APA Podcast
Affordable housing. Urban design. Disaster recovery. Economic development. Autonomous vehicles. These are just some of the topics APA's podcast delves into with deep curiosity, expert analysis, and affecting, true-life stories. Throughout every episode of the podcast, listeners of all backgrounds — from those ensconced in the daily challenges and rewards of planning to those coming to the field with fresh eyes — get a firsthand look at what it means to be a planner in a world that needs them now more than ever.
Multiple Ways to Listen
Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and SoundCloud — or wherever you get your podcasts.
Recent Episodes
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.
Why Planners Need to Prepare for Urban Air Mobility
By 2028, urban air mobility is likely to be a commercially viable market for air metro services in the U.S. In this podcast episode, APA research director Petra Hurtado talks with Heather Sauceda Hannon, AICP, of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Ric Stephens of NV5 about why it is so important for planners to prepare for this emerging transportation system.
Planning for Volcanic Activity in Hawaii
In 2018, eruptions from the Kīlauea volcano caused widespread devastation to Hawaii's Big Island. Resilience Roundtable podcast host Jim Schwab, FAICP, talks with Douglas Le, AICP, disaster recovery officer with the County of Hawaii, about the event and the recovery efforts that are underway.
Katanya Raby Continues Equity Work of Civil Rights Giant Al Raby
Urban planner, artist, and activist Katanya Raby joins host Courtney Kashima, AICP, to talk about her work at the Office of the Mayor for the City of Chicago, her time at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), and her post as executive director of the Al Raby Foundation.
AARP's Rodney Harrell on Changing Demographics and Livable Communities
Rodney Harrell, a planner and AARP Public Policy Institute's vice president of Family, Home and Community, thinks the biggest policy problem we face is the siloing of planning issues — separating housing from transportation from economic development from health. This disjointedness negatively affects people across the lifespan, but these impacts will become even more pronounced as our nation gets older. He and APA's editor in chief Meghan Stromberg discuss where we go from here.
Is Your Environment Limiting Your Functioning?
The built environment often does not allow people of all ages and abilities to function at their highest level. For many, it limits functioning — a phenomenon known as environmental press. Built environment strategist Esther Greenhouse talks with APA's editor in chief Meghan Stromberg about this idea and solutions to it, as well as eye-opening reasons why cities and towns must value their older citizens as much as they value younger adults.
Why We Need More Intergenerational Policies, Programs, and Places
You've probably heard the term "multigenerational," but what about "intergenerational"? Matthew Kaplan, professor of Intergenerational Programs and Aging at Penn State University, fleshes out the meaning of the term for APA's editor in chief Meghan Stromberg, and the two discuss some of the fascinating case studies in intergenerational programming from around the world.
Tamika Butler on Antiracism, Equity, and Self-Care Through Solopreneurship
As a watershed year comes to a close, Tamika Butler, Esq., founder and principal of Tamika L. Butler Consulting, joins People Behind the Plans host Courtney Kashima on the podcast. The result is a stirring, uplifting, and funny conversation on the issues facing everyone who works to undo society’s inequities.
APA Podcast Series
People Behind the Plans
Planners of every discipline share the impactful work they do. Led by host Courtney Kashima, AICP, these conversations illuminate the essential hows and whys of planning.
Planning the Autonomous Future
Listen to experts discuss how autonomous vehicles could (and should) fit into the public right-of-way.
Resilience Roundtable
Planners and allied professionals who make resilience their mission, even in the face of devastating natural hazards, share their stories and best practices.
Have an Idea for a Podcast Episode or Series?
Is there a planning topic we haven't covered that you can't stop thinking about? Have you become aware of a planner doing exciting work in the field who deserves to be featured? Or do you just want to send us a note on how we're doing? Send your ideas, comments, and feedback to podcast@planning.org, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.