Blog
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March 13, 2024
Big Batteries Are Changing the Energy Landscape
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Is your community ready for battery energy storage systems to help store the sun? -
February 9, 2024
Can Floating Homes Help Us Dodge Climate Hazards?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Are floating homes part of the solution to rising sea levels and more frequent and severe storms? -
February 2, 2024
Now Is the Time to Plan for Our Solar-Powered Future
Solar energy is on its way to being the dominant source of power, but a smooth transition isn't guaranteed. Check out the new third edition of the Solar@Scale guidebook for fresh guidance on planning for utility- and community-scale solar 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 12, 2024
Harnessing the Power of Patterns for Zoning Reform
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Can pre-reviewed plans, pattern books, and pattern zones pave the way to broader missing middle housing reforms? -
December 13, 2023
Disaster Resilience Strategy and Leadership Vary Widely Among States
New research finds some have taken steps to plan and adapt, but others are lagging -
December 11, 2023
Can Zoning Save Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH)?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: What role can zoning play in shielding naturally occurring affordable housing from redevelopment? -
November 8, 2023
Support for Zoning Reform Across Capitol Hill
The PRO-Housing Program cleared important legislative hurdles this month after gaining a second year of funding in the Senate transportation and housing funding bill and passing as an amendment in the House's version of the same funding bill. -
October 13, 2023
No State Immune to Housing Supply Shortage
A new report, sponsored by APA, finds that the nation's housing supply shortage is getting worse, faster — especially for small towns and suburban communities that face high housing demand in the aftermath of the pandemic. -
October 11, 2023
Are We Close to Automating Zoning?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Can generative AI take the drudgery out of drafting zoning regulations? -
September 12, 2023
Who’s That Knocking at Your Door?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How equitable are your zoning regulations for home occupations? -
August 14, 2023
Whose Status Quo Should Zoning Protect?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How can zoning protect historically disadvantaged and vulnerable neighborhoods and business districts? -
July 10, 2023
Small Churches Equal Big Opportunity
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Does your zoning allow new housing on faith-based land? -
June 9, 2023
Is Creativity the Key to Better Staff Reports?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Could "right-brain" thinking unlock the potential of your staff reports? -
May 10, 2023
Should States Shrink Zoning?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Is state preemption of local zoning the answer to the housing crisis? -
April 12, 2023
Can You Zone Drone Use?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How might communities apply zoning concepts to regulations for drone operations? -
March 10, 2023
What's in a (Street) Name?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How do street naming and addressing regulations affect planning goals? -
February 16, 2023
It's Perilous to Ignore “Gentle” Zoning Reforms
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Could subtle zoning changes make a big difference in your community? -
January 24, 2023
Updated Large-Scale Solar Guidance from Solar@Scale
Is your community ready to have a conversation about large-scale solar development? Check out the new second edition of the Solar@Scale guidebook for a comprehensive discussion of local policies and actions that can affect the siting and design of community- and utility-scale solar facilities. -
January 13, 2023
Demystifying the Zoning Reform Process
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Is your community overdue for a new development code? -
December 12, 2022
Queuing Up Drive-Thru Zoning Reforms
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: What does a sensible approach to zoning for drive-through services look like? -
November 11, 2022
Don’t Sleep on Coliving
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Your zoning code probably isn't ready for modern coliving communities. -
October 13, 2022
Is Your Zoning Ready for the EV Surge?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Your zoning code could probably be doing more to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles. -
September 13, 2022
Do Your Planning Boards Reflect Your Community?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: It's time to get serious about diversifying local planning and zoning boards. -
August 16, 2022
How Should We Zone for Post-Retail Streets?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: It's time to rethink zoning requirements that mandate active ground-floor uses. -
July 18, 2022
What Comes After Zoning by Zoom?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Is your community ready for asynchronous public hearings? -
June 21, 2022
How Does Your Zoning Treat Crypto Mining?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Is it time for zoning to pay more attention to cryptocurrency mining? -
May 13, 2022
Going Beyond "Use" Zoning to Promote Housing Equity
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How can deregulation expand housing supply and support housing equity? -
April 11, 2022
Decarbonization Through Development Regulations
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How are communities using zoning and other development regulations to mitigate climate change? -
March 15, 2022
From Mobility Hubs to Mobility-Oriented Development
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: What are mobility hubs? And how can planners use zoning and other land-use and development regulations to support mobility-oriented development? -
March 14, 2022
Is Zoning Helping or Hindering Office-to-Housing Conversions?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Do high office vacancy rates mean that office-to-housing conversions are inevitable? How does zoning affect opportunities for adaptive reuse projects? -
December 15, 2021
Three Bold Proposals for Zoning Reform
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Three recent issues of Zoning Practice have offered bold new visions for alternatives to the status quo in zoning. These visions range from a radical rebuild to an attempt to harness self-interest to advance elusive collective goals. -
November 12, 2021
Is Campus Zoning Due for a Shake-Up?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Cities, towns, and counties often take a light touch when it comes to zoning for major educational and health-care campuses. But do demographic and technological changes mean it's time to rethink the status quo? -
September 28, 2021
Helping Planners Advance Disaster Recovery
APA recently published the Post-Disaster Recovery Guide for Planners — a resource that aims to help local planners working for communities that are recovering from all kinds of disasters, including catastrophic flooding and damage and disruption from cascading hazards. -
February 18, 2021
Urban Heat Management and the Legacy of Redlining
Uncovering JAPA: Neighborhoods that were once targets of redlining now have higher land surface temperatures than other neighborhoods in the same city. Planners need to correct past policy errors to make cities more equitable, including in urban heat management. -
February 16, 2021
Chicago Sells Vacant Parcels For $1 and Nets Crime Reduction
Uncovering JAPA: Chicago's policy of selling vacant lots at a very low cost to adjacent landowners and other purchasers with local connections has resulted in a reduction in neighborhood crime. -
February 10, 2021
The Future of Planning Is Agile, People-centric, and Technologically Advanced
Petra Hurtado, PhD, APA's Research Director, explores patterns and the agility and technological innovation planners need. -
December 21, 2020
Exploring Gaps in Guidance for Large-Scale Solar Development
The Solar@Scale team recently analyzed the existing literature on planning and zoning for large-scale solar development and identified some significant gaps. -
December 18, 2020
Do Planners Know Plan Integration Can Improve Local Resilience?
APA developed a survey and conducted a series of interviews in an attempt to uncover how planners think about plan integration, and what relationship local plan integration efforts may have with building community resilience. -
October 14, 2020
Solar@Scale: Improving the Local Rules for Large-Scale Solar
APA has partnered with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) on Solar@Scale, a new U.S. Department of Energy-funded project to help realize the potential benefits of large-scale solar development for cities, counties, and special districts. -
February 23, 2017
Research Shows Changing Urban-Suburban Real Estate Preferences
The preferences of real estate investors have changed from suburban to urban over the past six years. -
September 27, 2016
The First Principles of Urbanism: Part II
Digital technology can be good or bad for cities. Which way it goes depends on how well technologists and urbanists work together. -
August 18, 2016
Y-PLAN Expands Youth Outreach Through Professional Networks
Y-PLAN is an educational methodology designed to challenge the status quo by inviting children and young people to participate alongside professionals. -
August 16, 2016
The 4 Ways Urban Parks Bring Value to City Life
Vibrant, well-maintained parks bring public health, environmental, economic, and community benefits to cities. Catherine Nagel, executive director of the City Parks Alliance, highlights the value of parks and the need for greater investment. -
August 10, 2016
Teens Help Bring 1911 Planning Manual into the 21st Century
The Chicago Architecture Foundation is reinventing the 1911 Wacker’s Manual urban planning treatise as a graphic novel intended to inspire young people to become engaged as stewards of Chicago. -
July 13, 2016
Fostering Young Planners in Texas with Scholarships and Art
Amy Wasielewski from North Central Texas Council of Governments talks about three programs that are engaging Arlington's youth in planning. -
May 31, 2016
Behind the Scenes: Smart City Challenge Finalists
A behind-the-scenes look at the Smart City Challenge finalists. -
May 10, 2016
Inside Look: Grand Opening of KC Streetcar
For the first time in more than 50 years, streetcars are running along the streets of Kansas City. APA was on the ground for the grand opening to get the inside scoop. -
May 3, 2016
Denver High School Students Tackle Issues Facing Their Community
A high school class in Denver is studying gentrification and its impact on their lives.
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