Chapter History
Chapter Historian
Jane Brooks, FAICP has served as our Chapter Historian. Jane is faculty emeritus of planning and urban studies at UNO's PLUS department where she previously served as Department Chair and professor. She is a Jean Brainard Boebel Chair in Historic Preservation, and past Program Coordinator for UNO's Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program. Ms. Brooks holds a BLA from LSU and an MLA from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Jane prepared a "Louisiana Planning History" presentation which is available as images or a PDF file below.
History of the Louisiana Chapter of APA
The Louisiana Chapter was formed in the 1975 when the Louisiana Chapter split from the Texas Chapter. Prior to 1978 the organization was called the American Institute of Planners (AIP). Francis "Frank" Keevers became the first President of the Louisiana Chapter.
Please see our timeline of events, actions, and activities. Items are categorized as "Louisiana Chapter", "National APA", "UNO", "legislation", "plan adoption", "incident" or miscellaneous for those not readily fitting into one of the categories. (This is a work in progress and is by no means comprehensive. If you would like to suggest an edit or addition please submit it to webmaster@louisianaplanning.com
Planning in Louisiana
The following sources document several key milestones for the practice of planning in Louisiana:
- Jefferson B. Fordham, Legal Aspects of Local Planning and Zoning in Louisiana, 6 La. L. Rev. (1946). Available at: http://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol6/iss4/2
- Lynn H. Andrews, Administrative Aspects of Planning and Zoning at the Local Level in Louisiana, 7 La. L. Rev. (1947). Available at: http://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol7/iss3/2
- Louisiana Revised Statute §§33: 101-130.54. Available at: http://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=88645
- U.S. Department of Commerce. A Standard State Zoning Enabling Act. Washington: Govt. Printing Office, 1926. Available at: http://landuselaw.wustl.edu/StndZoningEnablingAct1926.pdf
- U.S. Department of Commerce. A Standard City Planning Enabling Act. Washington: Govt. Printing Office, 1928. Available at: http://www.planning.org/growingsmart/pdf/CPEnabling%20Act1928.pdf
- Model Comprehensive Planning Legislation for Louisiana (2003, Loyola Law Review)
Chapter Presidents
Here is a chronology of Louisiana planners who have served as Chapter President.
| Tenure | Name |
|---|---|
| '78-'79 | Francis Keevers |
| '80-'81 | Stephen Villavaso |
| '82-'83 | Cathy Webre |
| '84-'85 | Donna Mayeux Irvin |
| '86-'87 | Cathy Webre |
| '88-'89 | Robert "Bob" Becker |
| '90-'91 | Robert "Bob" Becker |
| '92-'93 | Roger Hedrick |
| '94-'95 | Roger Hedrick |
| '96-'97 | Karen Fernandez |
| '98-'99 | Martin Bruno |
| '00-'01 | Tim Jackson |
| '02-'03 | Mart Black |
| '04-'10 | Stephen Villavaso |
| '11-'13 | Edwin "Ed" Elam |
| '14-'16 | Lydia Jemison |
| '17-'19 | Derek Chisholm |
| '20 | Stephen Villavaso |
| '21-'22 | Whitney Hoffman Sayal |
National Conferences in Louisiana
The Louisiana Chapter has hosted the APA National Planning Conference in New Orleans four times. We are very excited to be selected to again host the national planning conference in New Orleans during May of 2018.
1971 Conference
This first national planning conference held in New Orleans occurred before ASPO combined with AIP. There was a "Planning" magazine at this point published by ASPO, but we haven't located issues.
1978 Conference
This second national planning conference held at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans occurred before the AIP's name change to APA. The theme was "Making Planning Work."
1991 Conference
Themes from this conference included riverfront development, flood protection and drainage, and more. Click the thumbnail to read relevant excerpts from Planning magazine.
2001 Conference
Themes from this conference included coastal marsh reclamation, comprehensive planning, new urbanism, smart growth, social equity, and more. Click the thumbnail to read relevant excerpts from Planning magazine.
2010 Conference
Taking place five years after Katrina, much of this conference focused on lessons learned from the storm recovery efforts in New Orleans. Click the thumbnail to read relevant excerpts from Planning magazine.
2018 Conference
Louisiana is anticipating the 2018 National Planning Conference April 21 - 24 in New Orleans coinciding with the city's tricentennial celebration! The theme is "Strong Roots. Big Plans."
