2001 AICP/ACSP COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS SYMPOSIUM

The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) announce the first annual AICP/ACSP Collaborative Projects Symposium.

The purpose of the program is to showcase and recognize collaborative efforts between academics and practitioners.  It is the desire of both AICP and ACSP that this program will enhance cooperation between the planning academic community and the professional society for the field of planning and to develop educational partnerships that contribute to the advancement of the profession of planning.

A jury comprised of members appointed by the joint AICP/ACSP Planning Education and Practice Task Force will select projects.  Project principals for the selected projects will receive a certificate of award and will be asked to make a presentation during the Symposium at the APA Conference in New Orleans, March 10-14, 2001 and repeated at the ACSP Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, Fall, 2001.

Project Considerations

The Symposium will reward practical projects that are the results of collaboration between academics and practitioners.  The stated purpose of this award is to promote and encourage working relationships between academics and professional planners.  This partnership will provide an opportunity for academics to get out of the classroom and get hands on experience and for practitioners to have an opportunity to learn and apply emerging theories and new technology.

Criteria

A paper describing the project, not to exceed ten (10) pages, should be submitted jointly by the practitioner and academic project principals.  The projects submitted for consideration should be substantially completed not a work in progress.  The paper should include background on how the project was initiated, who were the parties involved, the primary objectives of the project, what planning approaches, technology and innovative techniques were employed, the outcomes both expected and unexpected, a description of the experience for both the practitioner and academic, potential for transferability of the project, and finally, any funding or budgetary issues.

Eligibility

The principal practitioner must be a current member of AICP while the principal academic must be affiliated with an ACSP member school.  While students may be involved on the project team, keep in mind that work conducted by students is the intended focus of a separate AICP award category offered for student projects.

Award

In addition to a certificate of award, project principals will be asked to make a presentation during the Symposium at the APA Conference in New Orleans, March 10-14, 2001 and repeated at the ACSP Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, Fall, 2001.  Through a mutual agreement, practitioners from AICP will receive a complimentary one-day registration to attend the ACSP Conference and academics will receive complementary one-day registration to the APA Conference.  Unfortunately, travel expenses to the conferences are not included as a part of the award for this Symposium.

Publication Opportunities

The project results, depending on the topic and nature of the work, shall become part of a policy document, a research publication, magazine or newsletter article, ACSP publication, AICP Planners Casebook or APA Journal article.  If published, copyright to the work would be negotiated.

Submission Requirements

There are no application forms.  Submit a paper, not to exceed ten (10) pages, describing the project.  Resumes for each of the project principals, in addition to the ten pages, should also be submitted.  Mail submissions must be received by November 17, 2000.  Please send materials to:

Glenn Coyne, AICP
Director
American Institute of Certified Planners
1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
gcoyne@planning.org
FAX: (202) 872-0643

Selection Process

The President of the AICP Commission and the President of ACSP have appointed the joint AICP/ACSP Planning Education and Practice Task Force.  The selection jury will be comprised of a subcommittee of this Task Force.  Submissions will be reviewed and all applicants will be notified by mail of the committee’s decision, which is expected by December 15, 2000.

Considerations for Submissions

Collaboration

Who was involved in the collaboration (see eligibility requirements)?  How did the collaboration come about?  What roles did the each principal collaborator play?  What did the principals achieve with the project?  What, if anything, would you change about the collaborative aspect of the project?

Project

What was the actual project that the collaboration addressed?  Was it a community-based project to address a local planning issue?  Were any state or national planning issues identified?  Was the primary purpose of the collaborative effort to educate or create dialogue among other planning practitioners, academics, or the public? 

Process

What was the process?  What specific ways did the collaborators work together?  What other entities and individuals were involved?  Was there an end result, i.e. book, article, paper, or plan?

Innovation

Describe the current and/or emerging technologies, techniques, or theories applied in the process.  Was the collaboration itself innovative -- something that practitioners and academicians have not teamed up on before?  Has the project resulted in an innovative solution to a problem?

Transferability

Is this collaboration one that could be implemented elsewhere by others?  What lessons were learned from this collaboration that could be of value to professionals, academicians, or others?