OCS Conference Funding Submission

Event Photo:

Me outside the Hub! The Hub was a big networking and resource area at the convention center for students and planners to interact with other planning organizations.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke at the opening ceremony for the conference; it was great to see political leadership recognizing the value of planning.

Name: Sarah Ahmad

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 2024

Conference Term: Spring Conference Start Date: 2024-04-12 Conference End Date: 2024-04-16

What were your takeaways from this conference/case competition?
It was interesting to attend a national conference that was not in a very large city like New York. Many of the planners in attendance came from other midwestern states like Kansas and Nebraska. As such, I was able to learn about how planning challenges are shaping out in less-populated areas of the nation, and how many of the mid- to small-sized cities in these regions are more aggressively implementing higher-density and transit-oriented practices than we are in New York. It was interesting to learn about the ban of single-family zoning in places like Minneapolis.

How will your participation in this conference/case competition support your professional development?
Going to a conference of this scale for the first time has definitely informed the way I want to approach my professional development. First and foremost, attending the conference made me confident in my professional development thus far, thanks to opportunities at Wagner and my job at NYC DOT. I was also able to connect with people from all over the country (and world!), offering me links to different regions, preparing me for a potential career in a different place in the country if that is something I wanted later down my career path.

What are some next steps or action items this conference/case competition inspired?
A next steps I have is to register for a Global Learning Academy global workshop I am really interested in. I attended a panel hosted by the Trust for Public Land where a representative from GLA was a panelist, and talked about how land holdings and government/planning structures in Vienna have impacted the type of affordable housing (and other public amenities, namely parks) that has been built there. GLA is hosting a workshop in social housing this summer in Vienna, and it is something I would definitely like to attend.

What are some tips or best practices that you would like to share with other Wagner students who attend a conference/case competition?
Wagner students who attend a conference should register as soon as the conference registration opens up. Conferences have “mobile workshop” offerings, such as walking or bike tours in that city, earlier registration ensures a better chance of securing a spot at these workshops because they tend to fill up very quickly. I would also advise students to account for the cost of ticketed events in their reimbursement proposal to Wagner. Many of the socials and networking events were ticketed (at about $40 an event), which I wish I had known before I applied for funding.

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