Planning at the Speed of Change: Collaborating in Times of Uncertainty to Serve the Public Interest

October 18-20, 2026 | Turf Valley Resort | Ellicott City, MD

The Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA Maryland) is excited to share this Call for Session Proposals for our 2026 Planning Conference, to be held October 18 through 20, at Turf Valley Resort, in Ellicott City, Maryland.

In uncertain times, professional and citizen planners alike must reframe their approaches to identify and serve the public interest effectively and efficiently while working with our communities to generate equitable outcomes.

We hope you will be inspired by this year’s conference theme, Planning and the Speed of Change, to contribute and participate in a dialogue with your colleagues across Maryland.

We aim to address current issues, trends, challenges and solutions that are shaping the work of professional and citizen planners, and we need YOU to make that happen. Attendees will include professional planners, planning commissioners, board of zoning appeals members, historic district commissioners, Maryland state, county and municipal planners, and planning students.

We encourage you to propose new ideas, presentation formats, solutions, tools, interactive sessions and mobile workshops that address planning issues in our state and beyond

Submissions should identify a presentation team (of one to five people), be formatted for either 15 minutes or 70 minutes, and propose an engaging presentation.

You may also submit a 15-minute Lightning Round session, as a fast-paced summary of your topic or project. These sessions will be combined with other Lightning Round proposals into a session of 70 minutes (15 minutes per speaker/topic, 10 minutes for introductions and transitions, 4 speakers maximum).

Most sessions should qualify for AICP CM credits, please note this so we can work with you to verify eligibility.

Priority Proposal Areas:

Infrastructure
Data Centers
AI in Planning
Climate Change & Resiliency
Housing
Aging in Place
Sustainability

Proposal Guidelines:

Acceptable session formats include a panel presentation, facilitated discussion, or workshop.
Sessions should be as interactive and engaging as possible.
Sessions should support the conference theme. Key concepts can focus on new ideas, lessons learned, best practices, challenges, and opportunities encountered and how they were or should be addressed.
If applicable, session topics shall meet the AICP guidelines to be eligible for CM credit. All CM activities must (a) meet a planning-related objective, (b) be unbiased and non-promotional, and (c) communicate a clearly identified educational purpose or objective. In addition, the subject matter must be in an appropriate depth and level for the typical AICP member.
The session chair/facilitator will serve as the key contact for the session, must be the person who submits the proposal, and is responsible for communicating all session information and details with the session presenters.
Should a proposal be chosen, specific information must be provided, including an abstract of the presentation, presenter names, titles, and professional bios. These details will be included in the conference program exactly as submitted.

Proposal Requirements:

Session title, abstract, and full description. The full description must include a content outline describing the main theme and goals of the session. If there is more than one presenter, explain what each presenter will discuss. Please be as descriptive and thorough as possible. Remember that the content needs to have wide applicability, comparative perspectives, and preferably an analysis of lessons learned. The full description shall be no more than 500 words. The abstract should not exceed 75 words.
Names, titles, and biographies of anticipated presenter(s) (no more than five). The biographies should not exceed 100 words, including presenters’ education and major work accomplishments relevant to the session topic. Biographies should be written in the third person and include full sentences.
Indicate the type of session format for which you are submitting a proposal. (Panel discussion, facilitated discussion, workshop, or mobile workshop).
Indicate intended audience for the session as professional planners, citizen planners, or both. If the selected audience is citizen planners or both, the proposal must describe how the topic relates to the specific work of planning commissions or boards.
Audio-visual/electronic data needs
Include name, title, a short bio of each presenter, LinkedIn and X accounts (if applicable and desired) and contact information for session chair/facilitator, with preferred name/nickname, title, and pronouns.
Any information provided may be shared on the APA Maryland and social media outlets.

Selection Criteria:

Proposals will be reviewed by the APA MD Conference Committee (Committee) and evaluated with the following criteria:

Originality and quality of the proposed session
Presentation of innovative concepts, tools, and/or best practices
Inclusion of proposal requirements described above
Diversity of presenters and the inclusion of multiple perspectives
Applicability to multiple regions/jurisdictions
Connection/applicability to the conference theme.
Utilizing an interactive and crowd-engaging format

The Committee will evaluate a variety of proposals, some of which may be similar, and will seek balance among topics and relevance to the conference theme. Proposals of equal merit cannot in all instances be selected when the result would be an imbalance in the conference’s overall coverage of topics, audiences, and regions represented.

Please be advised that presenters are encouraged to attend and participate in other conference sessions; however, they are expected to register and pay to attend sessions other than their own.

Submission Deadlines and Details:

The deadline to submit your proposal is July 31. The Committee will notify proposal submitters (session chairs) of its decision no later than August 30. The Committee will only accept proposals which are submitted electronically to contact@apamaryland.org.

Questions? Please send inquiries to contact@apamaryland.org.

About APA Maryland

APA Maryland is committed to advancing the planning profession and supporting its members across the state, to foster collaboration, provide education, and recognize excellence within our community. Through effective communication, inclusive programming, and opportunities for professional growth, APA Maryland strives to empower planners at all stages of their careers.

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2026 APA MD Call for Conference Proposals