OCS Conference Funding Submission

Event Photo:

NYU Wagner planners posing for a group picture at NPC Denver. (I'm the second one from the right)

My name tag given to me at NPC Denver.

Name: Angie Rendon

Degree Program: MASTER OF URBAN PLANNING

Specialization: MUP-City and Community Planning

Conference Host Organization/Institution: American Planning Association (APA)

Conference/Competition Name: National Planning Conference Denver 2025

Conference Term: Spring Conference Start Date: 2025-03-28 Conference End Date: 2025-04-01

What were your takeaways from this conference/case competition?
I got the opportunity to learn so much about current planning projects around the entire country that I had no idea were happening, such as initiatives to prevent displacement around park improvements, preserve historically significant black neighborhoods, and improve transit safety in car-oriented cities. One of my major takeaways is that there is so much an urban planner can do in the suburbs; contrary to my prior belief, I don’t need to work in a big city like NYC to do cool projects.

How will your participation in this conference/case competition support your professional development?
At the conference, I had the chance to speak to well-established people who have worked in the field for over 20 years. They gave me some great advice on how to stand out at my job, speak up to myself, and whether or not the AICP certification is necessary. Overall, I feel so much more professionally connected to the urban planning field. Furthermore, the lectures I attended made me realize that I’m really interested in the parks and greenspaces field of urban planning. Urban planning encompasses so many sectors, so that was a major breakthrough for me to realize.

What are some next steps or action items this conference/case competition inspired?
I already reached out to some people I connected with at the conference that are in roles that I’m specifically interested in, and I still have to reach out to a couple more. I’m setting up virtual coffee chats with them to ask about their careers and for any advice they have, and for potential job openings.

What are some tips or best practices that you would like to share with other Wagner students who attend a conference/case competition?
The best tip is to plan what lectures you will attend in advance. I was surprised by how many lectures there were, and many of them overlapped with one another. This made it difficult to decide which lectures to go to on my first day at the conference, so the following two days I made sure to plan my schedule ahead of time. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to go up to people and spark a conversation. Everyone at conferences are really open to talk, and I regret not walking up to even more people.

Wagner Areas of Impact: Cities, Government, Housing, Inequality, Race, and Poverty, Leadership, Nonprofits, Transportation