What Events and Conferences Does the Georgia Planning Association Host?

The Georgia Planning Association (GPA), the official Georgia chapter of the American Planning Association, hosts a recurring set of conferences and training events for planners, elected officials, students, and industry partners. The main ones are the annual Fall Conference, the Community Planning Institute classes run with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Office of Planning, and promotion of the National Planning Conference. Below is what each involves and how to use them.

GPA Fall Conference

The Fall Conference is GPA's flagship annual event. The 2026 edition runs September 23–25 in Augusta under the theme Masters of Transition: Driving Sustainable Growth.

• Who it's for: planning professionals, community leaders, students, elected officials, and industry partners from across Georgia.
• Format: three days of learning, collaboration, networking, and inspiration, per GPA's event description.
• Registration: GPA lists a "Register now!" link and a "Learn More & Register" page for the event.

The conference is paper-free — use the app

GPA states the conference program is paper free. Before arriving, download the conference app to:

• plan your schedule,
• meet the speakers,
• note special events,
• learn about the sponsors who make the event possible.

If you're attending for the first time, installing the app ahead of travel is the practical step that replaces a printed program.

Community Planning Institute

The Fall Community Planning Institute is offered by the DCA Office of Planning in partnership with GPA. It is a series of classes aimed at Georgia's planning commissioners and elected officials — that is, the appointed and elected people who vote on planning matters rather than full-time professional planners. GPA lists an October 28 date for the Fall Community Planning Institute.

National Planning Conference

GPA also posts the National Planning Conference on its calendar. The 2027 National Planning Conference is scheduled for Houston, TX, with registration opening in February 2027. GPA's listing is a save-the-date; registration is handled through the national conference, not GPA.

Other recurring ways to engage

Beyond the marquee conferences, GPA's site functions as a year-round hub:

How to decide which event fits you

• You're a working planner or consultant: the Fall Conference is the primary fit — it's the largest gathering and the one with the app-based program, speakers, and sponsors.
• You're a planning commissioner or elected official: the Community Planning Institute is designed specifically for your role.
• You want national-scale content or are traveling anyway: watch the National Planning Conference listing; note that registration opens in February 2027 for the Houston event.

Practical notes

• Dates and locations on GPA's site are listed as upcoming events; confirm details on the individual event page before making travel plans, since the site shows a mix of 2026 and 2027 dates.
• GPA's site does not state event pricing or membership costs in the material available here, so check the registration page for current fees and any member rates.
• The conference app is the source for schedules and speakers, so download it before you arrive rather than expecting a printed program on site.