Sept. 23, 2025
Stephanie Rouse, AICP, and Jennifer Hiatt, JD, have always been big readers. These days, the two planners — based in Lincoln, Nebraska — have turned their passion into a successful planning podcast.
They launched Booked on Planning in 2022 and are now on their fourth season. Topics range from economic development to streetscape and design, and everything in between as Rouse and Hiatt read, discuss, and recommend books by planners, for planners.
In a recent episode of People Behind the Plans, they discussed the experience of starting and maintaining a podcast with host Meghan Stromberg, editor in chief at the American Planning Association (APA), including what they've learned and, of course, some book recommendations.
Classic books, old and new
The idea for the podcast was originally from members of the board of the Nebraska Chapter of APA, which Rouse and Hiatt say struggles to support robust preparation for the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Certification Exam for its members. What began as a study aid has grown into a series of lively conversations.
One of the more memorable interviews was their 2022 conversation with Donald Shoup, FAICP, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) planning professor, parking expert, and author of The High Cost of Free Parking, originally published by Planners Press in 2005. "He was kind of a legend in the field," Rouse says. "He was really down to earth, really easy to talk to, had just really great insights and was just the go-to for parking reform in cities." Twenty years on, the ideas espoused by Shoup, whose death in February 2025 was mourned by planners across the country, remain highly relevant.
Reading Recommendations from the Experts
Photo courtesy of Booked on Planning.
Want to read some of the books mentioned on Booked on Planning? Here's a list of the books and episodes mentioned by Stephanie Rouse, AICP, and Jennifer Hiatt, JD.
StreetFight
Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow
Listen. Read.
Dwell Time
The Fight to Save the Town
Michelle Wilde Anderson
Listen. Read.
City on a Hill
The Accidental Ecosystem
Dark PR
A more recent book about how federal government policies allowed for and reinforced neighborhood segregation could become one of the next classics, the podcast hosts say. The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein challenges the notion that segregation was and is the unintended consequence of individualized racism and prejudice. It's a book that will "stand the test of time," Rouse says. Just Action — written by Rothstein and Leah Rothstein — is a follow-up to The Color of Law, Rouse says.
The Misunderstood History of Gentrification: People, Planning, Preservation, and Urban Renewal, 1915–2020 by Dennis E. Gale is another book Hiatt calls a new classic. "It's a rethinking of gentrification," she says. In the PBTP interview, Hiatt explains that it was the historic restoration of certain neighborhoods that ended up kicking locals out, rather than the razing of original structures and their replacement with modern high-rises. The interview with Gale is one of Hiatt's favorite episodes, she says.
Becoming podcasters — and German pop culture stars?
Both Rouse and Hiatt acknowledge how difficult it can be to start a podcast — particularly in today's oversaturated market — but they say the experience has been worthwhile. Even if a topic has already received a fair bit of coverage, there's room for fresh takes. "You have a unique perspective and a unique planning voice," Hiatt says. "Use it."
Rouse and Hiatt also emphasize using resources that are immediately available. Rouse looked to Jonathan Miller, AICP, MPA, GISP, host of the VERY UNofficial: An AICP Study Guide Podcast, for advice. "He tipped me onto some of the software and the way to translate audio files and helped set the stage of getting started," Rouse says. "He was instrumental in just figuring out what goes into a podcast."
And while Rouse and Hiatt share a love for reading, they acknowledge it can be a struggle to produce a podcast that requires the reading of two, often chunky, books each month. Of the roughly 10 hours committed by each host for every episode, about half is dedicated to just reading the material.
The audience and reach of Booked on Planning have grown and evolved alongside the hosts' podcasting expertise. Initially, it was mostly APA members and planners, but the show now has listeners around the world.
These days, they say only about one percent of listeners tune in from Nebraska. Strangely enough, two percent are also tuning in from Germany. "The little population from Germany that listens to us always warms my heart when we see that download," Hiatt says.
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