HCPO
Registration Open Now
Mark your calendars for this year’s Hawai‘i Congress of Planning Officials (HCPO) Conference, Resilient by Design: Planning for Hawai‘i’s Tomorrow, on August 27-29, 2025 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort! Late Registration begins on August 16.
You can subscribe to our HCPO mailing list to stay updated with all news on the conference.
Keynote Spotlight
Keynote: Resilient Planning: What About the Planners?
Featuring APA President Sue Schwartz, FAICP
In this engaging and personal keynote, APA President Sue Schwartz, FAICP, shares life lessons from a 40+ year planning career on navigating changes, disruptions, and just “life stuff.”
Sue Schwartz, FAICP, currently serves as APA President and is Planning Director for the City of Greensboro, North Carolina. Her 40+ years in the planning profession includes a focus on neighborhood revitalization and corridor reinvestment. Several of her projects have earned state and national awards. Since 2006, she has been a faculty/consultant for NeighborWorks America and is an adjunct faculty in the Public Administration Program at UNC Greensboro. She is also an accomplished TED Talk speaker, including her November 2022 talk, “What if… we had enough places to call home?” When not working on planning initiatives, Schwartz enjoys her passion for baseball, particularly rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies, and serves on her local youth baseball league board of directors.
Maximize Your Investment: Register for Post-Conference Training
Post-conference training sessions are being offered exclusively for HCPO attendees! Please register to attend and make the most of your investment.
Intro to ArcGIS Urban
ArcGIS StoryMaps Workshop
AICP Exam Prep
Foundations of Facilitation
HICRIS Training
Training, Breakout Sessions, and More!
During this year’s conference, you can expect sessions curated by OPSD that are intended to 1) share information that provokes critical thinking, 2) nurture ideas, strategies, and collaborations that strengthen our communities, infrastructure, and natural resources amid evolving challenges, and 3) offer skill building opportunities to brush up or add to your planner toolkit. Session topics will include:
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🌧️ How climate adaptation pathways and other tools might be used to deal with climate-related land use threats and challenges
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🏠 A deep(er) drive into Hawai’i’s housing market including trends across the state, challenges that remain, and bright spots for the future
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🚃 Designing to increase access to our transportation network for all
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📍 Skill building for professional practice, including Esri’s ArcGIS Urban and StoryMaps training, as well as a facilitation refresher
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…and more!
Mobile Workshops – August 27 [SOLD OUT]
🚧 Exploring Deconstruction & Reuse – Re-use Hawai‘i Tour & Talk Story [SOLD OUT] 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Learn about the power of deconstruction and re-use as a cornerstone of a circular economy and community-centered resilience. With Aloha Stadium as a backdrop (literally across the street), we invite participants to join us in a conversation, from a distance, to explore the opportunities and challenges of normalizing and institutionalizing deconstruction practices, and what it might take to keep construction waste from our landfills.
🥥 Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) Walking Tour and Fishpond Boat Tour [SOLD OUT] 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Highlight Hawaiʻi Institute for Marine Biology’s (HIMB) “Mālama ʻĀina Plan for Moku o Loʻe.” It is the first planning document in the State that sets forth a plan for how an entire island will adapt to 6′ seal level rise, and it is written within a framework on Native Hawaiian stewardship. Tour will start at the Heʻeia Pier and will include an ocean tour of the area along HIMB site at Coconut Island. Will also include a tour of the two Heʻeia NERR sites in Kāneʻohe.
🌊 Is Waikīkī Washing Away? Coastal Hazards Adaptation Walking Tour [SOLD OUT] 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Did you know that the beaches of Waikīkī are the result of past coastal engineering efforts? This “highly engineered urban shoreline” is the result of a variety of activities such as beach nourishment, groins, seawalls, and other coastal engineering projects. Today, this vital economic driver of the state’s visitor industry is being threatened by climate change. This collaborative walking tour between the State and the City and County of Honolulu will explore the rich history of Waikīkī beaches while also discussing current management and future proposed projects. We will visit various locations from the Queen’s Beach seawall to the Fort DeRussy groin and discuss their histories, current situations, and future proposed projects. Lunch provided.
🚴♂️ Complete Streets Bike Tour [SOLD OUT]
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Join Hawai‘i Bicycling League and the City’s Department of Transportation Services for a guided ride through Downtown and Chinatown, where you’ll explore new bike lanes and complete streets projects in action. Learn how thoughtful planning and community-centered design are transforming our streets—and experience it all from the best seat in town: a bike!
🌿 The Future for Agribusiness Development – Central O‘ahu Ag Tour [SOLD OUT] 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
This mobile workshop will showcase how private agricultural entrepreneurs and State-supported programs are working together to reshape Hawai‘i’s agricultural landscape. By highlighting innovative efforts that build resilience for both local agriculture and communities, the tour offers a glimpse into the future of agriculture in Hawai‘i. Tentative stops may include a Mililani agrivoltaic park, a commercial composting facility, a value-added product development center, and the Kunia Village and Agribusiness Complex.
💦 Punalu‘u Stream Restoration & Flood Mitigation Project [SOLD OUT] 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
In 2023, Kamehameha Schools completed the restoration of the lower Punaluʻu Stream to improve both its ecological and hydrologic function. The project also aimed to support flood control and sediment retention—efforts that will benefit future generations of farmers, kamaʻāina, and keiki who live, work, and play in the ahupuaʻa.
Key takeaways from this tour include:
- The importance of community consultation and engagement in project design and implementation
- Integrated resource management planning to deliver multiple benefits
- A place-based approach that incorporates traditional ecological knowledge into planning efforts.
Student Exclusive: Save on Registration!
Currently enrolled in school? You’re eligible for a special discounted rate to attend the conference! Email us at [email protected] to receive your student discount code.
Help Launch a Future Planner’s Journey!
Support the next generation of planners by contributing to the HCPO scholarship fund. By subsidizing their cost to attend, you’ll open the door to hands-on learning, professional networking, and real-world insights. It’s a meaningful way to invest in Hawai‘i’s future planning professionals. Opt in by adding your contribution on the Registration check-out page, or by contacting Lee-Ann Choy at [email protected].
Sponsorship Opportunities
Please contact Lee-Ann Choy at [email protected] if you’re interested in sponsorship opportunities.
The symbol for the 2025 HCPO conference is inspired by the native Hawaiian nanea flower. Known for enriching soil with nitrogen, the nanea naturally fertilizes surrounding plants while providing resilient groundcover.
Much like the nanea’s role in Hawai‘i’s ecosystem, this year’s conference seeks to nurture ideas, strategies, and collaborations that strengthen our communities, infrastructure, and natural resources amid evolving challenges.
Rendered in a doodle style, the illustration reflects the creative and dynamic spirit of planning thoughtful, place-based solutions for Hawai‘i’s tomorrow.