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A PLANNER WITH A PURPOSEProgram Summary Detroit Activation 2026
Planning for joy. Planning in community. Planning with purpose. Nina Idemudia, AICP | Founder & CEOOur Team Samantha Anderson, MPP | Project Manager Tierra Henderson | Outreach Intern02
03A Planner with a Purpose is a values- driven platform emphasizing that planning is not neutral, encouraging planners to reflect on power, purpose, and responsibility in their work. It fosters conversations and events focused on justice and community connection. Our goal is to advance a more inclusive planning profession that embraces all identities, while intentionally creating protected spaces where Black planners are celebrated, supported, and affirmed.About A Planner with a Purpose
About the FounderNina Idemudia, AICP, a Detroit Native, is a nationally acclaimed urban planner, strategist, and systems thinker, renowned for her extensive expertise in equity-centered planning, movement-building, and public sector transformation. Currently, she holds the position of CEO at the Center for Neighborhood Technology, where she spearheads award-winning initiatives in climate resilience, transportation equity, and urban analytics. Her impactful work has influenced policy, attracted significant investments, and enhanced access for communities that have historically been marginalized. Nina founded A Planner with a Purpose to create a platform for joy, authenticity, and legacy within a field that often overlooks these vital elements. Through storytelling, innovative programming, and thought leadership, she has established herself as one of the most trusted voices in the profession.04
In April, APWAP held its inaugural activation in the great city of Detroit. This four-day gathering brought together people who care about cities, neighborhoods, and the future of our communities.10 Including workshops, panels, and a closing party Signature Events16Sharing their perspective and expertiseSpeakers05450+ Across all ten workshops and events Free Tickets Claimed31 By participating planners nationwide States Represented300+ For at least one signature event People Registered Detroit Activation 2026 Our Impact
Detroit Activation 2026 $13,000+ Sponsorships $3,500+ Donations06 DIAMOND Next City PLATINUM LaKisha Hull, AICP The Kresge Foundation APA LGBTQ and Planning Division APA Women and Planning Division GOLD Melanie Wilson MUSE Community + Design SILVER Jeanette Dinwiddie Moore, FAICP Lindy's Cookies BRONZE Ann Cheng Consulting Jermaine Ruffin Peter Parkinson The Activation was made possible by organizations and individuals nationwide who support more inclusive planning practices. With their support, we were able to create accessible, inclusive, and free spaces. Sponsors Donations 129 Participants Donated 12 Sponsors
Darla Bishop Dr. Darla Bishop delivers more than just inspiration—she provides actionable, evidence-based strategies that create measurable improvements in both financial and health outcomes. Drawing from her personal journey, academic research, and experience managing large-scale health programs, Dr. Darla equips audiences with the tools to take control of their financial futures while enhancing their overall well- being. FinanSis SPEAKER SPOTLIGHTA practical, care-centered workshop focused on financial clarity, career sustainability, and navigating economic uncertainty in planning and adjacent fields07 Day 1 - Thursday, April 23rd Money, Stability, & Survival for Planners “I saw controlling my finances in a different lens after participating in this workshop and the steps that I should take in order to reorganize my personal finances.”
Chandra Christmas-RouseChandra Christmas-Rouse is an urban planner, economic mobility strategist and artist based in Chicago, IL. Chandra is the founding principal of Marie Consulting Group, a strategic consulting firm that partners with social change leaders to ensure communities thrive in place and to transform systems to work for all. A background in community development and environmental justice informs her design approach of working with community stakeholders in a participatory process to support capacity building, achieve place-based solutions, and reimagine systems.Marie Consulting GroupSPEAKER SPOTLIGHTCreating Systems Change in Housing FInance08 In this workshop, Chandra presented her systems change framework that outlines the capabilities most needed to address systemic inequities and how to apply it to housing finance. These tools showed attendees how to assess inequities in the housing finance system and build transformative solutions in their work. Featured Books from Our Speakers How to Afford Everything Dr. Darla Bishop Madeline’s Money Adventure Dr. Darla Bishop & Madeline Bishop Where the Sidewalk Grows Chandra Christmas-Rouse “Loved hearing about the history of the housing system and how it impacts the experiences of black and brown residents across the country. “
Day 1 concluded at the Detroit Historical Museum. Moderated by Jermaine Ruffin, this public conversation centered on Oscar Perry Abello's book, The Banks We Deserve. The conversation explored how community- controlled financial institutions power neighborhood investment and what it takes to start new ones. Abello was joined by Jordan Miller, Chairman and CEO of Adelphi Bank — the first Black- owned bank to open in the U.S. in 20 years — bringing decades of banking leadership and a deep commitment to closing the racial wealth gap through community-controlled capital.Jordan MillerChairman and Co-Founder, Adelphi BankSPEAKER SPOTLIGHTNext CityNext City is a nonprofit news organization reporting on solutions for more sustainable, accessible, inclusive and equitable cities. By spreading real stories and workable ideas from one city to the next, their journalism connects people, places and solutions that move society toward justice and equity.DIAMOND SPONSOR SPOTLIGHTOscar Perry Abello Oscar Perry Abello is the Senior Economic Justice Correspondent at Next City, and he is the author of The Banks We Deserve: Reclaiming Community Banking for a Just Economy. He covers policies, programs and businesses that seek to address historical disparities in access to jobs, capital and space for economic use in cities. Since 2011, he has covered community development finance, impact investing, economic development, housing and more for media outlets such as Shelterforce, Impact Alpha, Yes! Magazine, City & State New York, The Philadelphia Inquirer, B Magazine and Fast Company.Author, The Banks We Deserve Next CitySPEAKER SPOTLIGHT The Banks We Deserve: In Conversation with Oscar Perry Abello09
Day 2 kicked off with a facilitated, discussion-driven experience designed to cultivate the conversations planners need right now. Facilitated by Jasmine Jones-Bynes and Jermaine Ruffin, participants engaged in one deep-dive salon, followed by a structured session that brings insights together across three topics: Intergenerational conversations Institutions, infrastructure, and power Media literacy in planning10 Day 2 - Friday, April 24th Planners with Purpose SalonsJermaine R. Ruffin Jermaine is an experienced professional in the fields of urban planning, community and economic development, community engagement and urban redevelopment. Jermaine has 15+ years working with both public and private entities to develop innovative housing, community engagement, commercial investment and economic development solutions. He has led projects and teams that have secured over $300M in housing , commercial and neighborhood infrastructure investment.Invest DetroitFACILITATOR SPOTLIGHTJasmine Jones-Bynes Jasmine Jones-Bynes is an urban planner and commercial real estate finance professional with 6+ years of professional experience in the industry. She holds a Masters of City and Regional Planning from Georgia Institute of Technology with a concentration on urban planning and policy as a social determinant of health. Through her tenure in commercial real estate, Jasmine has employed over $800M in debt to support construction or preservation of over 6,000+ regulated affordable and naturally occurring affordable housing units nationwide.Four Degrees to the StreetsFACILITATOR SPOTLIGHT
11Podcast Series SpotlightIn this episode, the podcast creators explored how planners can navigate the work and the intergenerational experiences that can divide or bring together Black urban planners. The Streets are Planning is where urban planning, cities, hip hop culture and community development conversations live. The podcast highlights the unheard voices, stories and impact of community leaders across the globe.Balancing Intergenerational Conversations in Planning THE STREETS ARE PLANNING | @thestreetsareplanningJermaine RuffinHostIn this episode, the podcast creators explored how planners can navigate media literacy in the age of mass misinformation and uncharted AI capacilities. Queen Tone invites all women, especially Black women, to share their thoughts, opinions, and experiences with the world without being asked to check their tone. Hosted by long- time best friends, listen to hear millennial Black women’s take on a different topics, where they bring it to you straight. Video Phone: Media Literacy in Planning QUEEN TONE | @queentonepodDayna Cole & Nina IdemudiaCo-HostsIn this episode, the podcast creators explored how planners need to work inside and outside of institutions to see true impactful change. The Four Degrees to the Streets Podcast explores neighborhood design and urban policy topics through the critical lens of equity to give listeners the tools needed to overcome structural and institutional barriers. Institutional Power and Infrastructure FOUR DEGREES TO THE STREETS | @thestreetsareplanningJasmine Jones-BynesHost The Salon’s candid conversations are meant to continue after the Activation, so we made podcast episodes to keep it going. Check out each podcast below and listen to the episodes.
Justin Romeo, PEJustin Romeo is the Managing Director at CNT. He brings a wealth of experience in transportation planning and engineering, project management, and spatial and quantitative data analysis. He joined CNT in 2024. Previously, Justin worked for the New York City Department of Transportation, where he recently served as Director of Special Projects, in the Planning division. In that role, he led the Reimagine the Cross Bronx Study, a federally funded multi- agency effort to create a vision for improving negative effects the expressway has on the surrounding communities among other efforts. He has also worked at Illinois Department of Transportation.FinanSisSPEAKER SPOTLIGHT12Planning Tools & Impact Frameworks by Center for Neighborhood Technology Facitated by Justin Romeo, this hands-on workshop provides analytical planning tools for measuring community impact including: Truck Counting Tool Urban Flooding Baseline Tool Housing and Transportation Affordability Index All Transit We were able to host this event in a computer lab at the GVSU Detroit Center - providing computers to participants and making it more accessible.Center for Neighborhood TechnologyCenter for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) delivers innovative analysis and solutions that support community-based organizations and local governments to create neighborhoods that are equitable, sustainable, and resilient.PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Sista CitySista City is a a platform dedicated to empowering and connecting Black women in urban planning.PARTNER SPOTLIGHTBridging the Gap with Sista City Sista City hosted its’ inaguaral training session, which helps community practitioners, organizers, and public-facing professionals communicate in ways that actually reach the people they serve.13
Aris SingletonAris Singleton is the CEO of Thank God Its Natural (tgin), one of the leading textured hair care brands sold in Target, Walmart, Ulta Beauty, Sally Beauty, and other national and international retailers, and online. In her role, she oversees all aspects of day-to-day operations, sales, and strategic partnerships.CEO, tgin®FEATURED SPEAKER SPOTLIGHTDay 2 concluded with a live recording of Queen Tone featuring Aris Singleton, CEO of Thank God It's Natural (tgin®). The conversation centered Black women, Detroit-based perspectives, and the realities of planning, power, and place, and the episode will be available on Queen Tone’s platforms.14 Queen Tone Live with Aris Singleton
A hands-on workshop on CNT’s analytical planning tools for measuring community impact, transit access, housing affordability, and sustainability metrics. A Detroit Stop & Shop: Black Business Crawl For Day 3, participants explored Detroit directly through its Black-owned businesses. The curated bus crawl took participants on a guided route through the city, stopping at Black-owned businesses along the way. Each stop included a brief introduction from the business owner, connecting to the people, neighborhoods, and economic power that make Detroit what it is. Businesses and stops included: Simply Roasted Source Booksellers Mockery Zero Proof Fixins Detroit’s historic Eastern Market Black Fridays Pod is a Detroit-based podcast built for Black entrepreneurs — pulling back the curtain on how founders actually make money, navigate setbacks, and build systems that scale.PARTNER SPOTLIGHT15 Day 3 - Saturday, April 25th A Detroit Stop & Shop: Black Busincess Crawl Black Fridays Pod“I thought the curation of the event was excellent. I enjoyed visiting all of the businesses and I was inspired by their stories.”
After four days of workshops, salons, honest conversations, and community, we closed it the only way we could - with a party. Hosted at Parlay, a Black owned venue, this event was centered around joy! Hosted by APWAP in Downtown Detroit, the #PlanningWhileBlack Party was the celebratory event for three APA divisions: Planning in the Black Community Division Women & Planning Division LGBTQ+ in Planning Division16 Day 4 - Sunday, April 26th #PlanningWhile Black Party“Loved this event. The room was full of great vibes, music, and people. I think this was a great way to kick off the festivities for the rest of the week with the activation as the catalyst to connect the community to urban planning.“
17Day 4 - Sunday, April 26th #PlanningWhile Black Party
18Thanks to Our Sponsors Thank you to each of our sponsors for helping each event come to life. With their support, we were able to create accessible, inclusive, and free spaces across all ten events. DIAMOND Next City PLATINUM LaKisha Hull, AICP The Kresge Foundation APA LGBTQ and Planning Division APA Women and Planning Division GOLD Melanie Wilson MUSE Community + Design SILVER Jeanette Dinwiddie Moore, FAICP Lindy's Cookies BRONZE Ann Cheng Consulting Jermaine Ruffin Peter Parkinson
Special Thanks Thank you to every person and organization who made this possible. The Activation was truly an act of community, and we are grateful for the overwhelming support we received. Ariel Singleton Chandra Christmas-Rouse Darla Bishop Eleanor Barba Ellen Yau Dave Walker Dayna Cole Denzell Turner Dominique Boyer Gabrielle Sherrer Jasmine Jones-Bynes Jermaine Ruffin Jordan Miller Justin Romeo Oscar Perry Abello Reshonda Williams Shelby Wyche APA Planning in the Black Community Division Black Fridays Pod Center for Neighborhood Technology Detroit Historical Society Fixins Grand Valley State University Detroit Center Michigan Black Business Alliance Mockery Zero Proof Parlay Detroit Simply Roasted Sista City Source Booksellers20
@aplannerwithapurposeCommunity Activations Speaking Events Facilitated Conversations Leadership DevelopmentContact us at info@aplannerwithapurpose.comCurated by Nina Idemudia, AICP, A Planner with a Purpose is a values-driven platform emphasizing that planning is not neutral, encouraging planners to reflect on power, purpose, and responsibility in their work.What We DoConnect with Us