Citizen’s Planning Institute

Posted by on April 04, 2011

Institute seeks to engage citizens in city planning

The Citizen’s Planning Institute, Philadelphia’s first educational program designed to engage citizens in the city planning process, has opened registration for its spring 2011 courses.

The CPI is the formal education and outreach arm of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, and its mission is to encourage residents and neighborhood organizations to shape their own communities.  Until the April 8th deadline, residents are encouraged to apply for the competitive selection process for a limited number of spots.

The CPI course structure includes a core course and three elective sessions.  The core course consists of three sessions focusing on planning, land use, zoning and the development process.  These sessions were available to thirty Philadelphians who participated in a November 2010 pilot program.  Based on feedback from those participants, the CPI has added three elective sessions concerning commercial corridor development, transit-oriented development, healthy communities and environmental justice.  Completion of the core course and two electives will earn participants a “Citizen Planner Certificate of Completion.”

The core courses begin on April 25th and run through May 9th.  These courses are a prerequisite to the elective courses, which are scheduled from May 16th to June 2nd.  Each session will be held at the Community College of Philadelphia’s Center for Business and Industry from 6pm to 9pm and includes a buffet dinner.  There will also be an optional half-day workshop on May 14th at the Planning Commission.  The core course of three sessions carries a fee of $30 total, and the fee for each elective session is an additional $20.

For more information, go here.  Applications must be mailed, emailed, or faxed to the CPI by 5:00 pm on April 8, 2011.  Thirty applicants will be chosen for the core courses and each elective course.

http://www.citizensplanninginstitute.org/

For more information, email Donna Carney at Donna.Carney@phila.gov or call 215-683-4640.