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APA Utah Fall Conference Speaker

Bruce Parker, AICP

Principal
Planning and Development Services, LLC

Bruce Parker, AICP is principal of Planning and Development Services, LLC (PDS), a Salt Lake City based planning consultancy experienced in municipal, county, rural, and resort planning, including land use ordinance formulation and development review and permitting. PDS also represents private sector clients on various planning issues. Bruce holds a bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Hons) (UNE) and a master of City and Metropolitan Planning (Utah). Bruce is an adjunct professor, University of Utah, where he teaches Small Town and Resort Community Planning. Bruce regularly advises state and local officials, including the Utah state legislature, on statutory law revisions affecting planning. He acts as a special projects manager for community (municipalities and counties) general plans, plan implementation actions, monitoring, and providing litigation support and expert witness testimony for public and private sector clients.

Session(s):

The 2024 Utah Legislative Session v. Code of Ethics »

2024 Spring Conference, May 9, 2024 1:40 pm

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? »

2024 Spring Conference, May 8, 2024 2:45 pm

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) »

2023 Fall Conference, September 29, 2023 2:40 pm

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 »

2023 Spring Conference, May 11, 2023 12:00 pm

APA made significant changes, effective January 2022, to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. These changes affect both professional and nonprofessional planners. This luncheon presentation will focus on the ethical and behavioral standards applying to all Utah planners, including the ethical and professional standards for professional and citizen planners serving Utah’s small communities (municipalities and counties). This session is designed to meet your dietary needs of ethical awareness. Think about this; is your lunch ethical?

Where you can succeed as a planner with your skills »

2022 Fall Conference, September 8, 2022 3:30 pm

Robert A. Heinlein, an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer is credited with saying - “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, design a building, conn a ship, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve an equation, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” Does this same approach hold true in the Planning profession? In this session we will discuss the skills Planners possess and how they can position themselves for success in a such a diverse profession.

= Keynote

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