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July 13, 2021
State governments are finding new ways to amplify local and regional planning efforts that take aim at curbing harmful carbon emissions and ensuring climate impacts do not disproportionately burden underserved communities. Here is a look at some actions states are taking to help communities secure net-zero futures.
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May 20, 2021
Catch up on the latest efforts by planners who are leading zoning reform across the country.
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April 13, 2021
Zoning reform efforts are underway in Connecticut, a state with a long history of exclusionary zoning. Several bills that aim to tackle zoning reform are in play at the legislature this session — and planners are weighing in.
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April 2, 2021
A bipartisan bill that would empower planners to reform zoning and development codes, create housing action plans, and modernize regulatory structures has been introduced in Congress.
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April 2, 2021
Planners and communities are eager to see transformational infrastructure policy move forward in Washington. While President Biden's infrastructure plan offers much promise, there are also important questions that remain unanswered about support for planning-led solutions in any infrastructure package.
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March 25, 2021
Earmarks are back on Capitol Hill, giving planners a new pathway for securing funding for critical projects. APA's Jason Jordan breaks down what planners need to know to secure federal support for transportation project earmarks.
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January 27, 2021
A new economic development bill includes provisions that will make it easier for towns and cities across Massachusetts to produce more housing by greenlighting certain local zoning changes with a simple majority vote.
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September 9, 2020
With less than a month before the end of data collection for the 2020 Census, planners are making final efforts to help increase self-response rates in the hardest-to-count neighborhoods.
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August 19, 2020
With the nation's current surface transportation law set to expire next month, APA Policy Director Jason Jordan explores the path to reauthorization legislation and the status of key planning priorities.
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July 8, 2020
A new congressional climate action plan positions planning as one solution to tackling climate change. APA supported the creation of the plan by contributing ideas for how federal climate policy can set the context for effective local and regional plans.
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February 3, 2020
As 2020 state legislative sessions start up, here are three top issues for planners.
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August 6, 2019
State legislation is a part of housing reform. Here are APA's actions for the states.
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August 2, 2019
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.
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July 11, 2019
Read about the three key housing crisis takeaways for planners in the new National League of Cities Housing Task Force report, Homeward Bound.
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July 1, 2019
APA Amicus Committee Chair John Baker explains what the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn a longstanding property takings precedent means for planners.
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May 13, 2019
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.
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April 22, 2019
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.
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January 29, 2019
A summary of four plans that will shape Puerto Rico’s response to the urgent humanitarian needs of the island’s residents after Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
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November 7, 2018
The 2018 Midterm Elections delivered historic firsts and set the stage for shifts in power likely to affect legislative outcomes on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures nationwide. APA reviews the key takeaways.
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October 26, 2018
State and local ballot measures are driving voters to the polls this fall. We are watching some key planning-related measures that could have an impact on your community.
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October 12, 2018
Congressional legislation reauthorizing the FAA included important reforms that promote hazard mitigation and resiliency. The legislation marks one of the most sweeping changes to federal hazard programs in years.
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October 4, 2018
Funding for our parks, green spaces, and the National Park Service are on Congress's agenda. APA is calling on planning advocates to ensure these vital spaces and sources of funding will be protected.
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March 26, 2018
Housing affordability challenges across the nation are some of the most pressing and controversial. Learn more about California housing legislation and the role of planners.
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March 15, 2018
APA's Policy Director Jason Jordan recaps the latest congressional overtures on an infrastructure package.
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March 1, 2018
The deadline for states to apply for an Opportunity Zone designation is fast approaching. Planners need to act quickly to ensure that their communities do not miss out on this important opportunity.
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February 21, 2018
The President's FY 2019 budget proposal dramatically changes the core functions of HUD by eliminating all community development programs and cutting off funds for renovating and modernizing public housing.
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February 14, 2018
President Trump released his long-awaited infrastructure plan in conjunction with his FY 2019 budget proposal. While the plan pushes debate on infrastructure legislation forward, it fails to address serious funding concerns held by APA and others.
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February 13, 2018
Once again, the Trump administration has proposed eliminating federal funding for programs central to good planning. APA believes such attempts only hurt communities, and urges planning advocates to voice their support for these vital programs.
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February 6, 2018
Technology is rapidly expanding our transit choices, and states are taking notice. What’s new for autonomous vehicles at the state level thus far in 2018?
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January 31, 2018
APA's Director of Policy Jason Jordan recaps President Trump's first State of the Union Address, the planning issues discussed, and policy issues Congress must address in the days ahead.
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January 11, 2018
In a controversial move, HUD issued a notice effectively suspending new fair housing planning rules until 2020. APA plans to submit comments on the action.
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December 18, 2017
House and Senate conferees have struck a compromise agreement on tax reform. While the bill preserves most planning and development tools, long-term effects of tax reform pose new uncertainties for local planning efforts and communities.
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December 5, 2017
Congressional leaders are hoping to complete work on tax reform before the end of the year. The quickest way to accomplish that is reconciling the differences between the House and Senate bills through the conference committee process.
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December 4, 2017
With both House and Senate tax bills passed, it is now the job of conferees to reconcile the two for a final vote on tax reform before the holiday recess. Here's what APA likes and dislikes about each bill.
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November 21, 2017
If tax reform is intended to spur economic growth and investment, it should retain historic tax credits (HTCs) — an incentive for boosting private investment in the rehabilitation of old buildings.
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November 21, 2017
Congress heads home for Thanksgiving having made significant progress on tax reform legislation. The House of Representatives passed its bill, and the Senate's legislation will head to the floor soon.
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November 10, 2017
The Senate Finance Committee released a detailed summary of its own tax reform legislation just hours after the long-awaited tax bill hit the floor in the House.
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November 6, 2017
The long-awaited tax reform legislation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1), contains provisions that will have potentially significant impacts on housing and economic development activities.
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October 19, 2017
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.
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July 14, 2017
Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán recently introduced the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program Act of 2017, a bill that would codify funding for the development of urban parks, green spaces, and recreational areas in communities across the country.
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May 26, 2017
There is a real concern that the 2020 Census will be underfunded and unable to deliver the type of data needed for the nation and its communities.
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April 24, 2017
Community Development Programs have impacted communities all across the country, here are just a few of the many accomplishments made possible by CDBG and HOME.
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March 22, 2017
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin makes the case for why planners must tell their representatives to support the Digital Coast Act.
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February 28, 2017
Planners should know about the key terms associated with the federal budgetary process: budgets, authorizations, and appropriations.
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February 3, 2017
Issues of housing, social equity, and access to data are critical APA legislative and policy priorities, and APA will vigorously oppose legislation that threatens them.
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January 19, 2017
New state laws allowing for the testing of autonomous vehicles look ahead to the possibilities of the technology and the role of planning.
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January 17, 2017
APA's housing and community development policy expert Tess Hembree looks back on Obama's HUD legacy and reviews Ben Carson's performance at his nomination hearing.
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September 29, 2016
A Summer 2016 JAPA article looks at how planners are dealing with the dangers and problems created by local fracking.
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September 27, 2016
Digital technology can be good or bad for cities. Which way it goes depends on how well technologists and urbanists work together.
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September 12, 2016
Before we can predict how technology might shape cities, we have to identify the essential efficiencies — and costs — of urban environments.
