Western Planner Conference 2025 Call for Sessions - Due May 9

The Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association (OAPA), Western Planner (WP), and the Tribal & Indigenous Planning Division of APA (TIPD) invite submissions for session proposals for the 2025 OAPA/WP/TIPD Annual Planning Conference, held October 15-17, 2025, at The Riverhouse Lodge in Bend, Oregon.

This year’s conference will be different from past conferences. This year, we are excited to partner with Western Planner and the APA Tribal and Indigenous Division. We encourage you to include presenters from the other Western Planner states. Panels from other states are good, and integrated panels with presenters from multiple states are even better.

Western Planner conferences are well known for featuring sessions with “hands-on” topics such as code writing, sign regulation, manufactured housing issues, water resource management and planning, wildfire prevention, and subdivision regulation.

Voices of the West: Planning in an Era of Transformation – Across the American West, communities are navigating rapid change — climate shifts, housing pressures, demographic transitions, technological innovation, and evolving expectations for justice and equity. In this transformation era, local and regional planners are uniquely positioned to respond to these trends and signals through collaboration and planning to create better community outcomes. This year’s conference intends to be a confluence of diverse viewpoints and invites reflection, dialogue, and ingenuity as we explore how planning can respond to the challenges of our time.

Proposers are encouraged to propose sessions and mobile workshops that address any aspect of local and regional planning practice. The following topics will receive special focus at the conference: 

• Policy & Partnerships
• Technology & Adaptation
• Land, Water, & Livelihoods
• Foundations & Upskilling

Mobile Workshops (Wednesday, October 15)

Take your session outside! We would love to hear ideas for a mobile workshop in and around Central Oregon.

Call for sessions

2023 New Mexico State Planning Conference Join us in beautiful Roswell, New Mexico, October 17-20, 2023, for the annual APA-NM statewide planning conference.

New Mexico’s Response to a Changing Climate will highlight New Mexico’s role as a

leader in climate change policies, initiatives, and partnerships. This

conference, established as a multi-disciplinary gathering of planning,

architecture, engineering, and design professionals, is open to other

disciplines and the general public.

Learn More