Presentation given by James Schwab, AICP, Manager, Hazards Planning Center at the American Planning Association at the 2015 Natural Hazards Workshop in Broomfield, Colorado

1. Urban Planning & Hazards:
Evolving Engagement
James C. Schwab, AICP
Manager, Hazards Planning Center
American Planning Association
2015 Natural Hazards Workshop
Opening Plenary

2. Part I: APA Conference Attendance
• American Planning Association Data:
• Current membership ~40,000
• Annual conference in April since 1978
• Resulted from merger of ASPO and AIP in 1978
• Predecessor conferences date back to 1909
• This year’s conference held in Seattle
• Active research program since 1949
• National Centers for Planning dates to 2008
• Hazards
• Green Communities
• Planning and Community Health

3. 0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2400
2600
2800
3000
3200
APA NPC: Climate Change and Hazard
Session Attendance Totals Per Year
Attendance

4. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
NPC: Number of Climate Change and Hazard
Session Totals Per Year
Sessions

5. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Courses
Climate Change- and Hazard-Related
Courses from 117 Universities that offer an
Urban Planning Degree or Equivalent
Undergrad
Postgrad

6. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Hazard and Disaster Courses Climate Change Courses
Hazard/Disaster and Climate Change Related
Courses from 117 Universities that offer an
Urban Planning Degree or Equivalent
Undergrad
Postgrad

7. Universities
that do not
offer Hazard
and Climate
related
courses
79%
Universities
that offer
Hazard and
Climate
related
courses
21%
Percentage of Universities that offer
Undergraduate Courses in Hazard and
Climate Change Related Issues

8. Universities
that do not
offer Hazard
and Climate
related
courses
69%
Universities
that offer
Hazard and
Climate
related
courses
31%
Percentage of Universities that offer
Postgraduate Courses in Hazard- and
Climate-Related Issues

9. 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Hazard
Mitigation
Post-
Disaster
Recovery
Climate
Adaptation
Number of Hazard Mitigation, Post-Disaster Recovery,
and Climate Adaptation Articles in JAPA and JPER from
1995 to 2014

10. 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Total Number of Articles Related to Hazard
Mitigation, Post-Disaster Recovery, and
Climate Adaptation in JAPA and JPER from
1995 to 2014
# of Articles

11. Looking Forward
• Integration of hazard mitigation through all aspects of local
and regional planning processes
• Integration of climate change data into local hazard
mitigation planning
• Integration of climate change data into capital improvements
programming
• More emphasis on pre-disaster recovery planning and
resilience
• Relationship of resilience and sustainability
• Higher demand for all these skills in the market for
professional planners

12. Contact Information:
• James C. Schwab, AICP
• E-mail: jschwab@planning.org
• Phone: 312-786-6364
• Hazards Planning Center website:
https://www.planning.org/nationalcenters/hazards/
The Hazards Planning Center advances practices
that promote resilience by reducing the impact of
natural hazards on communities and regions.