Blogs

January 2, 2025

Transforming Atlanta's Transit

Uncovering JAPA: Discover how an On-Demand Multimodal Transit System (ODMTS) in Atlanta tackled transit challenges by addressing the first/last mile problem.

December 19, 2024

Choosing the Road Less Valued

Uncovering JAPA: Discover how reducing urban roadways by 10 percent, which currently occupy 20-25 percent of urban land, could generate $27.8 billion in annual net benefits and unlock land for alternative uses.

December 12, 2024

These U.S. States Are Planning for Salinization

Uncovering JAPA: Climate change is driving salinization of U.S. coastal water supplies, but inconsistent state-level planning and limited resources for small systems highlight the need for stronger governance and adaptive strategies.

November 21, 2024

Three Takeaways for Climate Adaptation Planning

Uncovering JAPA: Explore how the Climate Navigators program shows how local knowledge, mental health support, and trust-building improve climate adaptation planning.

A Successful Experiment in Informal Transportation

November 14, 2024

Informal Transportation Testing

Uncovering JAPA: A pilot project in Kampala, Uganda, reveals how targeted subsidies can create profitable and equitable informal transport routes, enhancing mobility for underserved communities.

November 7, 2024

How Practitioners Define Sustainability

Uncovering JAPA: Discover how city sustainability leaders define their work, focusing on aspiration, collaboration, and resource sharing to drive local initiatives.

Blog Header Tool for Patterns of Housing Precarity

November 4, 2024

Understanding Housing Instability

Uncovering JAPA: Learn how city planners, urban practitioners, and policymakers to better understand the vulnerabilities of urban residents and the multidimensional manifestation of housing precarity.

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October 24, 2024

How Nonprofits Are Shaping Community Organizing

Uncovering JAPA: Explore how subcontracting community organizing to nonprofits can enhance resident participation but risks perpetuating power inequities without addressing systemic racial and class-based disparities.

October 17, 2024

Holding Landlords Accountable

Uncovering JAPA: Learn how OpenRefine is being used to track landlords' property ownership, enabling planners to target code enforcement and improve housing policy efforts.

Streets for People: Redefining Traffic Management

October 10, 2024

Rethinking Walkability: Prioritizing Pedestrian Movement

Uncovering JAPA: Discover how Hong Kong is tackling pedestrian detour ratios (PDR) to address challenges in high-traffic areas and promote safer, more walkable infrastructure.

October 3, 2024

From Global Classroom to Home: Confronting Cultural Differences

Uncovering JAPA: Discover how haigui leverage their U.S. education to advocate for innovative planning practices in China, navigating cultural differences along the way.

September 26, 2024

Navigating Intra-Ethnic Tensions

Uncovering JAPA: Gentrifiers of color can contribute to neighborhood revitalization, but this often results in increased displacement, underscoring the urgent need for urban planners to implement policies that support economically disadvantaged communities.

September 20, 2024

Mapping Indigenous Food Infrastructure

Uncovering JAPA: Learn how an indigenous-led photovoice food systems approach reveals vital cultural and ecological assets, advocating for more equitable and resilient food systems.

September 12, 2024

Reimagine Tolling With HOTTER Lanes

Uncovering JAPA: Discover how transforming metropolitan freeways into sustainable, multimodal systems can offer congestion-free travel for non-drivers and underserved populations by integrating toll revenue and incentives to reduce traffic and promote alternative transportation.

September 5, 2024

Bridging the Gap: Planners and Stakeholders

Uncovering JAPA: See how planners can enhance transparency and collaboration to address power imbalances and prevent corruption in projects.

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August 29, 2024

Applicability and Ethics of Extended Reality (XR) in Planning

Uncovering JAPA: Explore how extended reality (XR) is utilized for urban design and public engagement, and the rising question about whether XR will enhance planning or lead to dystopian outcomes.

August 22, 2024

Multinational Survey: Planners' Use of New Technology

Uncovering JAPA: Learn how planners are adopting new technologies and how AI is expected to impact administrative work, while its role in community engagement remains uncertain.

August 15, 2024

A Cold Shower is Not Heat Resilience

Uncovering JAPA: Learn how reframing urban heat as an infrastructure issue and engaging communities in planning can build resilience against rising temperatures.

August 8, 2024

Predicting Grocery Access After a Hurricane

Uncovering JAPA: As disaster storms increase, discover how they significantly impact food access for vulnerable communities.

August 1, 2024

Deregulating Parking

Uncovering JAPA: Learn how Champaign, Illinois, has combated onsite parking constraints by removing minimum parking requirements and improving the utilization of existing parking.

July 25, 2024

A New Tool for Infill Policy

Uncovering JAPA: Learn how states are enhancing infill development to lower housing costs by using statistical models to support state agencies prioritize and monitor local zoning regulations.

July 18, 2024

Can ChatGPT Analyze Public Feedback?

Uncovering JAPA: Learn how ChatGPT analyzes public feedback data, aiding urban planners with high accuracy and essential human oversight.

July 11, 2024

How Can Carshare Help Low-Income Travelers?

Uncovering JAPA: Carshare programs can benefit low-income travelers but there remain some challenges that need to be addressed.

June 27, 2024

Sustainable Development: Vision or Policy?

Uncovering JAPA: Discover how 20 years of sustainability emphasis has led to slow and uneven progress in implementing effective sustainability policies.

WFH Planning Lessons (blog featured image)

June 20, 2024

Applying Online Community Engagement Lessons to In-Person Meetings

Uncovering JAPA: Explore the community engagement strategies and approaches planners utilized during the COVID-19 that provide valuable insights for enhancing future in-person engagement practices.

Animators Unlock Active School Travel (blog featured image)

June 13, 2024

Integrating Community Animators into Planning

Uncovering JAPA: Learn how community animators can help municipal governments effectively engage marginalized communities in planning processes by bridging gaps between community members and urban planners.

June 6, 2024

Property Taxes Cannot Fund Climate Adaptation in Florida

Uncovering JAPA: Explore Florida's coastal counties' fiscal vulnerability to sea level rise and the pressing need for alternative revenue sources and efforts.

May 30, 2024

Can We Measure Land Use Policies’ Role In Fair Housing?

Uncovering JAPA: Explore the Fair Housing Land Use Score and how it measures whether local governments' land use policies promote neighborhood inclusion.

May 23, 2024

What Is a Complete Community?

Uncovering JAPA: Explore 'Complete Communities' and how it evolved to emphasize positive attributes like sustainability and livability.

May 9, 2024

Can Transit-Oriented Developments Include Affordable Development?

Uncovering JAPA: Explore hurdles to affordable housing in Southern California's transit-oriented developments, and the importance of legislative and local government support for inclusivity in transit communities.

May 2, 2024

Will We Zone For Transit?

Uncovering JAPA: Explore how transit-oriented development (TOD) emerged as a crucial strategy in curbing urban sprawl with the 2023 Montreal light rail project.

April 23, 2024

Hardening the American Landscape

Uncovering JAPA: Explore the diverse policy options for local leaders to curb hardscape expansion during rapid infill, emphasizing the importance of modeling local factors and utilizing machine learning techniques to mitigate environmental risks.

Power Imbalances in a Failed Smart City Development (blog featured image)

April 18, 2024

Navigating Quayside: Lessons in Smart City Planning

Uncovering JAPA: Explore the challenges faced in public-private partnerships using Toronto's Quayside project.

April 11, 2024

Planning for Dollar Stores

Uncovering JAPA: Explore the challenges and opportunities posed by the rapid expansion of dollar stores, addressing the issues related to food access and community vitality.

April 4, 2024

Learning from Ad Hoc Mixed-Use Partnerships in Toronto

Uncovering JAPA: Explore the evolution of Creative Mixed-Use (CMU) development in Toronto, emphasizing the critical role of cross-sectoral partnerships and the challenges faced during this transformative process.

March 29, 2024

Planners Can Integrate Climate Migrants

Uncovering JAPA: Explore climate migration, as researchers discuss depictions of "climate havens" and "welcoming cities," and offer insights for planning inclusive communities.

March 14, 2024

Residents’ Changing Perspectives on Disaster Resettlement

Uncovering JAPA: In Tacloban City, Philippines, holistic restoration, community empowerment, site development, transparent communication, and flexible participation are emphasized in post-disaster relocation efforts.

February 15, 2024

Long Beach’s Approach to Youth Advocacy in Planning

Uncovering JAPA: Long Beach invests in Youth, establishing a Global Model with the Office of Youth Development.

February 1, 2024

Considering Flood Risk in Development Decision Making

Uncovering JAPA: North Carolina sees rapid new flood risk development, revealing complex socioeconomic factors in risk management.

January 25, 2024

Refocus Heat Action Plans To Mitigate Indoor Heat Risks

Uncovering JAPA: Study finds the importance of prioritizing building improvements over tree planting strategies for mitigating the risk of indoor extreme heat.

January 19, 2024

60 Years of Racial Equity in Urban Planning

Uncovering JAPA: Insightful analysis about racial equity planning to inform planning practitioners' efforts to advance racial and social justice.

January 11, 2024

Mitigating Flood Risk Through Smart Land Use Practice

Uncovering JAPA: A 20-year study on North Carolina floodplain development underscores the need for evidence-based policies and robust flood mitigation plans.

January 4, 2024

Are Traffic Impact Studies Still "Junk Science"?

Uncovering JAPA: How Traffic Impact Assessments (TIAs) often fail to meet the substantial evidence standard due to flawed, unsubstantial methods.

December 21, 2023

Prioritizing Environmental Justice in Comprehensive Planning

Uncovering JAPA: California plans are analyzed for environmental justice (EJ) incorporation, revealing advancements in BIPOC communities while underscoring the absence of an explicit racial focus.

December 14, 2023

Restorative Pathways: Navigating Healing and Justice in Communities Affected by Spatial Trauma

Uncovering JAPA: Addressing spatial trauma in Black and brown communities, urging today's planners to embrace equitable spatial development through healing approaches.