APA Utah Fall Conference Speaker

Crossing the DEI Divide: Planning in the Era of HB261 »

“So let it be written, so let it be done. Let the name of Moses be stricken from every book and tablet. Stricken from every pylon and obelisk of Egypt. Let the name of Moses be unheard and unspoken, erased from the memory of man, for all time” (Sethi, The Ten Commandments, 1965). Comes now Utah House Bill 261 (2024) Equal Opportunity Initiatives (aka anti-DEI Bill). Let diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the acronym “DEI” be unheard, unspoken, and unwritten in the State of Utah (paraphrasing HB 261). The APA/AICP Code of Ethics includes DEI principles, including incorporating equity into community plans and providing metrics to measure progress towards equitable outcomes (Code of Ethics, A.1.5). This, and other questions, will be the focus of this session, with panelists providing session attendees with answers to cross the figurative Red Sea

The 2024 Utah Legislative Session v. Code of Ethics »

Utah’s 2024 legislative session concluded on March 1. During the session, the legislature passed a record 591 bills and approved a $29 Billion state budget. How did the legislature do? For planners, a way of considering this question is to look at a couple of legislative actions taken, or not taken, against the Planner’s Code of Ethics. What does such an analysis reveal? Two analyzes will be reviewed. • An appropriations request was again considered to fund a plan of development and environmental impact statement to construct the 38-mile-long road across Navajo lands to connect US-163 to destinations north. The road would shave 3 hours of travel time. The Navajo Mountain and Olijato communities are isolated from Utah by terrain and the San Juan River. • The 2024 legislature passed H.B. 562 – Utah FairPark Area Investment and Restoration District. The bill commits $900 million in taxpayer money, and perhaps more, towards the construction of a Major League Baseball stadium and development of a Fairpark District surrounding the ballpark. What does the Code of Ethics have to say on these two (2) items, if anything?

Is Small Community Planning different from that in larger places? Perhaps, and if so Why and How? »

Many planners see small community planning as being different from that in other places. Is this true? What is a small community and how is smallness measured? This session will review these questions and others including if small community planning is different, including why and how it may be different. Considering a small community’s planning workplace and a planners work responsibilities may provide answers. This session will provide takeaways for all Utah planners, not just those working in small communities. A small community planner also faces many ethical questions and dilemmas regularly. How should a planner navigate treacherous ethical waters? This session encourages attendee participation to address the realities of small community planning.

PLANNER ETHICS – MAKING THE ETHICS CODE ACTIONABLE (E) »

APA recently updated the Planner’s Code of Ethics. The Code now requires planners to proactively achieve respect, social justice, and inclusion for all planning participants. These principles include examining our own cultures, practices, values, and positions to understand our biases and privileges and to be conscious of the rights of others through inclusive, respectful, and compassionate planning. These are issues with long and sad histories that we continue to grapple with. The panelists will dig deep into specific actions we can all take, whether as professionals or citizen planners, to ensure our behaviors and all planning processes and outcomes have their foundations to achieve equity, equality, inclusion, and justice for all societal members.

Have a side of Planning Ethics with your lunch »