and number of
  scholarships APA offers to minorities. APA
  should also expand the promotion of these
  scholarships at career fairs and other venues.
• Increase outreach to planning
• schools with a high concentration
• of minority students.

19
Inclusiveness/Accountability Recommendations

• Ensure there are adequate staff resources to
  implement the minority growth strategies and to
  work on minority and diversity programs and
  issues.
• Ensure bi-annual budget clearly illustrates how
  minority and diversity programs are funded.
•  

20
Recognition Recommendations

• Create an APA National Diversity Award category,
  similar to the National Women in Planning Award
  to recognize individuals or organizations that
  promote diversity.
• Broaden the Planning Story by acknowledging the
  accomplishments of planners of color in Planning
  magazine, Practicing Planner, Interact and on
  APAs website.
•  

21
Planning Topics Recommendations

• APA should conduct research and feature articles
  that deal with issues such as environmental
  justice, gentrification, displacement, and
  faith-based and community development
  initiatives.
• APA should complete the social equity reader,
  which would consist of articles that have
  appeared in APA publications over the past few
  years. More than 50 articles have been identified
  thus far.

22
What happens next?
23
Acknowledgements
Task Force Co-chairs Mitchell Silver,
AICP/PP Robert Barber, AICP   APA Staff Mike
Welch Lynn M. Ross Susan Turner Cover Photo MIG

• Task Force Members
• Mitzi C. Barker, FAICP
• Dave L. Walker, AICP
• Michael A. Wozniak, AICP
• Sergio Rodriguez, FAICP Jeanette
  Dinwiddie-Moore, AICP Fernando Costa, AICP
• Andrew A. Baker, AICP Nisha
  Danielle-Stephanie Botchwey Chandra C.
  Foreman, AICP Leonardo E. Vazquez, AICP/PP
  Angela D. Brooks, AICP
• George I. Atta, AICP Ted Jojola