Earlier this month, I started my two-year term as the new Director for the APA Orange Section. One of the things that drew me most to this role is the opportunity to connect with such a diverse and talented community of planners from across Orange County.
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Our section represents an incredible range of backgrounds and perspectives—public and private sector planners, seasoned professionals and emerging leaders, individuals who are working in our historic urban cores as well as those who are helping to build our newest master-planned neighborhoods. That diversity is a real strength. It challenges us to think more creatively, learn from one another’s experiences, and better understand the unique issues shaping our region.
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I’m especially excited to build connections and create opportunities for collaboration and professional growth. Planning is ultimately about people and places.
Serving as the APA Orange Section Director allows me to engage directly with both in a meaningful way. One great example of this is our annual historic symposium, which this year focused on the Vietnamese-American presence in Little Saigon – one of Orange County’s largest and most established ethnic communities. The forum took a closer look at how planning decisions, community leadership, and entrepreneurship have shaped the area’s identity and economic vitality, providing planners with valuable historical and cultural insight that supports more informed, respectful, and culturally responsive planning
Thank you to everyone who contributes their time, energy, and ideas to APA Orange Section. I’m excited to get started and to work together to continue strengthening our local planning community.
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​Thanks!
Ryan Bensley
APA Orange Section Director
A MESSAGE FROM THE
ORANGE SECTION DIRECTOR
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