Civiltech’s Transportation Planners actively participated in two regional American Planning Association (APA) conferences held this fall. The APA-WI Annual Conference and the APA-IL Annual Conference both featured presentations, mobile tours, and networking opportunities for the planning industry.
The APA-WI 2025 Annual Conference was held September 11 and 12, in La Crosse, WI. The theme of this year’s conference was “Bridging Connections: Laying the Foundation for the Future” with a focus on the interconnections of various planning disciplines and their role in shaping communities of tomorrow.
The APA-IL 2025 Annual Conference was held October 8 through October 10 in Chicago. The conference theme was “From Vision to Voice: Bringing Planning Stories to Life.” The program was a 3-day extravaganza showcasing the best in Illinois urban planning.
Civiltech Planners and Engineers were in attendance at the APA-WI Conference. Amanda K.; Lissa S; and Edith P. led a session at the Conference, alongside the City of Milwaukee, called, “Crosswalks & Bike Lanes: Infrastructure That Moves Us.” The program highlighted the City of Milwaukee’s recent efforts to implement and improve design safety, usability and bike infrastructure with broader mobility goals. 
The Transportation Planning team was actively involved in the APA-IL Conference which was held at the Old Post Office building in the South Loop, and Civiltech was a sponsor. Civiltech had a sponsor table in the lobby of the conference, where staff members distributed fun swag and enjoyed networking with clients, both existing and potential, as well as others in the industry. The team also attended various sessions including Centering Accessibility in Engagement, 2025 Ethics Cases of the Year, Using Cell Phone Data to Make Economic Development and Planning Decisions. Decarbonization for Planners, and the mobile workshops Chicago Mahogany Bus Tour of Planning Policies Impact on Chicago Neighborhoods, and Mobile Workshop: Inclusive Streets: A Mobile Workshop on Accessibility.
One exciting session in the APA-IL conference is Speed Planning. This session allowed participants to pick a station from nearly 20 options and participate in a planning workshop or exercise lasting about 15 minutes. The Civiltech team hosted a Speed Planning station which included discussing recent active mobility plans and the process of developing recommendations.
Civiltech’s Lissa S. joined representatives from the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Holmes Market Guidance in presenting a session called Navigating Tradeoffs: Designing Streets for Commercial Corridors. CDOT presented their initiatives to transform commercial corridors into spaces that are safe and accessible for everyone, and Civiltech and Holmes reviewed an ongoing study about the economic impacts of bike lanes.
The highlight of the APA-IL Conference was the Awards Reception. Civiltech’s Edith Portales, AICP, was awarded the Emerging Planner Award! This award recognizes rising leaders who have already made demonstrated contributions to the planning profession during their early career and are making a significant impact.
Congratulations, Edith for this outstanding achievement! And thank you to Civiltech’s Transportation Planning Team for joining others in the industry to advance the importance of impactful planning work in Illinois and Wisconsin.