APA Podcast

Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Jane Golden: Planning and Public Art Ignite Change

Philadelphia is a public art epicenter — and not by chance. The city has long institutionalized investment in local muralists through programs like Mural Arts Philadelphia, a nonprofit created in 1998 by artist and executive director Jane Golden. Through more than 4,000 murals, the program has helped residents celebrate identity, tackle issues like environmental justice, and paint the change they want to see.

In this episode of People Behind the Plans, Golden shares the community engagement strategies that help Mural Arts reflect the creativity, concerns, and perspectives of its diverse city. We also discuss ways planners can partner with local arts programs to infuse their projects with public art.

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Tamika Butler

In this episode, we hear from Tamika Butler, a national expert on issues related to public policy, the built environment, equity, anti-racism, diversity and inclusion, organizational behavior, and change management. The conversation covers a wide range of topics related to Tamika's research, which employs a critical race, historical, legal, and policy-based approach to examine how transportation policy and infrastructure have been used to segregate, isolate, and prevent the mobility of Black and other historically oppressed groups of people. Tamika is the principal and founder of Tamika L. Butler Consulting and a doctoral student in Urban Planning at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs.

'Arbitrary Lines' Author Nolan Gray on Zoning Reform and hitting Planning's Reset Button

In this special episode of the People Behind the Plans podcast, Arbitrary Lines author Nolan Gray sits down with guest host Jason Jordan, APA’s director of public affairs, to examine the cities and states charting a new course for zoning reform — and offer advice for planners navigating the myriad interests impacting land use decisions.

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Judy Shanley and Claire Stanley

In this episode of the Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning series, we’ll hear from Judy Shanley, a Project Director with the National Office of Easterseals in Chicago, and Claire Stanley, a Public Policy Analyst at the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN). Their conversation brings forth insightful ideas and guidance on how transportation professionals can reimagine how we plan for maximum mobility and accessibility in our transportation infrastructure and beyond.

Philadelphia CIO mark Wheeler: Web 3.0 and Blockchain Could Bring Transparency to Smart Cities

In this episode of the People Behind the Plans series, Mark Wheeler, CIO for the City of Philadelphia, explores blockchain's potential, how it can provide transparency to the data collection that fuels smart cities, his advice for planners and where he looks for inspiration and innovation.

Planner and City Official Nithya Raman's Vision to End Homelessness in Los Angeles

In this episode of the People Behind the Plans podcast series, urban planner and L.A. City Council member Nithya Raman shares her vision for reducing homelessness. She also offers tips for working more effectively with city government, and explains how planners can use their expertise to educate and galvanize communities for positive change.

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Olatunji Oboi Reed

In this podcast episode, Olatunji Oboi Reed, founding President & CEO of Equiticity, discusses emerging research on the ways in which a neighborhood’s infrastructure can have an impact on reducing violence, and how Equiticity’s Mobility Rituals are increasing social cohesion and collective efficacy through bike rides, neighborhood walking tours, and public transit excursions. 

Navigating Mobility Justice With Naomi Doerner

As a growing number of cities develop mobility justice initiatives, Naomi Doerner, MUP, is helping planners navigate these efforts to address systemic inequities and barriers in transportation. Doerner, principal and director of equity, diversity, and inclusion at Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates and former program manager of Seattle’s innovative Transportation Equity Program, sat down with host Courtney Kashima, AICP, to talk about what mobility justice looks like in practice, including some inspirational examples from around the world. 

The Intersection of Hip Hop and Planning with Michael Ford

In this special episode of the People Behind the Plans podcast, guest host Jason Pugh, AICP, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP, president of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), sits down with Michael Ford, AIA, NOMA, keynote speaker at the 2022 APA National Planning Conference. In this live-recorded discussion in San Diego, Ford and Pugh talk about the unique connection between hip hop, urban design, community engagement, and so much more. 

San Diego County Tackles Affordable Housing and Climate Change

Dahvia Lynch, AICP, the director of Planning & Development Services for San Diego County, talks about her agency’s bold plans for housing and climate change, an accessory development unit program that helped drive a 70 percent uptick in ADUs, and an agricultural conservation program that has permanently set aside nearly 80,000 acres. The agency is also taking a connected approach to housing and vehicle miles traveled, while supporting electric vehicle adoption.

Cascading Hazards with Dr. Michael Greenberg

In this episode of the Resilience Roundtable series, host Rich Roths, AICP, speaks with Michael Greenberg, Ph.D, distinguished professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. The two discuss the concept of cascading hazards, what they are, where are they more prevalent, how they are prepared for and mitigated against through plans at local, state and federal levels of government. 

Fighting Climate Change in Cities With BioDiversity and Nature-Based Design

In this episode of the People Behind the Plans podcast series, host Courtney Kashima, AICP, is joined by Rasmus Astrup, partner and design principal at Danish urban design and landscape architecture practice SLA. Rasmus and Courtney discuss the importance of biodiversity and nature-based solutions to address the needs of cities to mitigate against the effects of climate change and specific issues like extreme urban heat. 

TikTok's TalkingCities Makes Urban Planning Fast and Easy to Grasp

Urban planning is going viral on TikTok. TalkingCities, a popular account run by Paul Stout, distills urban planning concepts into bitesized videos. APA's Lindsay Nieman chats with Paul about how he got started, what planning subjects he's most interested in, and why TikTok makes his channel's success possible.

Artificial Intelligence and Urban Planning: What Planners Need to Know Now

Artificial intelligence experts Neda Madi and Tom Sanchez join APA research director Petra Hurtado, AICP, to discuss why planners need to pay attention to AI (hint: it's already being used in many planning contexts). They talk in-depth about the potential impacts on communities, as well as how planners can mitigate the negative ones.

Philadelphia Is Transforming Vacant Lots into Climate-Resilient Pollinator Gardens

Planning and community health manager Sagar Shah speaks with Jen Mihills of the National Wildlife Federation and Samir Dalal of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society about cleaning and greening vacant lots in Philadelphia. The two provide actionable advice to planners looking to use similarly low-cost but high-impact solutions in their own communities.

We Need to Outthink Wildfire, Not Try to Eliminate It

With an unprecedented season of wildfires barely in our rearview mirror, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) veteran Michele Steinberg comes on the Resilience Roundtable podcast series to talk about wildfire mitigation and prevention. Her conversation with host Jim Schwab, FAICP, revolves around the NFPA’s newest policy initiative, Outthink Wildfire.

The City-Making Process Gets Focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in This Planner’s Work

Cherie Jzar, AICP, has worked in a wide range of planning areas. Now she's bringing her expertise to a new initiative: building more equitable policies and practices as the City of Gastonia's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator. Listen as she speaks with APA editor-in-chief Meghan Stromberg about her work experience and takeaways from centering her career, regardless of a position's focus, on social justice.

"Feminist City" Author Leslie Kern on Envisioning More Equitable Urban Spaces

Author Leslie Kern joins host Courtney Kashima, AICP, on this episode of People Behind the Plans to discuss her latest work, Feminist City: Claiming Space in a Man-Made World. The two explore the myriad challenges women face living in and navigating spaces built largely for a narrow subset of the population.