OCS Conference Funding Submission

Event Photo:

NPC21 Experience

Name: Rachel Webster

Degree Program: MASTER OF URBAN PLANNING

Specialization: MUP-City and Community Planning

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

Conference/Competition Name: American Planning Association National Conference

Conference Term: Spring Conference Start Date: 2020-05-05 Conference End Date: 2020-05-07

What were your takeaways from this conference/case competition?
"There will be no trophies for acknowledging injustice. Do something to redress it." This was the closing quote during a presentation on redressing racist policies to implement equity-driven revitalization. It was encouraging to learn about the specific ways the city planning department in Detroit was thinking about it's history and putting, albeit limited, funding behind their initiatives like gap funding in their Strategic Neighborhood Fund and land banks. My takeaway was that we can repurpose existing tools to try and ameliorate the deep damage that racism has done to our cities and neighborhoods.

How will your participation in this conference/case competition support your professional development?
I've already made meaningful connections with people I met during the virtual conference and intend to continue following up with speakers who inspired me and colleagues who are at the same stage in their career as I am.

What are some next steps or action items this conference/case competition inspired?
There was a session on career coaching and I intend to follow up with the speakers so I can get their advice and input on how to strategically move forward.

What are some tips or best practices that you would like to share with other Wagner students who attend a conference/case competition?
I highly recommend that attendees pay for the full access so they can watch sessions afterwards. There are too many that run concurrently so it is nice to have the option to watch them afterwards. And I highly recommend following up with the speakers. Folks love to talk about their work!

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