Please see communication below from the ACSP Presdient, Laxmi Ramasubramanian, concerning the ACSP 2023 Conference:
Dear ACSP Educators, Researchers and Students,
At its virtual meeting on June 27th, 2023, the ACSP Governing Board decided to move the Fall 2023 annual conference away from Miami and to host the 2023 conference in another city. The Governing Board made this very difficult decision to stay in alignment with the ACSP Values statement, specifically our commitment to welcome all members, scholars, and educators and to develop events, meetings, and publications that are welcoming, inclusive, and safe venues for discourse and inquiry.
The ACSP board has carefully considered our fiduciary responsibilities. Paying a steep penalty to the hotel will surely have a major impact on a small volunteer-driven organization like ACSP. Although we can weather this specific financial cost, we will deplete our investment accounts significantly, making us vulnerable to any unanticipated future surprises. That said, I am happy that the Board has made a decision consistent with our values statement, conference location policy, and organizational mission.
For ACSP conference attendees, the attraction of an in-person conference is about enjoying a sense of community and camaraderie, and having an opportunity to have unique place-based experiences that can energize and engage us. For students and early career scholars, the annual conference is often about connecting with senior scholars and their peers from across the world in formal and informal settings, attending job fairs and other recruitment events, and being introduced to the complexities of planning in a very real way by attending an action-packed three day event.
Despite myriad assurances from the Florida hospitality industry, members of all ACSP interest groups expressed significant concerns regarding travel to Florida. While no place can be 100% safe, Florida this fall did not feel like the best place to gather for our annual conference. As with the State of Florida, other states curtail what can and cannot be taught in high school and college classrooms. Planning educators have a lot of issues we should be concerned about including how we prepare future planners to work in environments hostile to the ideals and principles of planning.
We urge all of you to come to the Fall 2023 conference to show support for ACSP and to engage with these issues that caused us to move away from Florida while also thinking critically about how to make and sustain transformative social change. The Fall 2023 conference is also a great opportunity to begin conversations about crafting a new strategic vision for the Association and its conferences in future years.
We are very happy to announce to you today that we have been welcomed by the Palmer House Hilton, an art-deco historic venue in the city of Chicago, to serve as our conference hotel. You’ll be happy to know the dates of the conference have not changed.
“On behalf of the Palmer House and all of our staff we would like to thank you for placing your program with us. Our staff are ecstatic about winning your confidence and trust to place your program with us so close to your program date. Chicago is known as one of the most hospitable and inclusive cities in the country if not the world. Our team members exemplify that hospitality, diversity, and inclusion, and are grateful for your business. Rest assured you are in great hands at the Palmer House. We will make sure your program is successful and we hope to see you come back for many years to come. Thank you!” ~ Konstantine “Gus” Drosos, General Manager
We are excited to continue our long-standing partnership with the American Planning Association and look forward to engaging with Chicago’s planning community.
“It’s my great pleasure to welcome ACSP to Chicago this fall - the home of APA headquarters and my home city! We’re proud, long-time sponsors of the annual conference, and look forward to actively participating in this important global gathering of those who support planning research and education.” ~APA President Angela Brooks, FAICP
We are updating all the conference web pages and building an FAQ, but in the meantime please contact
- Hotel reservations for our conference can be made starting July 3. Please visit www.acsp.org.
- If you have an accepted abstract, no need to do more at this time except to secure your hotel room and watch for conference announcements in Tuesday e-newsletters starting July 11 (no newsletter on July 4).
- We anticipate the preliminary schedule and conference registration to be open by August 1.
- Conference dates remain the same, October 19-21, 2023 with pre-conference events the day before.
We thank you for your support and patience and we look forward to seeing you all in-person in Chicago.
Warm regards,
Laxmi
Laxmi Ramasubramanian, PhD, AICP
ACSP President 2021-2023
