Connect with Alta at the 2025 APA National Planning Conference, happening March 29-April 1 in Denver, CO. We’re looking forward to joining our network of peers to discuss the latest advancements in planning and civic analytics, and how these innovations are key to our transportation future. Find Civic Data Analyst Izzy Youngs at the sessions below, and check out an interesting and immersive session thought up by David Wasserman, AICP and his team members as part of the APA Technology Division.
Harnessing Gen-AI for Community Engagement and Survey Analysis
Monday, March 31 | 1:00-1:15pm MT
Community engagement and survey analysis are cornerstones of effective urban planning, yet it often requires significant resources to process and interpret large datasets. As a result, many insightful survey responses sit unread and unable to affect change. This presentation explores how generative AI can support efforts to process open-ended survey data, particularly in identifying themes within massive survey datasets and concerns from different groups. By automating the classification of responses and applying QA/QC through a human-in-the-loop process, planners can uncover critical insights without the need for heavy quantitative analysis or data science expertise. Learn how AI can be a supplementary tool, enhancing rather than replacing human expertise. Discover best practices for integrating AI into community engagement strategies, ensuring that all voices are heard and equity concerns are addressed.
Learning Objectives:
- – Understand how generative AI can streamline the classification of open-ended responses in surveys, reducing the need for intensive manual review.
- – Learn to utilize AI tools to uncover equity concerns in survey responses with minimal human intervention and QA/QC time.
- – Gain insights into using a human-in-the-loop approach where AI supports, but does not replace, human decision making in community engagement.
Alta Speaker: Izzy Youngs
Planning Through the Black Mirror
Monday, March 31 | 1:00-2:30pm MT
Initiating conversations about technological change and its impacts on communities and planning practice can be daunting. To address the diverse applications of technology in planning and respond to member requests for guidance, the APA Technology Division has created an interactive card game — Planning Through the Black Mirror — to complement its upcoming planning technology handbook. The game helps planners explore hypothetical scenarios as a group to devise solutions that meet criteria for creativity, clarity, depth, and timeliness. For example, players might address a scenario about equitable access to a new, essential technology by proposing infrastructure or legal, outreach, policy, or regulatory solutions to resolve disparities.
The Tech Division play-tested the game prototype with tremendous success during the 2024 National Planning Conference, and NPC25 will host its formal debut to the planning community. This presentation introduces the game and technology handbook to a broader audience and and encourages planners to explore and discuss key technological trends and their impacts on communities and planning practice. Learn about the handbook’s contents and case studies and discuss insights in relevant APA Trends Report, and play the game.
Learning Objectives:
- – Facilitate conversations about the role existing and emerging technology might have in communities and within the planning profession.
- – Anticipate and address emerging, technology-related planning challenges.
- – Use real-world scenarios to understand key technology strategies, applications, and ethical considerations.
Answering Questions in Transportation Planning with Activity-Based Models
Monday, March 31 | 3:00-3:45pm MT
Transportation modeling has traditionally focused on questions of supply and demand for vehicle transportation infrastructure, leaving a legacy of community questions. However, modern activity-based models have a high potential to focus on new questions of transportation justice, mode shift opportunities, and much more. In transportation planning, equitable investment is crucial to ensure that all communities benefit from investments in transportation.
Delve into the application of Activity-Based Models (ABMs) to support equitable prioritization in transportation investments. Explore how ABMs, enriched with detailed, disaggregated trip data, can generate critical insights into who uses specific infrastructure and how it impacts their daily lives. Highlighted case studies include the impact of bridge conditions on low-income populations, the use of ABMs to advocate for equitable resource allocation, and the evaluation of active trip potential and modal shift potential in various locations across the United States. Leave with an understanding of how ABM insights can back decisions related to sustainable and just transportation decision making.
Learning Objectives:
- – Understand what Activity-Based Models (ABMs) are and the major differences between four-step models and ABMs.
- – Understand how to apply ABMs to prioritize transportation investments that benefit underserved communities.
- – Learn how to use disaggregated trip data for equitable planning, thereby ensuring that investments address the needs of vulnerable populations.
Alta Speaker: Izzy Youngs