Fifteen or so current Planning students and many program alums attended the annual conference of the Michigan Association of Planning (MAP). We are proud that each year EMU sends many more planning students to the conference than any other program in the state.
The conference took place at the Soaring Eagle Resort in Mt. Pleasant from September 30 through October 3. Students learned a lot by attending the sessions, but gained just as much by mixing with former students and having a chance to meet planners from across Michigan. On Thursday evening we "took over" the Water Lily Lounge at the resort for an informal time together before breaking into groups to have dinner or go explore downtown Mt. Pleasant.
The conference included presentations by EMU alums, including Amy Chestnut on Locally Unwanted Land Uses, James Schafer on Planning Ethics, Rodney Nanney on Zoning, Michelle Reardon on Lansing's Housing program, and Leslie Kettren on the Congress of New Urbanism. The Executive Director of MAP, Andrea Brown, is a program alum and led many of the general sessions.