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4 Zoning Changes That Boost Local Food Security
Zoning reform isn't only about housing. Municipalities can help increase food access with a few tweaks to local land-use law.by: Gina Hervey August 05, 2021Zoning reform isn't only about housing. Municipalities can help increase food access with a few tweaks to local land-use law. -
8 Ways to Launch Your Parking Strategy
Curb management relies on a successful parking plan. Here's how your community can start building one.by: Chrissy Mancini Nichols, John Dorsett, AICP July 29, 2021Curb management relies on a successful parking plan. Here's everything you need to know to squeeze the most efficiency ― and revenue ― out of every space. -
Data Centers Evolved: A Primer for Planners
From zoning to permitting and everything in between, here's what you need to know to set your community up for success for the next generation of digital infrastructure.by: Jacques Fluet July 22, 2021As our lives and cities become more connected, a combination of traditional and new "edge" data centers will be required. How can planners prepare for this next generation of digital infrastructure? -
Creating Staff Reports With Pizzaz
Zoning Practice — June 2023by: Bonnie Johnson, FAICP, PhD, Stephanie Kisler, AICP June 01, 2023This issue of Zoning Practice brings creativity to the staff report by drawing on research about how to foster creative work within organizations. It describes and uses two different exercises based on proven creativity-training programs. These two creative thinking skills processes can assist planners in finding their way to what is most valuable for their technical and empathetic expertise.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00 -
How Planning for Birds Makes Our Communities and Economies Healthier
A new book from biophilic design advocate and sustainability expert Tim Beatley takes a global tour of cities reinventing the status quo to support birdlife.by: Lindsay Nieman July 15, 2021A new book from biophilic design advocate and sustainability expert Tim Beatley takes a global tour of cities reinventing the status quo to support birdlife. -
7 Trends Knocking at the Planning Office Door
In today’s complex world, balancing everyday activities, near-term plans, and visioning for the future is more challenging than ever. APA Foresight has got you covered.by: Petra Hurtado, PhD, Alexsandra Gomez July 08, 2021In today's rapidly changing world, it can be tough to stay abreast of all the challenges facing planners. This article explores seven of the most pressing trends for the profession and what they could mean for your community. -
Wait, Who Approves Large-Scale Solar Siting?
by: David Morley, AICPDetermining which agency ultimately has the authority to approve the siting of a new large-scale solar facility can be complicated. About half of all states have have established explicit limits on local siting authority, offer certain developers a way to bypass that authority, or maintain a parallel siting process. -
Electric Vehicles Are on the Rise. Is Your Community Ready?
What local governments and planners can to do start building much-needed charging networks.by: Daniel Vock July 01, 2021As federal and state governments push transition to EVs, planners have a key role to play in building charging networks. -
Integrating Land Use and Water Planning for a Sustainable Future
Planners and allied professionals should know that when you plan for one, you have to plan for both.by: Heather Hansman July 01, 2021In communities across the U.S., water managers and planners are emerging from the silos they've traditionally operated in to find new ways to work together. The urgency of collaborating to develop resilience in the face of climate change threats is becoming increasingly clear. -
Ethics of AI-Enhanced Planning
by: Grant Holub-MoormanUncovering JAPA: Discover how AI-enhanced planning can drive urban development while requiring planners to tackle biases, ensure transparency, safeguard privacy, and engage communities to promote ethical and equitable outcomes. -
Dementia-Friendly Public Participation
Accessible public engagement tools are key to ensuring the built environment meets the needs of community members with dementia and other disabilities.by: Samantha Biglieri, PhD, M.Pl. June 17, 2021People living with dementia have the right to be included in the communities in which they live. Fortunately, there are several easy, low-cost accommodations practicing planners can make to better engage them in the planning process. -
A Community-Created Rubric for Heat Planning
by: Grant Holub-MoormanUncovering JAPA: Explore how the 'HeatReady Neighborhoods' rubric helps planners address extreme heat with an equity-focused framework, optimizing local assets and involving residents in climate adaptation strategies. -
In Defense of Local Zoning
Zoning Practice — May 2023by: Harvey Jacobs May 01, 2023This issue of Zoning Practice joins the current debate about zoning’s future by arguing in defense of local zoning. It puts the current proposals into a broader historical context of proposed zoning reform over the decades, wondering whether current reformers (like past ones) may be expecting too much from proposed changes.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00 -
A Decade After Disaster
When a tsunami left Japan’s coastal Tōhoku region devastated, the country prioritized concrete and local control. Ten years later, planners take stock of recovery.by: Michael Fitzpatrick June 01, 2021When a tsunami left Japan’s coastal Tōhoku region devastated, the country prioritized concrete and local control. Ten years later, planners take stock of recovery. -
States Consider Source-of-Income Laws to Fight Housing Voucher Discrimination
As the Biden administration looks to expand Section 8 housing assistance, renters, landlords, and local governments grapple with the program's flaws.by: Kristian Hernández June 01, 2021As the Biden administration looks to expand Section 8 housing assistance, renters, landlords, and local governments grapple with the program's flaws. -
Historic Preservation and the LGBTQ Community
Understanding the link between same-sex households and historic districts can help planners manage gentrification and protect queer spaces.by: Kelly Kinahan, AICP, Matthew Ruther May 27, 2021The connection between the LGBTQ community and historic districts, and its interplay with community change, has implications for planning practice. -
ChatGPT: Implications for Planning
PAS QuickNotes 101by: Claire Daniel April 12, 2023This edition of PAS QuickNotes provides a primer on ChatGPT and explores the potential implications of this and similar emerging artificial intelligence products on planning practice.Nonmember price$0.00APA members & PAS subscribers$0.00 -
Unleashing the Potential of ChatGPT in Planning Practice
ChatGPT is taking the world by storm. How can you use this tool effectively and responsibly? Experience generative AI’s potential for planning practice and hear how one U.S. city is already exploring its use.Chicago, Illinois- Thomas Sanchez, AICP
- Lian Plass, AICP
- Santiago Garces
- Ann Dillemuth, AICP
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How Adaptive Reuse Can Help Solve the Housing Crisis
Zoning reform and flexible buildings codes can transform vacant buildings into affordable housing.by: Tatiana Walk-Morris May 01, 2021Vacant warehouses and offices offer new opportunities for affordable housing. But to help make it happen, planners and policy makers need to remove these regulatory obstacles.
The Connection Between Unpermitted ADUs in San José and the Need for Zoning Reform
by: Grant Holub-MoormanUncovering JAPA: Discover how policymakers are using computer vision to identify unpermitted ADUs in San José — shedding light on informal housing and the barriers to legal construction.
2025 Trend Report for Planners
by: Petra Hurtado, PhD, Ievgeniia Dulko, Joseph DeAngelis, AICP, Senna Catenacci, Sagar Shah, PhD, January 29, 2025The 2025 Trend Report features a list of over 100 existing, emerging, and potential future trends that the APA Foresight team and our Trend Scouting Foresight Community identified as relevant to planning.
Smart City Digital Twins Are a New Tool for Scenario Planning
Digitalization and virtual simulation of entire cities can help planners experiment with solutions to meet complex problems.by: Petra Hurtado, PhD, Alexsandra Gomez April 01, 2021Many plans and policies would benefit from undergoing a test stage before implementation. Up until now, the options to do so have been fairly limited. Smart city digital twins promise to change that by allowing planners to explore solutions in a controlled environment that mimics the real city.
Planning for On-Street EV Charging Infrastructure
PAS Memo 115by: Adam Lubinsky, AICP March 01, 2023This PAS Memo article offers guidance in creating equitable and inclusive access to electric vehicle ownership and usage through the provision of on-street, publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure.Nonmembers$10.00APA members & PAS subscribers$0.00
Nontraditional Housing Types Can Help Solve U.S. Homelessness Crisis
We have tried traditional fixes. It’s time to think outside the regulatory box and move away from traditional stick housing for people who are unhoused.by: Wendie Kellington March 11, 2021Planners are uniquely suited to help start conversations and educate elected officials about nontraditional housing options, and to lay the regulatory groundwork to make modern-day Hoovervilles truly a thing of the past.
6 Ways to Help Bridge the Racial Wealth Gap
Planners can and should play a pivotal role in advancing equitable economic outcomes.by: Karen Kazmierczak March 01, 2021Planners might not always have the authority to redirect funding to historically neglected communities, but they can still play a pivotal role in advancing more equitable outcomes. Here are six ways to get started.
Greenlighting Cannabis — What Every Planning Department Needs to Know
Momentum for cannabis legalization is growing nationwide. For communities in states that might be next, the best time to start preparing is now.by: Daniel Vock February 11, 2021Communities everywhere should be thinking about and planning for the eventuality of legalized recreational cannabis. Fortunately, they can look to local jurisdictions in states that have gone before them for lessons on what works — and what doesn’t.
It’s Not Personal: Self-Care Tips to Avoid Burnout, Conflict, and Contentious Community Meetings
Planners are often required to handle highly emotional situations and face public criticism, which can cause a great deal of stress and lead to burnout. Self-care is therefore vital to a successful and fulfilling career in planning, yet it is not typically part of our professional education and training.Chicago, Illinois- Heather Seyfarth, AICP
- Bobbie Albrecht
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Practice Gentle Density
Zoning Practice — February 2023by: Jacqueline Berg, AICP, John Houseal, FAICP February 01, 2023This issue of Zoning Practice explores zoning strategies that balance the concerns of residents and the demands of the housing market by accommodating gentle density increases in a context-sensitive manner. From historic downtown neighborhoods to modern residential subdivisions, the tools presented can be used by planners throughout the country to implement housing policy through regulation.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
Commercial Corridor Redevelopment Strategies
PAS Report 598by: Luis Nunez February 01, 2021All commercial corridors have the potential to be vibrant, compelling, and sustainable assets to communities. But planners can face multiple challenges to making this idea a reality, especially for declining auto-oriented, retail-focused strips. This PAS Report provides planners with a comprehensive suite of market-based strategies to improve their communities’ commercial corridors.Nonmember price$25.00APA member & PAS subscriber$0.00
Planning for the Needs of an Aging Population
Questions and answers about what communities should know about shifting demographics.by: Meghan Stromberg February 01, 2021Our population is aging. How can planners prepare?
3 Zoning Changes That Make Residential Neighborhoods More Affordable
Zoning reform is one of our greatest weapons against rising housing costs. Here's how we can wield it.by: Robert Liberty February 01, 2021After 100-plus years of prioritizing single-family zoning, cities and states are welcoming diverse housing types back to the neighborhood.
High Growth Utah Communities Push for Federal Housing Support
by: Brenna DoneganAPA Utah President Tippe Morlan, AICP, sits down to talk about how high growth communities in Utah are tackling the housing crisis through zoning reform.
Eliminating Racial Segregation Is Good Economic Policy
Income disparities and racial segregation are deeply intertwined, burdening both people of color and the U.S. economy. Here's how we can reverse that trend.by: Tatiana Walk-Morris January 01, 2021More than half a century after the Fair Housing Act outlawed policies like redlining, racial segregation continues to plague the U.S.
Climate Migrants Are on the Move
Which cities need to plan for population booms?by: Daniel Vock January 01, 2021Geography alone won’t turn communities into climate change migrant receiver cities. Communities must think about their own sustainability and prepare their existing residents for changes to come.
Increased Remote Work Could Mean Big Changes for Cities
The pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of work. How can cities faced with excess commercial office space adapt?by: Brian Barth January 01, 2021The COVID-19 crisis has merely accelerated a transformation of work life that has been decades in the making.
8 Steps to an Effective Code Transition
Zoning Practice — January 2023by: Derrick Rhys Wilson January 01, 2023This issue of Zoning Practice summarizes when and why it may be necessary for a city, town, or county to replace an existing development code. It provides an overview of the code-transition process, offering a brief instructional guide on how to organize and complete each step.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
Accelerating Zoning Reform: A Conversation
Boosting the supply, availability, and diversity of housing options is essential to expanding opportunity and affordability for all. Creating livable and age-friendly communities requires reforms that allow for new housing options. APA, AARP, and the National League of Cities have made housing opportunity and zoning reform a key priority.- Victoria Woodards
- Angela Brooks, FAICP
- Rodney Harrell
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Building Sustainable Affordable Housing At All Income Levels
Learn why our cities and regions must build eco-socially sustainable, “green” housing that is affordable at all income levels, what this looks like, and how to get it built through community-based strategies for designing, approving, and funding in diverse localities- Phillip Kash
- David Woods, FAICP
- Dana Bourland, AICP
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Building the National Zoning Atlas
If zoning is a language, then every zoning ordinance is its own dialect. By mapping standardized zoning data across thousands of jurisdictions, the National Zoning Atlas provides legibility to those seeking to understand zoning trends that transcend jurisdictional boundaries.- Sara Bronin
- John Infranca
- Max Latona
- Yoshi Bird
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How a Digital Twin Empowered Civic Inclusion
Learn how the planning department at the Borough of State College, PA has deployed a digital twin to analyze the impacts of new developments, specifically denser residential development to meet their modern housing needs.- Keith Cooke
- Ed LeClear, AICP
- Gregory Garthe, AICP
- Sydney Rich
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GeoDesign Tools Are Changing the Community Planning Process
Learn how to use of the latest cutting-edge web-based GIS tools and how a GeoDesign driven approach is changing the Community Planning Process.- Robert Kain
- Christine Ma
- Dan Meehan
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Storytelling, Not Yelling: Toward More Inclusive Public Engagement
Community engagement processes must adapt to the age of increased polarization, digitalization, and inequity. This case study shares how successful storytelling approaches find alignments and shared values of the public while helping to establish public trust in planning processes.- Kohl Malo, AICP
- Katharine Ange
- Asa Eslocker
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TOD: A Way to Transform Your Community
Transit-oriented development (TOD) capitalizes on public transit access by transforming underutilized spaces into walkable and sustainable communities, with a mix of land uses, a vibrant public realm, opportunities to address affordability and equity, and excellent connectivity to amenities and neighborhoods.- Pattie Guttenplan, AICP
- Marley Bice, AICP
- Charles Guttenplan, AICP
- Jennifer Dougherty, AICP
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Making Way for Missing Middle: Tulsa's Neighborhood Overlay
Tulsa adopted its Neighborhood Infill Overlay in December 2021, after years of planning and community engagement in downtown-adjacent neighborhoods. The overlay removes barriers for new missing middle housing and brings historic missing middle building types into compliance with zoning.- Nathan Foster
- Travis Hulse, AICP
- Beatriz Baeza-Denis
- Daniel Jeffries, AICP
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Yes, Transit Can Support Affordable Housing
Affordable housing is a challenge facing many cities across the country with solutions focusing on increasing supply. The Oregon Department of Transportation took a different approach and wanted to see how transit could increase overall affordability across the state.- Brian Waterman, AICP
- Sumi Malik
- Rebecca Dann Hewitt, AICP
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Engaging Faith-Based Organizations to Secure Affordable Housing
Georgia Tech's urban design studio partners with 2 Presbyterian churches, a Baptist Church, and a Synagogue to conduct deep-dive explorations into opportunities, challenges, and realities that communities of faith face when they get involved in the City’s affordable housing scene.- Kortney Cena
- Miriam Dominguez
- Colin Delargy
- Clifton McFarlane
- Jullanar Waheed
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Hybrid Engagement - New Normal
To avoid project shut-down, these planners learned to “surf” the waves of COVID-19 conditions, and pivot between in-person and online engagement. This case study highlights lessons learned and the “new normal” of crisis-ready outreach strategies.- Georgia Sheridan, AICP
- Isaiah Ford
- Michael Iswalt, AICP
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Three Ways a Lack of Workforce Housing Impacts Communities
by: Zoe KaplanThe consequences for insufficient workforce housing are severe. Learn how planning advocates are fighting to secure federal support to improve local economies.
Rogers, Arkansas, Planners Take On Regulatory Reform
by: Brenna DoneganAPA Public Affairs Program Manager Brenna Donegan spoke to planning advocate John McCurdy about how his city of Rogers, Arkansas is addressing housing challenges, and why other small to mid-size communities in Northwest Arkansas need federal investment and support to make smart zoning reforms happen.
Coliving: An Old Idea Is New Again
Zoning Practice — November 2022by: Kelly Cousino, AICPThis issue of Zoning Practice defines and describes coliving and its benefits, distinguishes coliving from other similar land uses, and identifies barriers to the production of purpose-built coliving communities. It then provides recommendations for changes to local zoning codes to accommodate and encourage coliving.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00