City staff from the Planning Division attended the American Planning Association state conference (APA California) in San Diego during October 7-10. Celebrating APA California’s 70th year, the conference theme was "Shaping our Future: Planning Places for All.”

There were a number of great sessions and mobile workshops on a variety of current topics, including housing, resiliency, placemaking, environmental justice and transportation. Participants heard from fellow practitioners and engaged in dialogue, shared best practices and lessons learned, and explored emerging challenges and ways to address them.

Menlo Park staff was recognized and highlighted for their notable achievements and work:

• Planning Technician Chris Turner was awarded the APA California Academic Award of Excellence for his work on the Old Town Urban Design Concept Plan with fellow students from the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo City and Regional Planning Department.

• Acting Principal Planner Kyle Perata presented on Planning and Development of Silicon Valley Tech Campuses as part of a panel discussion with staff from the City of Mountain View, and ICF, an environmental consulting firm, who moderated the session.