Citizens Planning Institute Fall 2018

Posted by Philadelphia City Planning Commission on August 13, 2018

Citizens Planning Institute recruiting for next series in October

Want to learn about city planning, zoning, and development in Philly? Apply to the Citizens Planning Institute!

The seven-week CPI course is offered every spring and fall on consecutive Wednesday evenings. The Application form is available online about a month in advance of the course as is the complete description of classes and instructors. Sign up for our newsletter to receive notification of upcoming deadlines.

We receive many more applications than we have seats (30). To select the participants for each course, we consider how applicants will be able to use the information they receive. We also strive for geographic diversity in each cohort–for that reason, we generally don’t accept more than ONE person from any one community organization. If you are not accepted the first time round, please apply again!

The Spring course is in April and May.

The Fall course is in October and November.

The course includes three required “core” classes on planning issues and principles, land use and zoning, and the development process; and three “elective” classes (select a minimum of 2). The topics of the elective classes are different each semester. The final week is an optional “workshop” session where participants can make their final project presentations.

Participants are actively engaged in learning from each other, as well as from our instructor/facilitators. One of the goals of the CPI course is to provide practical tools individuals can take back to their neighborhood organizations or communities. This course has been developed for individuals and leaders within neighborhood organizations who are highly motivated to engage in planning issues on equal footing with other stakeholders.

To make the most of your time investment, class sessions will be structured to be relevant to your interests and needs. Real life examples will be included as much as possible with plenty of opportunities for learner interactions through Q&A and group exercises.

Classes are Wednesdays 6-9pm, October 3rd – November 14th. The course is $100 (scholarships available) and dinner is provided. Applications accepted from August 15th – September 11th. Course fees cover our costs of a buffet dinner and materials. You will receive handout materials at every session and a “Neighborhood Planning Workbook”. Partial scholarships are available ($50) for those with financial need. You may also indicate your interest on the application to be a program “Champion” by paying for someone’s scholarship.

Final Project
You will also be required to complete a “Final Project” of your choosing. You will receive information about this at the first class. One way to meet the project requirement is to make a presentation at the optional Workshop session of the course. Upon completing the 3 core classes, 2 electives, and a “final project”, you earn “Citizen Planner Certificate of Completion”.

Learn more and apply: https://citizensplanninginstitute.org/