By /

Rachel Mandell, Class of 2020

ACSP Chicago 2023: UF URP Recap

Highlights from UF Urban and Regional Planning’s Participation in the ACSP 2023 Urban Planning Conference.

Grand hotel lobby with ornate painted ceiling, chandeliers, and arched doorways. People are seated and walking around, and an arrangement of flowers sits in the center. Escalators lead to an upper level at the back.
A sign displays the ACSP logo and slogan, Connecting educators, researchers and students, above the text A Warm Welcome to You All! and WELCOME in multiple languages in a colorful word cloud.

November 14th, 2023

The ACSP 2023 Conference in Chicago was a significant event for urban planning professionals, and UF’s department of Urban and Regional Planning marked its presence with a diverse array of contributions. Over the course of the event, UF’s faculty, students, and alumni engaged as presenters, facilitators, and discussants, complementing the conference with their insights and research.

Thursday Highlights:

  • Zhaochen Jiang provided insights on pedestrian crash typology.
A man gives a presentation on text mining to an audience in an elegant room, pointing at a slide with charts and text on a projector screen under a chandelier.

Zhaochen Jian presenting

  • Dr. Xingjing Xu explored pedestrian and bicycle safety inequities.
Three women stand and smile in front of a projection screen displaying a slide titled Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety in a conference room with patterned carpet and beige walls.

Dr. Xingjing Xu with the other speakers in her session

  • Dr. Ruth Steiner was the organizer and facilitator for a panel on academic promotion, providing a roadmap for career development from associate to full professor.
  • Shangde Gao presented insights on post-disaster neighborhood vacancy policies.
  • Dr. Emre Tepe presented on simulating land developments under sea-level rise scenarios using a machine-based model.

Friday’s Highlights:

  • Dr. Ruth Steiner participated in a panel on Florida’s growth management, offering a UF perspective on state, regional, and local roles.
  • Xiang (Jacob) Yan presented on shared e-scooters as a last-mile transit solution, with insights from Los Angeles and Washington D.C
  • Yanghe Liu presented empirical evidence on the use of automated shuttles.
  • Maria Watson presented on the effects of federal recovery funds on mitigation behaviors.
  • Dr. Afsheen Sadaf presented an analysis on coastal resilience using GIS for Maryland shorelines.
  • Dr. Renee Tapp presented on America’s housing monopolies and ownership concentration in rental markets.
  • Dr. Hu organized a session on ACSP membership and the presence of red state schools.

Saturday’s Highlights:

A smiling woman with glasses and a green jacket holds a certificate that reads, “Ruth Steiner, Reviewer of the Year 2022, Journal of Planning Education and Research, Sage.”.

Dr. Ruth Steiner receiving the Journal of Education and Planning Research Top Reviewer Award

  • Dr. Steiner started the day by receiving the Journal of Education and Planning Research Top Reviewer Award.
  • Kaifu Lu presented research on leveraging deep learning for transportation network resilience.
  • Dr. Kristin Larsen presented on the centennial legacy of the Regional Planning Association of America.
  • Dr. Kanglin Chen prsented on travel adaptations post-COVID-19.
  • Nasim Yeganeh presented a study regarding equity in Florida’s housing program for disaster recovery.
  • Dr. Changjie Chen presented on integrating land degradation data into land use modeling in Ghana for sustainability.
  • Ziyi Guo presented on strengthening network resilience of energy and fuel supply against extreme disasters, with a case study on Hurricane Ian.
  • Dr. Christopher Silver presented on revised pedagogy for teaching international development planning.
  • Dr. Kathryn Frank presented on the evolution of rural community and regional development planning.
  • To close the conference, Dr. Ivy Hu organized a roundtable on navigating difficult conversations in a divided global context.

Facilitators and Discussants:

  • Notable facilitators and discussants included Dr. Emre Tepe, Dr. Shenhao Wang, Dr. Kathryn Frank, and Dr. Abhinav Alakshendra, Dr. Ivy Hu, and Dr. Xiang (Jacob) Yan, who steered sessions on various urban planning themes.
A man stands at a podium labeled Palmer House Hilton, speaking in a conference room with a microphone and a projector on a table nearby. A projection screen is visible on the right.

Dr. Alakshendra participating as a discussant for a session on Land, Real Estate and Redevelopment

Dr. Steiner’s Side Quests

Enjoy some photos taken by Dr. Steiner during her mobile tours of the Palmer House behind the scenes and the Chicago Old Post Office!

A dimly lit, arched concrete tunnel with peeling walls, exposed bulbs strung along the ceiling, a puddle on the floor, and stacked wooden barrels at the far end.
Close-up of an ornate brass door hinge featuring a decorative winged female figure, likely inspired by classical or mythological design, attached to a cream-colored door.
A person with a pen points at a stack of wooden barrels with metal bands in a distillery. The front barrel reads Hudson House Distillery with a logo and text. The floor is red and the setting is industrial.
Two women smiling stand indoors near a large window with a cityscape, river, and buildings visible outside. Both wear glasses and conference badges; one wears a blue jacket, the other a plaid blazer.

For a comprehensive overview of the sessions and more insights from the ACSP 2023 Conference, visit the ACSP website for detailed information and further resources.

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