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Our Post-Pandemic Future Could Be a Lot Less Car-Centric
Planners are turning open streets pilots and parklet pop-ups into long-term plans for more equitable, sustainable transportation networks.by: David KanerCOVID-19 has highlighted an existing need to rebalance our streets by prioritizing equitable mobility options, not private vehicles. These are the strategies planners are using to make that happen — and for the long term. -
Is It Time to Rethink the Property Tax?
It’s the largest local government revenue source, but four economic and technology trends are threating to make property tax obsolete. Here's what that could mean for you and your community.by: Shayne Kavanagh March 18, 2021Technology is driving change that could make property tax obsolete for local governments across the U.S. and Canada. Because land uses are closely linked to property tax, it could have future implications for planners and other land-use professionals. -
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. -
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 -
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. -
Columbus 'Zones In' on More Housing Amid Population Boom
by: Jon DePaolisThe effects of the nationwide housing supply crisis were pushing Columbus, Ohio, to the brink. -
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 -
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? -
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 -
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 LibertyAfter 100-plus years of prioritizing single-family zoning, cities and states are welcoming diverse housing types back to the neighborhood. -
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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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.
New Ordinance Aims to Boost Sacramento’s Housing Supply
by: Jon DePaolisWhen Nguyen Nguyen, an associate planner in Sacramento, California, began meeting with residents about housing concerns in 2021, he started hearing similar stories.
Eliminating Owner-Occupied Restrictions for Missing Middle Housing
by: Grant Holub-MoormanUncovering JAPA: Discover how allowing private developers to build middle housing is key to making single-family zoning reform effective and expanding affordable housing options.
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
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
7 Actions for Planners Facing Insecure Federal Funding
by: Jason Jordan, Brenna DoneganA variety of federal grant programs are at risk of losing funding due to recent actions by the Trump Administration, including discretionary programs such as Safe Streets for All, RAISE/BUILD grants, and Reconnecting Communities. Here are 7 actions for planners to take when federal grant funds in their communities are in jeopardy.
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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When's the Right Time to Rezone Abandoned Strip Malls?
by: Grant Holub-MoormanUncovering JAPA: Learn more about how the rise of e-commerce and how remote work has led to an oversupply of retail space, revealing a zoning mismatch that urges planners to rethink and repurpose vacant retail areas for more sustainable uses.
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
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.
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.
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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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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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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Implementing Complete and Green Streets for All
This Case Study showcases how to transform local decision making by incorporating equity, health, and accountability into transportation policies. Illustrating how small-scope studies and demonstration projects can advance implementation of complete streets.- Leigh Ann Von Hagen, AICP
- Elise Bremer-Nei, AICP
- Peter Bilton, AICP
- Cassidy Boulan, AICP
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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.
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.
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
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.
Preparing for the Electric Vehicle Surge
Zoning Practice — October 2022by: Brian Ross, AICP, Jessica Hyink, Rebecca Heisel October 01, 2022Electric vehicles (EVs) are a rapidly growing sector of our nation’s (and the world’s) light-duty vehicle market. This issue of Zoning Practice identifies the land-use implications of the ongoing EV market transformation, particularly the considerations that communities need to address in regard to public EV charging infrastructure.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
The Use of Foresight and Scenario Planning in Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Planning
PAS Memo 113by: Petra Hurtado, PhD, Joseph DeAngelis, AICPThis PAS Memo offers guidance to planners on how to expand their use of foresight through exploratory scenario planning in both the hazard mitigation and climate adaptation fields.Nonmembers$0.00APA members & PAS subscribers$0.00
2023 Trend Report for Planners
by: Petra Hurtado, PhD, Sagar Shah, PhD, AICP, Joseph DeAngelis, AICP, Alexsandra Gomez January 24, 2023The 2023 Trend Report for Planners features more than 100 existing, emerging, and potential future trends that APA identified as relevant to planning. The trends are structured within three timeframes (Act Now, Prepare, Learn and Watch), which indicate the urgency of planners’ action.
AI in Planning: Opportunities and Challenges and How to Prepare
Conclusions and Recommendations from APA's "AI in Planning" Foresight Communityby: Clinton Andrews, AICP, Keith Cooke, Alexsandra Gomez, Petra Hurtado, PhD, Thomas Sanchez, AICP, Sagar Shah, PhD, AICP, Norman Wright, AICP September 09, 2022This white paper summarizes findings from APA's "AI in Planning" Foresight Community and suggests initial ideas on how planners can prepare for AI and its potential impacts, how planners can ensure AI-based planning tools are used in equitable and inclusive ways, and what the role of the planner should be in developing and using AI-based planning tools.
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.
Activating Ground Floors in Mixed-Use Buildings After COVID
Zoning Practice — August 2022by: Thomas SmithThis issue of Zoning Practice looks at the actions of several communities trying to promote successful mixed-use development, including communities that have adopted stricter criteria for where ground-floor retail is appropriate and communities that have reduced the number of locations where ground-floor retail is mandated.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00
How State Judiciaries Battled Exclusionary Zoning
These century-old arguments can support policy change and zoning reform today.by: Francine Romero July 25, 2022These century-old arguments can support policy change and zoning reform today.
Digital Public Hearings in a Post-COVID World
Zoning Practice — July 2022by: Travis Parker, AICPThis issue of Zoning Practice examines problems associated with the traditional process of local government public hearings, introduces the relatively new idea of asynchronous public hearings, and explores the advantages and challenges of modernizing the public hearing process.ZP subscriber$0.00
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.