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National Community Planning Month

Planners work to improve the well-being of all people living in our communities by taking a comprehensive perspective. This approach leads to safer, resilient, more equitable, and more prosperous communities. We celebrate the role that planning plays in creating great communities each October with National Community Planning Month.

Planning is more important than ever as communities continue to navigate the disruptive changes brought about by the pandemic.

Join the conversation with #planningmonth.

Get Inspired

From economic development and transportation planning to reinventing what our communities look like post-COVID-19, this October share how planning and planners are leading the way forward for all in your community.

Jason Gilman, AICP, shares how planning is essential for creating resilient communities:

A mask-wearing employee of a small business that's open during the pandemic holds open the door to her shop. Getty Images.

Small Business Strategies

Hear how planners in two Massachusetts cities used Community Development Block Grant funding via the CARES Act to help small businesses navigate pandemic challenges.

Digital networks in the United States (small).

Closing the Digital Gap

Planners are working to close the digital divide and improve accessibility for all. Hear from Anna Read, AICP, officer for the broadband research initiative at The Pew Charitable Trusts, about how several communities are closing the gap.

Woman shows her COVID recovery mural in front of a store in Seattle.

Role of the Planning Department

Planners in Seattle are using data and a big-picture framework to plan for an equitable, resilient recovery that is anchored by a race and social justice lens. Read about the planning department's role in Seattle's corornavirus strategy.

Square logo with the words "Road to Recovery" and the APA logo.

Road to Recovery Videos

The Road to Recovery video series profiles why planning is needed now more than ever. Hear from Lansing, Michigan's Deputy Mayor Samatha Harkins, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and President of Advisory Services at WSP John Porcari.

Tools

Graphics

Access the National Community Planning Month graphics to use in your materials.

Color Logo (JPG)

Color Logo (Vector)

Proclamation

Engage local, state and federally elected officials by encouraging them to proclaim October as Community Planning Month.

Community Planning Month Proclamation Template (Word doc)