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Log CM for AICP

Panel Discussion

Housing Challenges and Solutions

Elevating Planners’ Voices in Advancing Housing Reform

Sunday, April 26, 2026

8:30 AM - 9:15 AM ET

Location: HPCC, Room 430A

CM: .75

Moderator and Speaker(s)

Jason L. Jordan

Public Affairs Director
American Planning Association
Chicago, Illinois

Speaker(s)

Jennifer M. Raitt (she/her/hers)

Executive Director
Northern Middlesex COG
Brookline, Massachusetts
AB

Andrea L. Brown, AICP

Executive Director
Michigan Chapter APA
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ed LeClear, AICP (he/him/his)

Planning & Community Development Director
Borough of State College
State College, Pennsylvania

Planners are increasingly called upon to help solve the housing crisis, often from behind the scenes. This presentation brings together planners engaged in state-level housing initiatives who are amplifying the planning profession's voice in influential policy arenas. Panelists discuss how they have navigated political tensions, built cross-sector coalitions, and positioned planning as a trusted, expert-driven source of policy solutions. Gain practical insights into how planners can influence policy - despite complex political dynamics - in situations from shaping legislative packages and regulatory frameworks to addressing opposition and aligning with unlikely allies.

Panelists discuss:

Remaining credible while balancing the planner's nonpartisan role in an often partisan deliberation;

Educating stakeholders - who may know nothing about planning or zoning - about regulatory structures; and

Building relationships with elected officials, relevant stakeholder organizations, and advocacy groups.

Leave with tangible tools and stories from Michigan, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, where planners have played key roles in pushing housing reform forward. Learn about diverse pathways toward reform and understand how planners can lead inclusive, equitable planning processes centered on community needs and practical implementation.
Closed Captioning

Learning Objectives:

Identify strategies to amplify planners’ credibility and voice in highly political, state-level housing reform conversations.
Demonstrate how to form and sustain effective coalitions to influence housing policy outcomes.
Apply approaches to educate nonplanner stakeholders about planning tools, regulatory systems, and legislative processes.