OCS Conference Funding Submission

Event Photo:

Day 1 at the Conference Posing with our badges!

My NYU Wagner peers and I in front of the inspiring banner of "It Takes a Planner"!

Taking notes during the packed "Urban Park Revitalization" talk!

Name: Nico Mitroff

Degree Program: MASTER OF URBAN PLANNING

Specialization: MUP-City and Community Planning

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

Conference/Competition Name: APA National Planning Conference 2025

Conference Term: Spring Conference Start Date: 2025-03-31 Conference End Date: 2025-04-01

What were your takeaways from this conference/case competition?
My takeaways from this conference were that there is a lot of extremely important planning work being done, specifically in the environmental planning realm, and it was extremely eye opening to see all of the possibilities of what planners can do, all while being inclusive and wanting to make positive change! Additionally, I learned a lot about how to plan for contaminated sites/brownfields, how communities are adapting to climate change through multi-layered approaches, how fire-mitigation planning works, and how revitalizing parks can have many economic benefits.

How will your participation in this conference/case competition support your professional development?
I was able to make meaningful connections through networking with various professionals within my field of interest- environmental planning- that worked across the US and were able to give me great advice as a young professional. One person who I connected with works for the Denver Parks Department, and was able to give me insight on the work that he does, as my overall goal is to work as a planner in a state's parks department.

What are some next steps or action items this conference/case competition inspired?
My next steps are going to be to further my connections that I made on linkedin from the conference as well as check out some of the organizations that were pointed out to me by other professionals such as the Community for Global Health Equity, Department of Energy and Environment, WRI, and so on.

What are some tips or best practices that you would like to share with other Wagner students who attend a conference/case competition?
Some tips I would give would be: 1) Stay together in housing when travelling with other students to share expenses 2) Stay somewhere close to public transit to save money on travelling 3) Make sure to go out and network on your own during the conferences, sometimes your peers can have different interests and those connections they would make are different then you would make 4) Go to sessions that are in your field as well as outside of your comfort zone to learn more

Wagner Areas of Impact: Cities, Government, Health, Housing, Inequality, Race, and Poverty, Leadership, Social Innovation, Transportation