Workshops for Officials

The Michigan Association of Planning's education programs provide participants with the skills and knowledge to make better land use decisions. Our knowledgeable and experienced instructors enable newly elected and appointed officials to better understand their roles and responsibilities, and reacquaint experienced ones with innovative planning tools and techniques. In person workshops include a light meal. 

Registration coming soon!

Planning and Zoning Essentials

This course is designed to boost confidence by sharpening skills, identifying conflicts of interest, understanding legal foundations, examining roles and responsibilities, and more! Ideal for introducing new planning commissioners and zoning board of appeals members to their roles and responsibilities, and also for more experienced officials looking to refresh their skills and build upon existing knowledge. Roles and responsibilities, site plan review, comprehensive planning, zoning ordinances, variances, how to determine practical difficulty, and standards for decision-making are covered. Course includes a guidebook. 

Making Renewables Add Up: Tax, Finance, and Forecasting Tools

Building Your Community's Leadership Pipeline - NEW

Many government actions require quorums of board and commissions and government business can grind to a halt without enough people. Learn how governments can work smarter, not harder. Make meetings more productive so people want to be appointed, while also widening the circle of possible appointees.  

Capital Improvements Planning

This program explains-- from start to finish-- everything you need to know to prepare and adopt a Capital Improvement Program, including: who should be involved in the Capital Improvement Program process; the accounting and budgetary requirements of a CIP; how to tie the program into your infrastructure capacity; and how to handle controversial topics. Included is a hands on workshop where participants work in groups to prepare their own CIP. Course includes a guidebook.

Getting the Development You Want

Good development is achieved when a municipality plans for it, and then adopts codes and a development review process to implement the plan. In this 1 1/2 hour workshop, participants will learn how the master plan and zoning ordinance inform the development review process, how a community can balance the needs of all actors in the development review process, and best practices for a productive development review process. Course includes a guidebook.

Parking Best Practices -- NEW

Parking is a vexing problem. Large parking lots often sit empty, are expensive to build, and often an eye sore. But no one likes driving around looking for a parking space.  Where can communities find a happy medium, where new development projects are financially realistic, residents don’t think their neighborhoods are being inundated with strange cars, and businesses think that customers can easily park and patronize their businesses? This 2-hour workshop will equip communities with the information and tools they need to address their unique parking challenges. Course includes a guidebook.

Zoning Board of Appeals

This interactive, case study based workshop goes into depth on the issues of practical difficulty and unnecessary hardship. A summary of voting and membership requirements and other procedural requirements unique to ZBA operations are reviewed. Course includes a guidebook.

Advanced ZBA:  Beyond the Fundamentals

A high level, interactive session for ZBA members, where recent court cases and statutes are reviewed and where participants will dig into four different case studies and discuss their findings. Basic ZBA knowledge is necessary to best participate. Course includes a guidebook.

Registration coming soon!

Check out our Event calendar for other great learning opportunities. The calendar is updated regularly with new events.

Our online store has publications and recorded webinars available for purchase.  

In addition, MAP's onsite workshops can be scheduled in your community.

Can't find exactly what you are looking for? Please contact Amy Vansen, MAP's Director of Information and Programs with questions.