AUGUST 14th UPDATE: Registration is open! Thank you for your patience. 

08/13/2026 Registration is Open for the 2026 State Conference It's here! Join us in Evanston as we get Connected Through Planning at APAIL26 Read More

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06/29/2026 2026–27 APA-IL Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available! Annual sponsorship offers exclusive access to decision makers, for-profit and non-profit organizations, and planning professionals throughout the year. Read More

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Agenda at a Glance

Each day, the APA-IL State Conference agenda will follow the same pattern:

• 7:30/8:00 am - Morning // Registration, Continental Breakfast
• Morning // Sessions
• 11:30 am - Lunch
• Afternoon // Sessions
• Evening Events (Wed. events 5:30-7:30 pm; Thur. evening events start at 6:15; Fri. sessions end at 4:30 pm)

Highlights

Sessions you can look forward to:

• Sept. 30 - Plenary Session: The Legacy of Euclid 100 Years On. For planners, understanding the 1926 Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co. decision is critical, not just as a historical landmark, but as a lens through which to view contemporary challenges in zoning, development, and housing policy. David Silverman, FAICP and Sean Suder will allow planners to engage critically with its legacy, understand the balance between regulation and property rights, and consider how to reform zoning laws to promote more equitable and inclusive communities. As planning evolves in response to demographic, environmental, and economic shifts, revisiting Euclid equips professionals with the legal and ethical frameworks needed to shape better, fairer land use policies for the future. This session was presented at the 2026 National Planning Conference and was awarded the Bettman Law distinction by the APA Planning & Law Division. (CM | 1, 1.0 LAW) 
• Oct. 1 - Keynote Speaker: Rashanah Baldwin. Explore how shifting narrative power can transform communities. Drawing on her experience as a journalist, community leader, and development professional, Ms. Baldwin will highlight how authentic storytelling and grassroots organizing shift conversations about neighborhoods like Chicago's Englewood, from deficit-driven narratives to ones focused on assets, resilience, and opportunity. Learn how residents, developers, planners, and public leaders can drive equitable development through responsible investment, creative placemaking, and community-led decision-making. Ultimately, this keynote will demonstrate that lasting revitalization relies on changing both the physical landscape and the stories we embrace.
• Oct. 1 - Engaging Across Difference: Applying the Principles of Enlightened Disagreement in Planning and Public Engagement. This interactive session introduces the work of the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement and explores how disagreement, when approached constructively, can strengthen relationships, improve decision-making, and promote constructive public dialogue. (CM | 1)
• Oct. 1 - All-Day Plan Commissioner Training ($75). Register your commissioners and board members for this all-day training. Planning 101 in the morning, a lunch with attendees & trainers, and an afternoon case study. Perfect for a whole board or commission or for the few members that may be new and haven't received training.
• Oct. 1 - Speed Planning. It's back! Think speed dating meets musical chairs, planning edition! Join this year’s Chapter Award winners and project teams from across Illinois for a high-speed, interactive presentation session. (CM | 1)
• Oct. 1 - Speed Internships. This interactive session uses a “speed internship” format to connect participants with practicing planners from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
• Oct. 2 - Housing Fix-It Clinic: Real Problems, Real Solutions This session reframes the problem through the lens of the housing ecosystem—a systems-based approach that considers how demand, zoning, production capacity, financing, and equity interact. This isn't a theoretical session: it's hands-on, collaborative, and designed to leave attendees with practical tools and strategies they can apply back home. As a take-home tool, all attendees will receive a digital “Housing System Self-Audit” workbook to guide local diagnosis and next steps after the session. Participants should come ready to share and discuss housing challenges and solutions. You MUST pre-register for this session to guarantee your slot; empty seats will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. (CM | 2)
• Oct. 2 - Planners Book Club, 2nd Edition. Come to Planners Book Club to share about your recent reads that influence or expand your understanding of our role in shaping the built environment, and hear from others about their reads. Whether it’s the latest PAS report; dense non-fiction on history, policy, etc; or a dystopian tale that has you thinking about what our world might be … if it is influencing your approach as a planner, bring it to Book Club! (CM | 1)

Social Events

• Sept. 30 (5:30 pm - 7:30 pm) Awards Ceremony and Reception at the Hilton Orrington/Evanston.
• Oct. 1 - Thursday Night at Westfield Old Orchard. Grab your leg warmers, tease up that hair, and call your crew - we’re taking a trip to the mall! Old Orchard is the place to be Thursday evening. APA-IL will provide a shuttle 🚌 to/from the mall (no need to wait for a ride from mom).
  • Mall Tour Mini Session: The Evolution of Old Orchard (1 Hour, free!) Join Maegen Akkers (General Manager, Westfield Old Orchard) and Johanna Nyden, AICP (Village of Skokie) for a guided walking workshop. Discover how shifting retailer trends, changing consumer habits, and private-public vision are shaping the future redevelopment of Westfield Old Orchard. (CM | 1.0)
  • 6:30 - 8:30 pm - Puttshack Social Event ($60) We’ve reserved an entire mini-golf course exclusively for attendees. Enjoy 2 full hours of unlimited, high-tech mini-golf where automatic scoring keeps track of your game while you focus on the fun. We’ll have a spread of tasty bite-sized food to keep you fueled, along with a cash bar. Limit: 65 participants.
  • Free-Form Fun - Snag dinner with colleagues, hunt for deals, or just get your steps in while taking in the vibes of this open-air mall.
• Oct. 1 (6:30 pm - 9:30 pm) UIUC Dept. of Urban & Regional Planning Reception at Five & Dime, 1026 Davis St (Upstairs), Evanston, IL 60201. No RSVP needed. (contact Ben LeRoy with questions)
• Oct 2 (after 4:30) There will be an informal post-panel gathering for those that want to connect with the speakers from the 3:30 - 4:30 pm session, Though the Decades: 30+ Years of Women Shaping Planning.

Mobile Workshops
(key: 🚌= bus;👣=walking;🚴=bike ride;🚂=CTA train;🔥=spin class)

• Sept. 30 (9:15 am - 11:30 am) The Evanston Armageddon Tour - The End is Not Near! Explore the developments that once signaled the "end times" for their neighbors. This tour showcases how navigating controversy ultimately connects diverse populations to housing, equity to economics, and resilient ideas to the built environment. (CM | 2) 🚌👣
• Sept. 30 (10:30 am - 12:00 pm) Can Bikeshare Be Borderless? Join a guided bike tour through Evanston’s Divvy network to explore the real-world boons and banes of expanding and operating bikeshare inside a suburban, lower-density community. (CM | 0.75) 🚴
• Sept. 30 (1:00 pm - 3:00 pm) Granville Avenue: Handlebar View of a Corridor for a Comfortable and Connected Bike Network. This mobile workshop will guide participants by bicycle through the corridor, highlighting a range of design strategies—including contraflow bike lanes, advisory bike lanes, pedestrian safety improvements, and targeted street network modifications—and the planning rationale behind each intervention. (CM | 1)🚂🚴
• Oct. 1 (8:00 am - 10:15 am) Bird- and Nature-Friendly Urban Design IRL! Mobile Workshop (and Session) Illinois is located within one of Earth’s greatest migratory routes – the Mississippi Flyway. Billions of birds traverse this aerial highway twice per year, with some calling Illinois home for breeding and wintering. Learn how your community can embrace this amazing natural phenomenon in ways that bring joy to citizens and that help meet sustainability, green infrastructure, community-building, and economic development goals. (CM | 2.5) 👣
• Oct. 1 (9:15 am - 11:30 am) Planning for Inclusion: Suburban Supportive Housing. This mobile workshop will take planners to Poupard Place in Northbrook (and named after a fellow planner, Tom Poupard), a new 48 unit supportive housing development that demonstrates how affordable housing for people with disabilities can be thoughtfully integrated into a suburban community. (CM | 2) 🚌👣
• Oct. 1 (10:30 am - 12:30 pm) From Quick Wins to Big Moves: Implementing One Howard Street. Visit the One Howard Street corridor with the City of Evanston and Rogers Park Business Alliance staff as you see new public art, co-branded street banners and wayfinding kiosks, and housing developments which are underway. Participants will hear from business owners and community leaders about the plan’s implementation process. (CM | 2) 🚂👣
• Oct. 1 (1:00 pm - 3:15 pm) Breaking the Code: Twelve Homes, One Lot for the Missing Middle. The UrbanEco on Grant pocket neighborhood places twelve compact, energy-efficient homes around a central courtyard within a traditional R3 Two-Family Residential zoning lot. This mobile tour unpacks the initial controversy and ultimate success of the project. Attendees will discover how innovative zoning, aligned City Council housing and economic goals, and a persistent developer collaborated to connect missing-middle buyers to established urban amenities. (CM | 1.75) 🚌👣
• Oct. 1 (3:30 pm - 5:30 pm) Sweat the Small Stuff: Creating unconventional third places through public-private partnerships. Literally. Take walk down to the Sauna Club and learn about this third place, formed through a public-private partnership. Water-friendly clothing, like a swimsuit, is recommended if you plan to participate in the sauna. Restrooms will be available for changing. (CM | 2) 👣
• Oct. 1 (1:00 pm - 3:30 pm) The Power of Movement: virtual tour of south side development and bike infrastructure through an engagement lens. Take a spin class at the Evanston Athletic Club while being guided through a series of virtual tours showcasing projects on Chicago's South Side that have advanced economic development, strengthened neighborhood connectivity and delivered more inclusive infrastructure investments through exercise. Workout clothes and a water bottle are strongly recommended. (CM | 1) 🔥
• Oct. 2 (8:00 am - 2:30 pm) The Fall and Rise of South Suburban Chicago. This mobile workshop takes participants through a critical planning corridor in the South Suburbs of Chicago to examine the visible and structural impacts of disinvestment, abandonment, and uneven development—and the emerging opportunities for revitalization. Attendees will tour Harvey, Glenwood, Homewood, and Flossmoor. (CM | 5.5) 🚌👣
• Oct. 2 (8:00 am - 12:00 pm) Let’s Mobilize! Exploring Evanston’s Path to Environmental Equity. Evanston has begun addressing the effects of its local historic injustices through its recently adopted 2026 Environmental Equity Investigation (EEI) Report. This mobile workshop will take attendees on a bike tour through Evanston, with stops in the city’s most affected wards, to examine how past injustices like redlining and industrialization have developed environmental inequities over time. We’ll discuss how city policies, practices, and priorities have influenced environmental equity, how these issues have shaped residents lived experiences, and how the community is working together to build a more resilient, equitable future. Attendees will also explore how early outcomes from the EEI Report are helping advance a more equitable and just Evanston for tomorrow. (CM | 2.75) 🚴

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

New for 2026!*
APA-IL is pleased to offer reduced registration rates to members with Life or Retired membership status as a show of appreciation for your contributions to the profession. These membership classifications are granted by the national American Planning Association (APA). APA-IL will verify membership status and may adjust registrations if needed. We hope to see you at the conference!

Registration Types

Member: An American Planning Association (APA) or American Planning Association -Illinois Chapter (APA-IL) member. This includes members who are Chapter-Only members.

Non-member: An attendee that is not a current paid member of the American Planning Association or American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter.

❗The APA-IL offers Chapter-Only Memberships for just $50. Click here to purchase a Chapter-Only Membership and save on conference registration!

Plan Commissioner: Any appointed or elected officials, commissioners, board members, or officials interested in learning about a wide range of planning and development topics fundamental to their roles. Commissioners are welcome to attend all conference sessions. The APA-IL will offer an all-day Plan Commissioner Training which will take place on Thursday, October 1st.

Students: Any currently enrolled student at any university. Students will be asked to use their university email and identify their college / university when registering.

⚠️Check with your university to see if they have funding available to support your attendance before you register.
⚠️Not a student member? Membership in APA + APA Chapters is free for all full- and part-time degree-seeking students. Click here to learn more!

Life & Retired Members*: New in 2026, APA-IL is pleased to offer the student registration rate to members with Life or Retired membership status. These membership classifications are granted by the national American Planning Association (APA) and must be in place before registering. Retired and Life membership is based on the requirements found HERE. If you are a Life or Retired member and would like to receive this reduced rate, please select the student rate during registration. APA-IL will verify membership status and may adjust your registration rate if you select the incorrect membership classification.

Please note: There is no 1/2 day AICP Exam Prep Workshop. There will be a 1-hour AICP Exam prep session hosted by the APA-IL Professional Development Officer. During this time, you'll receive Exam information, meet fellow test takers and coordinate study groups, as well as ask any questions you may have.

See what’s possible: Take a look at the Hilton Orrington and highlights from the 2019 Exhibit Hall. Picture your company at this year’s event.

Click here if you'd like to purchase your sponsorship right now!

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the best sponsorship fit for your organization, please contact Shelly Greenwood, Director of Sales, at sgreenwood@cgiresults.com.

2026-27 Sponsors

Thank you for your support! The sponsor list has been updated as of 7/1/2026.

• Tier 1 Sponsor
• Tier 2 Sponsor
• Tier 3 Sponsor
• In-Kind Sponsor

Tier 1 Sponsor

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Tier 2 Sponsor

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In-Kind Sponsor

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Venue & ​Accommodations

Single and double occupancy room rates are $199/night plus fees & tax.

Hilton Orrington/Evanston
1710 Orrington Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
1-847-866-8700

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR ROOM

Reservation requests received after 9/8/2026 cut-off date will be based on hotel availability at the contracted group rate. 

The Hilton Orrington/Evanston is the official hotel for the APA-IL State Conference and will not reach out to you via email or telephone. While other hotel resellers may contact you offering housing, they are not endorsed by or affiliated with APA-IL, CGi, or Hilton.

Parking

Recommended option
While we recommend taking public transportation to the State Conference, we know driving is inevitable for some. Parking is not included in conference registration or hotel reservations. Click here for parking options.

Hotel valet parking is $37 / night and can be added to your hotel reservation.

If you are coming to this year's state conference via car, we suggest searching SpotHero for the best rates around the Orrington. 

​Click here to start planning your trip to APAIL26!