Mission
THE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION IS ORGANIZED TO ADVANCE THE ART AND SCIENCE OF PLANNING AND TO FOSTER THE ACTIVITY OF PLANNING - PHYSICAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL - AT THE LOCAL, REGIONAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL LEVELS. THE APA IS A NON-PROFIT PUBLIC INTEREST AND RESEARCH ORGANIZATION REPRESENTING 37,000 PRACTICING PLANNERS, OFFICIALS, AND CITIZENS INVOLVED WITH URBAN AND RURAL PLANNING ISSUES.SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT OF APA'S MEMBERS ARE EMPLOYED BY STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. THESE MEMBERS ARE INVOLVED, ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, IN FORMULATING PLANNING POLICIES AND PREPARING LAND USE REGULATIONS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSOCIATION IS TO ENCOURAGE PLANNING THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO PUBLIC WELL-BEING BY DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENTS THAT MEET THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE AND OF SOCIETY MORE EFFECTIVELY.