Affordable housing, downtown redevelopment, endangered species protection, smart growth, suburban revitalization, wildfires, and western issues will be some of the topics discussed.

About 5,000 urban, rural and regional planners, city officials and community leaders are expected to attend the conference at the Colorado Convention Center. Jerome L. Kaufman, a professor emeritus specializing in urban policy and related issues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will be the keynote speaker.

Hundreds of presentations, panel discussions, and mobile workshops will be offered at the conference, which is organized around the theme of "Denver: Special Places, Unique Environments."

"This is where all who are involved in the planning movement - practicing planners, elected officials and engaged citizens - will find the best thinking and latest practices in guiding economic development, managing growth and improving livability of our cities, suburbs, small towns and rural communities," says APA Executive Director Paul Farmer.

"Planning is about making places special and solving problems for the American people," he adds.

Benjamin R. Barber, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Affairs and author of several books, including "Jihad Versus McWorld and Strong Democracy," will be the closing speaker. He will discuss the role of democracy and citizenship in an era of terror and globalization.