Sixty-six graduate city and regional planning students from ten universities gathered in Columbus, Georgia, from September 26-28th for the first ever Southeast Student Planning Conference organized by the Georgia Planning Association and Georgia Tech in conjunction with Georgia Planning Association (GPA) meetings.  Twenty-two students presented papers on themes of Human Factors in Transportation Planning, Creating and Tracking Urban and Rural Jobs in the New Economy, Technology in Urban Planning, Public Participation that Works, Remaking Places and Developing Destinations, International Perspectives, and The Heartbeat of Healthy Communities.  

The conference was organized by a Student Program Committee chaired by Garrett Hyer (Georgia Tech) , and including  Dominick Ardis (Florida State University), Juan Castillo Jr. (University of Florida), Darren Cooper (Georgia Tech), Justine Crighton (University of Georgia), Richelle Gosman (Georgia Tech), Anna Harkness (Georgia Tech), Lamar Jabar (Virginia Commonwealth University), Renee LoSapio (Virginia Tech),  Spencer Moore (Auburn University), Abby Ness (University of Virginia), Christopher Pettit (Clemson University), Ted Ranney (Georgia Tech), Ashley Robertson (University of North Carolina), Christina Span (Georgia Tech), and Travis Voyles (Georgia Tech).   GPA members Brad Davis of Robert and Company and Bruce Stiftel, FAICP, of Georgia Tech advised the group.   Nisha Botchwey of Georgia Tech, Adam Hazell of Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, GPA President Laura Keyes of Atlanta Regional Commission, Jen Price of Sycamore Consulting, Rebecca Retclaff of Auburn, and Bruce Stiftel of Georgia Tech moderated the student sessions.   GPA Conference Committee Chair Corey Hull and Conference Manger Elizabeth Trombetta were instrumental in arrangements for the student conference.  

The student conference was arranged so that students could attend either student sessions or GPA conference sessions and GPA conference participants were able to join student sessions as well.   More information about GPA’s conference is online at:  http://georgiaplanning.org/conference-news/georgia-planning-association-holds-conference-in-columbus/ 

The South Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association and Clemson University will host a second SE Student Planning Conference in Fall 2013 in conjunction with SCAPA’s annual fall conference.