Austin Office Hosts Urban Planners for AICP Exam Prep Workshop
Chance Sparks
Urban Planning + Design Group Manager
On Saturday, February 18th, our Austin office hosted a preparation workshop for the American Institute of Certified Planners exam, with over 30 planners from Central and South Texas in attendance. Workshop instructors included Richard Luedke, Planning Director with the City of Lewisville, Texas, Robert McHaney, Chief of Integrated Planning with The Goodman Corporation, and Chance Sparks, Freese and Nichols Urban Planning+Design Group Manager. This is just one of the ways Freese and Nichols has been a longtime supporter of the American Planning Association Texas Chapter. The firm also has several Urban Planning+Design team members serving in leadership positions regionally, statewide and nationally.
One of the most significant career steps for urban planners is to become a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), which is administered through the American Planning Association. This rigorous 170-question exam is significantly updated at least every five years to stay current to the profession, with questions developed by practitioners and academic experts.
Key topics include:
- Research and Assessment Methods (data, quantitative and qualitative analysis, spatial analysis, and engagement)
- Fundamental Planning Knowledge (history, law, core values, use of technology)
- Communication and Interaction (consensus building, argument, outreach, DEI)
- Plan and Policy Development (planning process, conflict resolution, equity, innovation, best practices)
- Plan Implementation (partnerships, assessment, financing, accountability, multi-project integration)
- Administration and Management (project and organizational management, mentoring, relationships)
- Leadership (Advocacy, public interest, institutional structures)
- Areas of Practice (wide variety of urban planning subareas of practice)
- AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (Aspirational principles, rules of conduct, advisory rulings, procedures)
To learn more, contact our Urban Planning + Design team.
Chance Sparks, AICP, CNU-A, is Urban Planning + Design Group Manager, based in San Marcos. He was 2020-21 President of the American Planning Association Texas Chapter.