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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? -
Planning for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
PAS Report 601by: Matthew Bucchin, AICP, Aaron Tuley, AICP July 01, 2022The climate crisis requires communities to mitigate future climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adapt the built and natural environments to the changes taking place, and planners are uniquely qualified to take a leadership role in building a climate-resilient future.Nonmembers$25.00APA members & PAS subscribers$0.00 -
The New Animal Architecture
April 01, 2015Cities are finding creative ways to rethink human-animal connections, including designing homes and the built environment to provide wildlife habitat and encourage biodiversity. -
3 Insights into the Future of Food Production
From gene editing to space tomatoes, here are some innovative approaches from the "2024 Trend Report for Planners."by: Jon DePaolis March 28, 2024From gene editing to space tomatoes, here are some innovative approaches from the "2024 Trend Report for Planners." -
Right-Sizing Transportation Investments
With fewer resources because of COVID-19, cities are turning to an emerging practice that offers practical techniques to recalibrate their existing transportation infrastructure with economic realities and social returns.August 01, 2020Right-sizing transportation tools and approaches can generate new types of projects to support economic recovery and performance, especially in cases of limited resources. -
The People's Way
Planning with Native American communities calls for looking to the past to guide the future.August 01, 2017Communication and collaboration — particularly with longstanding traditions — are critical for successful planning in Native American communities. -
The OpenNeighborhood Project: A Fresh Look at Public Participation
PAS Memo — January/February 2011The OpenNeighborhood approach to public participatory planning, tested in 2009 in Acton, Massachusetts, used digital tools, the virtual-reality game Second Life, and hands-on art exercises to bring into the planning process people who had never participated before. -
Accelerating Change: Bend, Oregon, Explores New Ways to Advance Its Community's Vision
PAS Memo — March/April 2013Bend 2030 is working with key local stakeholders to launch a handful of publicly generated "vision accelerator" projects — bold, collaborative, cross-sectoral initiatives developed with input from the wider public that have the power to significantly alter the community for the better -
Advance Environmental Justice Goals with This Innovative Health Data Tool
The City Health Dashboard could help communities meet Justice40 mandates, win funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and improve health outcomes for all.by: Linda McIntyre, AICP December 12, 2022The City Health Dashboard could help communities meet Justice40 mandates, win funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and improve health outcomes for all. -
8 Steps to an Effective Code Transition
Zoning Practice — January 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. -
Reuniting a Divided America
March 01, 2017Humanizing and relaxing the community meeting format allows for all voices to be expressed in a variety of different ways — not just in a public meeting where oftentimes the loudest voices are the only ones heard. -
The Art of Public Engagement
Planners and communities get creative with the planning process.December 01, 2018Art means different things to different people, which is just one of the reasons why public art is so effective at engaging community members of all backgrounds in the planning process. -
Artificial Intelligence and Planning Practice
PAS Memo 111Artificial intelligence represents an emerging planning toolbox that enables a range of new capabilities, but whether it primarily benefits entire communities or narrow interests depends on planners’ abilities to engage with the challenges and opportunities surrounding its civic applications. -
Applying Algorithms to Land-Use Decision Making
Zoning Practice — March 2019by: Norman Wright, AICPThis issue of Zoning Practice reviews simple methods for defining and applying a decision algorithm for land-use cases, and it explores how back testing; best-case, worst-case scenarios; and extrapolation can improve this approach.List price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00 -
Placemaking on a Budget
PAS Report 536by: Al Zelinka, FAICP, Susan Harden, FAICPPublic spaces are struggling in many communities. This PAS Report offers help for planners who need to create distinctive public spaces that enhance community identity and social connections — without breaking the bank.List Price$25.00APA member & PAS subscriber$0.00 -
Q & A
Planning’s editor in chief, Meghan Stromberg, talks to planners and others who are shaking up the status quo.April 01, 2017Conversations about three areas of disruption to the transportation status quo: autonomous vehicles/tiny cars, bike sharing, and ride sharing. -
Norfolk, VA, Missing Middle Pattern Book
Adopted June 2021This guide is designed to help property owners and developers add "missing middle" housing to established low-density neighborhoods in Norfolk, Virginia. -
Mapping for the Masses
Sustainability planning just got more accessible with a free suite of GIS apps and datasets from Esri.May 01, 2017In June 2016, Esri launched the Green Infrastructure Initiative, a website that offers free access to an enormous cache of GIS data for the U.S. -
The Use of Foresight and Scenario Planning in Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Planning
PAS Memo 113Foresight and exploratory scenario planning is a particularly useful tool in planning for natural hazards and adapting to climate change, given the complexity and uncertainty involved in both of these areas. -
Yoking Form-Based Codes and Historic Districts
How to get the best combination.March 01, 2014When faced with the impending adoption of a citywide form-based code, the Historic Beaufort Foundation hired a consultant to help avoid the potential negative consequences to the community's historic districts. This article discusses form-based codes and scenarios in which historic districts or FBCs (or a hybrid of the two) are the best for a community. -
Best-Case Scenario Planning
Incorporating AV and other technology into plans.May 01, 2018Change and uncertainty — from technology to climate change to shifts in the economy — are disrupting the planning tradition of mid- and long-range forecasts. Scenario planning can be a powerful tool for incorporating uncertainty. -
Conservation Limited Development for Local Governments
PAS Memo — March/April 2019Local governments may serve as limited development initiators, sponsors, master developers, project managers, partners, funders, or approving agencies. This PAS Memo focuses mostly on the role of local governments as master developers, as it is the most complex and illustrates points that also apply for simpler approaches. -
Terminology of Low Impact Development: Distinguishing LID From Other Techniques That Address Community Growth Issues
March 2012This fact sheet defines several concepts related to low-impact development (LID). -
Local Bicycle Master Planning: Connecting Communities
PAS Memo — November/December 2013While recreational bicycling has long enjoyed popularity, bicycling for transportation has not been viewed as a mainstream mobility option until relatively recently. A bicycle master plan is an instrumental blueprint for building bikable communities, and the process of creating one is a means of prioritizing active transportation to meet community environmental, health, and fiscal goals. -
Here Come The Robot Cars
Autonomous vehicles will impact the built environment. The time to plan for it is now.April 01, 2017In the next few years, autonomous vehicles — driverless cars, self-driving cars, and robot cars — will usher in a transformation of our landscape similar to the one brought on by the Model T more than a century ago. -
Beyond Building
There are plenty of ways to provide for affordable housing that don’t involve new construction.March 01, 2017In many cities, solutions often seem equated exclusively with new construction. But affordable housing provision is more than just building houses. -
Tech in the City
San Francisco and Oakland offer lessons on how to both foster technological innovation and protect the public interest.January 01, 2019The City of San Francisco's Emerging Technologies Open Working Group is charged with going beyond reacting to new technology to develop a framework for anticipating innovation. -
New Habitat Restoration Tool Helps to Prioritize Equity
by: Dina WaltersEquity in Practice: Fort Collins created a habitat equity tool that focuses not just on nature but people. -
The Ten-Foot Diet: The Emerging Hyperlocal Food System
May 01, 2016Hyperlocal food production is moving to a commercial scale in cities like New York and Chicago. -
Charlotte, NC, Pilot Park Program
2015This guide provides an overview of the process of creating parklet in Charlotte, North Carolina.Charlotte, NC -
Moving Planning Commission Meetings Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Big-City Perspective
In this podcast episode, hear from Emily Mack — director of the Department of Metropolitan Development for the City of Indianapolis, Indiana — about how the city continued with its planning commission and other board meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. -
How El Paso Reimagined Capital Improvement Planning During COVID-19
When projected revenue shortfalls put most of the City of El Paso’s scheduled capital improvement projects on hold, planners in this Texas border city saw an opportunity to rethink the capital improvement planning (CIP) and budgeting process. In this podcast episode, listeners learn exactly how they reprioritized projects using an equity-focused approach. -
Planning Accessible Communities
PAS Memo 117The ADA self-evaluation and transition plan process is a vital first step in addressing the accessibility of both the built environment and municipal programs and services to create truly inclusive communities. -
Toward a Healthy Nation
How the Affordable Care Act will affect the relationship between hospitals and communities.November 01, 2015Professionals are examining the difference in public health between the wealthy and the poor. -
Climate Action Plans: Lessons Learned from Irvine, California
PAS Memo — March/April 2010The Irvine CAP is a policy document that acts as a roadmap for future city actions. The contents of the document include the baseline community inventory for 2006, GHG emissions growth for 2020 based upon general plan land use projections, a proposed 15 percent GHG emission reduction target, and suggested emission reduction strategies to achieve the 15 percent reduction target by 2020. -
Restoring East Market Street
APA’s inaugural CPAT project helps heal a fractured African-American community in Greensboro, North Carolina.February 01, 2019A look back at APA's first Community Planning Assistance Team project in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1995. -
Exploratory Scenario Planning for Uncertain Futures
by: Emma ColleyUncovering JAPA: How can planners best use exploratory planning scenarios? -
Complete Streets Come of Age
Learning from Boston and other innovators.May 01, 2014The complete streets movement is coming of age, making this a good time to take stock. This article explores how Boston has taken the complete streets movement to heart. A sidebar walks through recent studies showing the positive effects of physical activity. -
Using Generative AI to Draft Zoning Codes
Zoning Practice — October 2023This issue of Zoning Practice introduces key concepts related to the common use of today’s generative AI models and then provides an overview of experiments done to test the current strengths and weaknesses for developing zoning policies at the local level. -
Social Pinpoint
Optimizing Online Surveys for Diverse and Equitable Public Engagement
October 19, 2022, 6:00 p.m. to October 19, 2023, 7:00 p.m.- Dave Biggs
#9258647CM | 1Eq | 1AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
The full text of the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct as revised in 2021.
Zoning Reform Creates New Model for Smart Growth in Walla Walla, Washington
How the rural city eliminated single-family-only zoning, legalized ADUs, and relaxed parking minimums to promote housing diversity.by: Patrick Sisson September 21, 2022The rural city eliminated single-family-only zoning, legalized ADUs, and relaxed parking minimums to promote housing diversity. Here's how planners helped get it done.Laguna Beach, CA, General Plan
The Land Use Element of the city's general plan includes policies and action statements that encourage the use of solar energy systems.Laguna Beach, CAUpland, CA, Municipal Code
The city's planning and zoning code provides for recognition and protection of solar access.Upland, CAPaso Robles, CA, General Plan
This general plan includes goals and actions for facilitating solar access and use.El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), CAMinnetonka, MN, Code of Ordinances
2017The city's zoning regulations address telecommunications facilities within the right-of-way.Minnetonka, MNHuntington, NY, Town Code
Updated May 2019This regulation belongs to the Age-Friendly Communities and Green Building collections.Zero and Net-Zero Energy Buildings + Homes
March 2011by: Paul Torcellini, Shanti PlessThis report includes eight chapters discussing the growth of zero and net-zero buildings and homes.Planning and Building Healthy Communities for Mental Health: Method, Findings and Reflections from a Recent Integrative Study
Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health, 3: 2017by: Greg Paine, Susan ThompsonThis article looks at the extent to which four new residential neighborhoods around Sydney, Australia support health and wellbeing.Urban Form and Mental Wellbeing: Scoping a Theoretical Framework for Action
Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health, 5: 2018by: Amir Hajrasouliha, Vicente del Rio, James FrancisThis article reviews literature on urban form and mental wellbeing in order to assess the use-value of two planning models.