APA National President Angela Brooks Sits Down with UPINB

Welcome back to Urban Planning is Not Boring!! In this episode, we are joined by Angela Brooks, the new national president of the American Planning Association National organization. We are SO excited to have her on the show (we were fangirling a little).

In this interview, Brooks shares how she came to find planning, her insights on the most pressing challenges facing cities in terms of zoning and housing, and how she hopes cities can begin to address these challenges. We also touched on her personal passions, including road biking and triathlons, and how these acivities have helped shaped her approach to urban planning. And, of course, we couldn't let her go without asking her about her new role as the national president of the American Planning Assocation, her top priorities for the organization and for the field as a whole, and how young planners can get involved with APA!!

Make sure to tune in!

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About Angela Brooks

Angela D. Brooks, FAICP, a Chicago resident, begins her term as president of the American Planning Association (APA), a 41,000-member organization committed to advancing better and more just communities through good planning.

Brooks is the first Black female to be elected president of APA. She will serve two years as president, leading the 16-member APA Board of Directors in governing the association, setting strategic goals, and elevating the importance of planning across the U.S. This is a volunteer position.

Brooks currently is director of the Illinois office of the Corporation for Supportive Housing and has dedicated her career to improving housing options and ensuring equitable access to safe and affordable housing. She was appointed by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to serve on the city's Zoning Board of Appeals. Additionally, Brooks is co-chairing a national partnership between APA and the National League of Cities called the Housing Supply Accelerator to improve how communities meet the housing needs of residents.

Prior to her role at the Corporation for Supportive Housing, Brooks served as the development manager for the Chicago Housing Authority. Brooks is a native of Seattle and was a member of the City of Seattle Planning Commission.

Brooks has been an active volunteer leader within APA since she began her planning studies. She has chaired APA's Housing and Community Development Division, served as a director on the board, vice president of programs for the Planning and the Black Community Division, and co-chaired the member-led update to APA's official Housing Policy Guide.

She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the profession's highest honor bestowed upon a planner. She is a strong champion of HBCUs, having earned her bachelor's degree from Jackson State University. She earned her master's degree from the University of New Orleans. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority, and The Links, Incorporated. When not focusing on housing challenges, Brooks can be found enjoying her road bike, participating in triathlons, or rooting the Jackson State Tigers to victory.