APA American Planning Association AICP Questions & Answers

• Question 11:

  Scenario: Negative Comments about Consultant Work

  At a recent national planning conference, you hear some very negative things about the quality of work done for clients by a well known consulting planning firm. Some of the comments are from people who may not have first-hand information At least one of the critical statements was made directly by a former client The firm, by coincidence, has now submitted a proposal to do work for your community. You call all of the references supplied by the consultant They check out fine. What should you do next?

  Ethical Issues: How do you make sure that you don't pass on gossip, but do respond to legitimate issues affecting foe expenditure of public dollars?

  Action Alternatives:

  1.

  You have checked the references and they were fine. The folks you talked to are reasonable and had direct knowledge of the consultant's work. You do not want to appear to be looking to make trouble for yourself or anyone else You decide no further action is necessary.

  2.

  When spending public money, you have a responsibility to make sure that the public will get the best value. This requires you to be zealous in determining whether there are any reasons for not hiring the consulting firm. After all, consulting firms do not ever list clients who they think might give them a bad reference. You call for references checking with names not on the list provided by the firm.

  3.

  Other

  Commentary: Negative Comments About Consultant Work

  Code Citations:

  A. 1 A planner must protect and enhance the integrity of the profession and must be responsible in criticism of the profession

  B. 2 A planner must accurately represent the qualifications, views, and findings of colleagues.

  C. 3 A planner who reviews the work of other professionals must do so in a fair, considerate, professional, and equitable manner

  Correct Answer:

  Answer: The answer is given as an example. You need to write an essay based on the text given in the task. You want to be fair in your treatment of a colleague while at the same time making sure that you do not engage a consultant who will not be able to fulfill the requirements of the professional services agreement. Alternative 1 saves you work, but ignores the fact that you have information which affects your confidence in one of the proposers You would not be in violation of the Code by doing nothing because you would have followed all of your community's standard procedures for hiring However, you would have failed to be attentive to the apparitional intent of the Code. Alternative 2 would be the most desirable and is most consistent with the Code requirement to fairly treat the views of a colleague In this case you wish to treat fairly the views of those who have disparaged the consultant as well as the view of the consultant him or herself Unless you have specifically stated in your RFP that the only references you will check are those provided by the consultant, you are free to seek out additional information. To be fair, you should mention to the consultant that you will be checking with other colleagues. If you have major unresolved issues as a result of further checking, the consultant should be given an opportunity to respond.

• Question 12:

  What case did Alfred Bettman argue?

  A. South Burlington County NAACP v Township of Mount Laurel

  B. Fasano v Board of Co. Commissioners of Washington Co.

  C. Golden v Planning Board of the Town of Ramapo

  D. Village of Euclid v Ambler Realty Co.

  Correct Answer: D

• Question 13:

  What is the mean of the following numbers: 4, 6, 10, 12?

  A. 10

  B. 6

  C. 8

  D. 7

  Correct Answer: C

• Question 14:

  Scenario

  In one area of your community the population consists largely of relatively recent immigrants to this country. Population density in the entire community has risen, and the planning department is under pressure from some members of the

  community to reduce density. In response to this pressure, a regulation to prevent subdividing existing residences into apartments is currently under consideration. You hold a community meeting to discuss the proposed regulation, and it is

  denounced as being discriminatory to the generally low-income, immigrant population who rent units in subdivided buildings.

  What might you do?

  A. Answer: See the solution below

  Correct Answer: A

  Clashing values are not uncommon in the planning process, so you might work to gather sufficient facts to distinguish between the perception of the problem and the reality and to fully understand the history of the community. While you are committed to serving the public interest, this can be difficult when you are serving a public with opposing points of view You might write a report that includes arguments for and against the proposed regulatory changes along with relevant facts that clarify the situation, including a discussion of housing affordability in your community and how the proposed regulation may affect the supply of affordable housing. In your report you might balance concerns about affordable housing with concerns about preserving the integrity of the built environment You might recommend that additional meetings be scheduled to ensure opportunity for further public input that will be seriously considered in making a final recommendation. Based on these meetings, your report may contain a recommendation that the jurisdiction develop and support regulations that allow higher density development on the grounds that such regulations would expand housing choice, particularly for those of low to moderate income

• Question 15:

  In what year did the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART) begin?

  A. 1965

  B. 1972

  C. 1974

  D. 1978

  Correct Answer: B

• Question 16:

  What is the median of the following: 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6?

  A. 3

  B. 4

  C. 5

  D. 4.5

  Correct Answer: B

• Question 17:

  The ratio of an industry's share of local employment divided by its share of the nation (or other higher level of government) is less than one. The area is ___________ this industry's products?

  A. Importing

  B. Exporting

  C. Consuming

  D. Transporting

  Correct Answer: A

• Question 18:

  Each of the following may constitute a conflict of interest for a public planner under the AICP Code of Ethics EXCEPT:

  A. Accepting a gift from a local building firm.

  B. Working for a developer who has an action before the Planning Board.

  C. Applying for a Health Department permit to operate a stall at the Farmers' Market.

  D. Processing a rezoning application for property the public planner owns.

  Correct Answer: C

• Question 19:

  What year was RLUIPA passed?

  A. 1994

  B. 1996

  C. 1998

  D. 2000

  Correct Answer: D

• Question 20:

  What is the largest tribal land holding in acres? (note for all others that are not the answer they are the answer to other questions that you should know).

  A. 40 Million

  B. 52 Million

  C. 191 Million

  D. 16 Million

  Correct Answer: D