UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Anyone interested in improving community planning, development and associated municipal policies can attend an upcoming Penn State Extension webinar, Community Development Essentials: A Process Before a Plan.
Michael Dougherty, professor and extension specialist from West Virginia University, and Hunter Goodman, assistant professor of community, workforce and economic development from the University of Arkansas, will speak at the webinar, which begins noon April 15.
This webinar will explore the components of a community development essentials curriculum, developed by land-grant cooperative extension practitioners, which equips participants with sustainable, accessible, research-based practices. The session also will include shared insights and dialogue alongside fellow participants.
The goal is to help Pennsylvania’s planners, municipal staff and other session participants foster vibrant, self-reliant communities in times of turbulence and change. The session will illustrate how municipal staff and their agencies can use essential community development practices to improve municipal policies and, thus, the community itself.
The webinar is part of Penn State Extension’s Winter/Spring Land-Use Webinar Series, which aims to help community leaders navigate land-use challenges, with topics ranging from improving community food access to growing local leaders’ capacity for community development to creating affordable housing.
The series began Jan. 21 and runs monthly through May. Sessions feature Penn State experts and guest speakers discussing timely issues affecting municipal officials, planners, landowners and community organizations.
Each 75-minute session is recorded and made available to registrants for six months. Other programs in the series include:
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Jan. 21: “Planning for Intergenerational Communities” (recorded).
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Feb. 18: “From Data to Action: Using Community Report Cards for Equitable Land Use Planning” (recorded).
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March 18: “Planning for Community Food Access: Community Gardens, Farmers Markets, and Food Systems” (recorded).
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May 20: “Rural Housing Affordability and Livability in Pennsylvania.”
Pending approval, the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Planning Association will offer professional credits to registered landscape architects or professional planners with the American Institute of Certified Planners. Each webinar is worth 1.25 credits, or 6.25 credits for those attending the whole series.
Penn State Extension is offering the series in partnership with the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Planning Association and the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development.
Registration is required to receive the link to access each webinar.
The cost of the webinar series is $50 for all five sessions, or $95 for all five sessions for those who want to receive AICP certification-maintenance credits from the American Planning Association. In addition, registered landscape architects can earn continuing education credits for a fee of $65.
For anyone interested in a particular topic from the series, individual session registration is available for $15 per session.
For more information, contact John Turack, extension education program specialist, community and economic development, at 724-837-1402 or by email at jdt15@psu.edu. Visit Penn State Extension online to register for the webinar.