Blogs

August 2, 2019

Federal Surface Transportation Debate Shifts Into High Gear

The nation's current surface transportation law is set to expire on September 30, 2020. Learn where work on the bill stands now, the legislative process ahead, and how planners can influence the outcome.

July 24, 2019

Emerging Professionals Plug Planning Across Borders

SRC Chair Rachael Thompson Panik and Past Chair Ellen Forthofer recently traveled to Ottawa, Canada, to speak on a panel of young professional leaders in APA and the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP).

July 22, 2019

Planners, Here Are Your Keys to Successfully Facilitating Meetings

Meeting facilitation is a vital skill for planners' career success, but it takes a lot of practice to learn the key techniques.

July 18, 2019

Does JAPA Publish Articles on Methods? (Nerd Alert: Technical Details)

Does JAPA publish methods papers? The short answer is yes, but not all types.

July 16, 2019

"If I'd Heard From Just One Constituent..."

The constituent voice is critical for elected officials as they make decisions. Take a peek at how planners elevated their voices at the state level as 2019 legislative sessions wrap up.

June 28, 2019

A Planners' Call to Action: The 2020 Census

With the issue of the controversial U.S. Census citizenship question settled, planners must now embrace their role as facilitators of effective outreach to ensure that an undercount of the nation’s younger, lower income, and black and Hispanic residents is avoided.

June 7, 2019

New Graphic Novel Aims to Engage Teens With Planning

Can a graphic novel about planning inspire communities and planning organizations to achieve greater outreach and more thoughtful engagement with teens?

June 6, 2019

Kevin Lynch and the Shaping of Los Angeles

JAPA continues to highlight Kevin Lynch’s legacy and the ideas in his book The Image of the City. Learn more about his imprint on Los Angeles.

May 30, 2019

Mental Maps Still Matter in the Age of GPS

A JAPA article revisits Kevin Lynch's 1960 book The Image of the City and finds relevance and new insights in his ideas about cognitive mapping.

May 13, 2019

Washington Talks Infrastructure: Will This Time Be Different?

APA Policy Director Jason Jordan reviews the current state of legislative debates on infrastructure in Washington and explores the ways in which APA and its planning advocates are influencing policy ideas in the making.

April 22, 2019

Street Air on Earth Day

Members of the Street Air Project have studied the air pollution problem in Bay View, California, with the goal of quantifying the issues and seeking scientific and planning-related solutions.

April 17, 2019

50 Years of Denise Scott Brown’s Vision for Socially Responsible Design

An Uncovering JAPA post: In 1969, architect Denise Scott Brown wrote in JAPA about the difficult balance between the urban designer's professional expertise and the public's desires. That discussion continues today.

April 10, 2019

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at APA, and the NPC19 Plan4Equity Forum

NPC19's Plan4Equity Forum and the Arts & Planning Group Program and Social are part of a larger and ongoing effort and commitment by APA in the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

April 3, 2019

JAPA — Why You Should Read It

JAPA's new editor, Ann Forsyth, outlines the value of APA's scholarly journal in helping link planning practitioners and researchers.

January 29, 2019

Expanding California's Leadership in Diversifying the Planning Profession

What does diversity and inclusion mean to APA, the planning profession, and planners' efforts to address diversity, inclusion, and equity in planning? Hear from two planners about the road to progress in California.

December 20, 2018

APA’s Impact on the 115th Congress

A look back at the ways that APA advocacy made a difference in the 115th Congress.

November 26, 2018

APA Interest Group Incorporates Public Schools into Community Planning

The APA Public Schools Interest Group looks to improve equity by creating stronger linkages between the planning profession and public school districts.

November 20, 2018

APA Ambassador Leads Florida Students in Mock Council Meeting for Planning Month

APA Ambassador Kim Glas-Castro, AICP, celebrated National Community Planning Month with a mock council meeting at Palm Springs Middle School in Florida.

October 10, 2018

Advancing Planning During National Community Planning Month

Planning advocates nationwide are connecting with their elected officials this month to highlight the important role planning plays in addressing communities' most daunting challenges.

August 14, 2018

APA Ambassador Highlights Planning on Palm Springs Career Day

APA Ambassador Kimberly Glas-Castro, AICP, excites students about planning as a career choice.

July 25, 2018

Planning with Autism in Mind: A Six Feelings Framework

Ohio State University students and faculty explore ways of planning to improve the lives of individuals with autism. Learn more in the latest issue of PAS Memo.

July 17, 2018

APA Ambassador Brings Children’s Workshop to Life in Texas

APA Ambassador Diana Wilson, AICP, partnered with Texas A&M University to engage youth and their parents in planning process.

June 18, 2018

APA Ambassador Turns Students into Map Makers in Polk City, Florida

APA Ambassador Leny Huaman builds off the APA Florida Chapter’s Kindergarten to 2nd Grade Guidebook to teach elementary students about creating plans for their city.

May 21, 2018

APA Ambassadors Empower Middle School Girls Through Crafting

APA Ambassador Shawna Kitzman, AICP, and her team from Fitzgerald, build off the Girls Are Brave program to teach middle school girls about the power planning and zoning plays to improve communities.

May 14, 2018

Empowering Youth — and Planners — at NPC18

A partnership between YEP! Youth Engagement Planning, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Louisiana, and APA's CPAT program organized a youth engagement workshop during the 2018 APA National Planning Conference in New Orleans.

April 21, 2018

Derreck Kayongo Urges Planners to Show Their Passion

Derreck Kayongo of the Global Soap Project kicked off the 2018 National Planning Conference with a call to lift up voices from all members of planners' communities. Watch a recording of his passionate address.

April 9, 2018

APA Great Places and the Power of Advocacy

Read about the benefits of having a Great Place in America in your community, and how planners can leverage it for years to come.

April 3, 2018

Creating a Diversity Committee: Lessons from APA's New York Metro Chapter

Cochairs of APA's New York Metro Chapter Diversity Committee explore the committee’s origins, activities, and tips for other APA chapters who may be interested in starting their own diversity committees.

March 27, 2018

Innovations in Community Resilience for Planners and the Public

Using a CommunityViz scenario tool, planners and community members explored ways of becoming more hazard-resilient and engaging the community in decisions.

March 22, 2018

APA Ambassador Gives San Francisco Youth a Fresh Look at the City

APA Ambassador Deland Chan, AICP, designed a workshop for youth in San Francisco’s Chinatown to learn how to collect and synthesize data about their urban environment.

March 14, 2018

Just Added: New NPC18 Sessions on Trending Topics

As society, culture, and the natural world evolve, so does planning — and the program for NPC18. APA added a number of NPC18 sessions that address trending topics.

March 5, 2018

APA Ambassadors Bring “Kidtropolis” to Iowa Classroom

APA Ambassadors used exercises from the “Metropolis” curriculum developed by John Martoni to help kids envision what a “kid-friendly” and “green” city means to them.

February 7, 2018

Climate Adaptation: Climbing the Mountain Amid a Landslide

A new report assesses the current state of the climate adaptation field. Planner and author Jim Schawb says planners can bring their skills to the table and make a difference.

January 10, 2018

Plan4Health Success Story: Piloting a Health Assessment Lens in Colorado

The Planners4Health project in Colorado advanced cross-sector collaboration by piloting a health assessment tool in three communities.

January 9, 2018

"Park for All" Playground Brings Together APA Ambassador and Texas Students

Ambassador Diana Wilson visited a 7th grade elementary classroom in La Grange, Texas, to hear from students about a new playground and talk about health and fitness.

December 12, 2017

Bringing Food to an Aging America

This is one in a series centered on key findings in the areas of housing, transportation, engagement, health, and food access for our rapidly aging population.

November 10, 2017

Transportation Is One Key to Livable Communities for All Ages

Transportation is highlighted in the first of a series of blog posts on APA's Plan4Health webinar and seminar on “Planning Livable Communities for All Ages."

November 7, 2017

APA Ambassadors Give Students Sky-High View of Planning

APA Ambassadors recount their experience with students at the Research Triangle Park STEM Expo in North Carolina, engaging students with aerial imagery of planning trends from around the world.

October 31, 2017

Students Shape a City at Summer Planning Camp

Recent University of Washington grad Stephanie Velasco shares her experience working as a camp instructor for "Next City," a planning summer camp offered by the university's Robinson Center for Young Scholars.

October 19, 2017

2020 Census Funding Increase Needed Urgently

The 2020 Census faces severe budgetary constraints for the irreplaceable decennial count. Similar problems could be in store for other Census Bureau activities, including the American Community Survey and the already delayed Economic Census.

October 17, 2017

APA Ambassadors Introduce Youth to Planning on Atlanta’s Westside

In August 2017, Atlanta-based planners from APD Urban Planning and Management visited the Mattie Freeland Home to host an Ambassador workshop that focused on community agency in planning processes.

October 9, 2017

APA Ambassador Makes Water Facts Fun in La Grange, Texas

APA Ambassador Diana Wilson made learning fun with water games at the LaGrange County Library's Amazing Water story hour in LaGrange, Texas.

September 27, 2017

Planners Call on Congress: "Fund Community Programs"

At Planners' Day on Capitol Hill 2017, planning advocates urged their representatives to support programs that benefit communities.

September 25, 2017

Is Federal Data Collection in Jeopardy?

Federal data, smart cities, and civic innovation was the focus of the 2017 Daniel Burnham Forum on Big Ideas.

August 29, 2017

Plan4Health Success Story: Go Healthy, Columbus

Through Plan4Health, the Healthy Communities Initiative in Columbus, Indiana, focused on increasing daily physical activity.

August 22, 2017

APA Ambassador and Teen Girls Celebrate Octavia Butler

APA Ambassador Daphne Lundi hosted a workshop in collaboration with the Brooklyn-based Octavia Project, which builds on girls' love for science fiction and fantasy to teach skills in STEM and community building.

July 12, 2017

LGBTQ Pride Month Ends, LGBTQ Streetscapes Just Beginning

Perris Straughter of APA's LGBTQ and Planning Division examines the role planners play in communities that celebrate and strengthen LGBTQ culture through the built environment.