For Sponsors - 2025 Delaware Planning Conference & Annual Meeting

The DE Chapter of the American Planning Association welcomes you and your organization to our 2025 Delaware Planning Conference and Annual Meeting! Join us for a full day of networking, learning, inspiration and fun at Bally's Dover Casino Resort - Rollins Center. This in-person event is a great opportunity to connect with fellow planners, share ideas, and gain insights into the latest trends in urban planning. Don't miss out on this exciting gathering of professionals in the field. Register now to secure your spot!

Info: DE Chapter President, Michael Tholstrup, welcomes attendees and sponsors to the 2025 Delaware Planning Conference and Annual Meeting. Greetings and opening remarks offered by Tricia Arndt, Assistant Director at Delaware Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Resilience & Sustainability and member of the Dover City Council in Delaware, representing District 3.

Info: A Vision for Health, Housing, and Resilience by Rita Landgraf, Director of Delaware's Partnership for Healthier Communities and former Cabinet Secretary of Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS). Communities are bringing this vision to life and overcoming challenges through innovative planning, partnerships, policies, public engagement and more. This keynote address will highlight “Rethinking Delaware” - an initiative that focuses on transforming zoning and land use policies to address the State’s most pressing challenges. From unaffordable housing and worsening public health to declining environmental resilience and rising pollution, this address will explore how bold, integrated reforms can build healthier, more equitable communities across Delaware.

Info: Panel will highlight innovative strategies in planning healthy, inclusive communities for all. The Vital Conditions Framework is a nationally recognized model adopted in Delaware that integrates public health principles into land use, transportation, housing, and community development planning to support healthy, equitable, and thriving communities. Healthy Communities Delaware is a public-private collaboration that applies the Vital Conditions Framework to assist communities with local-based solutions that support health and well-being initiatives. In their Comprehensive Plans, counties and municipalities are aligning their long-range planning goals with health-promoting policies and systems such as active transportation networks and mix-used development.

Info: Back by Popular Demand! The Delaware Planning Thespians, made up of local Delaware planners, bring planning ethics to life in this unique and interactive performance. Through live theater, the Delaware Planning Thespians will act out real-world scenarios where our hero planners face challenging ethical dilemmas that are not for the faint of heart! At key moments, the performances pause for audience discussion and reflection on how the planner should proceed in order to align with the AICP Code of Ethics. The engaging session combines education and fund, while exploring the gray areas of ethical decision-making in the planning process.

Info: Afternoon Keynote Address: State of Planning in Delaware Keynote Speaker: Nikko Brady, Deputy Chief of Staff for Climate, Food Systems, and Planning, Office of Governor Matt Meyers

Info: Max Walton, Esq., founding partner at Connolly Gallagher and one of Delaware’s foremost land use attorneys, gives his annual legal review tailored to planning professional. In this insightful session, Max Walton will examine recent and precedent-setting land use cases from Delaware and throughout the country, highlighting emerging legal trends that may shape the future of zoning, comprehensive planning, and development regulations. Designed for professional and emerging planners, government officials and citizen planners, participants will gain essential legal context to help communities navigate in an evolving regulatory landscape.

Info: Delaware is taking bold steps to address its affordable housing crisis. This panel discussion will focus on two major initiatives shaping the future of housing policy in the First State: the Affordable Housing Production Task Force Final Report and the Delaware SJR 8, the new pilot program providing technical assistance for local zoning reform. Panelists will unpack the key recommendations, and practical implications of these efforts - highlighting how they aim to empower local governments, remove regulatory barriers, and accelerate the production of affordable homes. Attendees will gain actionable insights into how these strategies can be implemented into local zoning regulations and Comprehensive Plans to further the goal of affordable housing production.

Host or Publisher American Planning Association - Delaware Chapter