Check Out Our Passport Courses
Passport is your ticket to the training, experiences, and connections that will take you where you want to go in your planning career. Subscribe for unlimited access for one year to APA's extensive learning library of solution-oriented content facilitated by planners, for planners.
-
Avoidance, Not Mitigation
May 01, 2014Lane Kendig, the author of Planning magazine's May 2014 Viewpoint column, argues that avoidance is a better strategy than hazard mitigation, because it means avoiding building in the dangerous area altogether. -
Striving for Equity in Post-Disaster Housing
Housing losses in disasters disrupt lives and communities — especially those that were vulnerable to begin with.August 01, 2019Past recovery efforts show that disasters can exacerbate longstanding inequalities. The time to address questions of post-disaster equity is before the damage is done. -
Attention: The Age of Automation Is Right Ahead
What self-driving cars will mean to drivers and the rest of us.May 01, 2015This web-exclusive sidebar explores the effects that driverless cars would have on our lives, communities, and transportation systems. -
Austin Rides to the Front
How the city leveraged inspiration from European bike programs.May 01, 2014Over the past several years, the city of Austin has made a concerted planning, programming, and infrastructure push to transform the city into a great place for cycling. -
6 Tips to Map an Uncertain Future
Exploratory scenario planning is a powerful tool for long-range planning.August 01, 2020Exploratory scenario planning provides a tool that addresses uncertainty and fosters consideration of the interconnections between issues. -
The Five Steps to a Hybrid Code
Zoning Practice — May 2008by: Arista Strungys, FAICP May 01, 2008This issue of Zoning Practice introduces a step-by-step approach to hybrid zoning and cites a number of communities currently using hybrid codes.List Price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00 -
When Arts and Culture Take Center Stage
Each city may need a slightly different approach.November 01, 2015How civic leaders and urban planners can work on using arts and culture in redevelopment initiatives. -
Age-Friendly Rural Planning
Even modest efforts from volunteers and their partner organizations can make rural communities more livable for older residents.December 01, 2020In rural areas, age-friendly efforts tend to start as grassroots planning, producing results that may appear modest but which still make a difference in small communities. -
In Two Portlands, Climate Plans Lead to Climate Action
In Oregon and Maine, these same-name cities have cut emissions by 19 percent and 34 percent, respectively. And they're not stopping.by: Madeline Bodin September 23, 2021Implementation of climate action plans in Portland, Oregon, and Portland, Maine, is steadily moving the needle closer to their ambitious emissions reduction goals. -
Bridging to Public Health
Using scenario planning in broader ways.October 01, 2014This article explores the connection between transportation, land use, and health and explains how scenario planning can help planning professionals quantify the health impacts of development proposals and investments. -
APA Policy Guide on Community and Regional Food Planning
APA Policy Guide on Community and Regional Food Planning adopted in 2007. -
APA Policy Guide on Freight
APA's Policy Guide on Freight was adopted in 2016. It is an addendum to the Policy Guide on Surface Transportation. -
Blockchain for Planners
PAS QuickNotes 99Blockchain and other Web 3.0 technologies could offer planners improved tools for data access and storage, community engagement, public decision-making, and transparency and accountability. -
Mobility as a Service
PAS QuickNotes 104Mobility as a Service, or MaaS, integrates various urban transportation modes into a unified digital platform through which users can plan, book, and pay for their mobility needs, reducing the need for personal vehicle ownership. -
The Sun Industry
A look at utility-scale solar energy in central Arizona.With its wide-open space and plentiful sunshine, Arizona is at the top of the list for solar energy potential in the U.S. -
Geoengineering
PAS QuickNotes 107The rapidly accelerating impacts of climate change have triggered increased interest in geoengineering: the intentional, large-scale manipulation of natural systems to mitigate global warming. -
Planning Issues for On-site and Decentralized Wastewater Treatment
PAS Report 542by: Wayne Feiden, FAICP, Eric WinklerWastewater treatment systems need to be sited, designed, and managed to protect the environment and support growth goals. This PAS Report explains how.List Price$25.00APA member & PAS subscriber$0.00 -
Putting Parks First
Open space is a very big deal in Seattle.January 01, 2015Thanks to its parks and open space, Seattle and surrounding areas are a very healthy region. But it didn't just happen that way; the city made green space a priority in the early 1900s and has built on that legacy ever since. -
Moving Planning Commission Meetings Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mid-Sized City Perspective
In this podcast episode, hear from Matt Hoffman — immediate Past Chair of the Fayetteville, Arkansas, Planning Commission — about how the city continued with its planning commission and other board meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. -
Squeezed Out
Tackling New York City's affordable housing crisis.Across the nation, shortages of affordable housing are widespread. This article focuses on affordable housing in New York City to see what's being done to create more affordable units for lower- and middle-class citizens. A sidebar looks into global condo investments and how to avoid a new bubble. -
Development Codes for Built Out Communities
Zoning Practice — August 2006by: Mark White, AICP August 01, 2006This issue of Zoning Practice addresses the unique concerns of applying development codes to built out communities, including ensuring appropriate context and managing the public process.List Price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00 -
Planning for On-Street EV Charging Infrastructure
PAS Memo 115The presence of on-street charging infrastructure for electric vehicles provides important access for EV owners without access to private chargers and can help quell the fear of running out of battery power, a major barrier to EV adoption and use. -
San Francisco Celebrates 30 Years of Trails
November 01, 2019The plan that created the idea of a 500-mile hiking trail along the edge of the San Francisco Bay turned 30 this year. -
Planning for Sustainable Material and Waste Management
PAS Report 587by: Ning Ai, Nancey Leigh, FAICP May 01, 2017Communities are caught in a swirl of competing needs and goals for material and waste management. This PAS Report gives planners six concrete ideas to meet the complex challenge.List price$25.00APA member & PAS subscriber$0.00 -
Sign of the Times
The Supreme Court weighed in on signs last summer, but for planners those regulations are always on the docket.February 01, 2016A look at changing legislation and trends for signs. -
A Business Case for Dropping Parking Minimums
In the smallest of towns and the biggest of cities, these new zoning reform policies help boost small businesses, promote housing development, and put people over parking.by: Jeff Spivak June 01, 2022In the smallest of towns and the biggest of cities, these new zoning reform policies help boost small businesses, promote housing development, and put people over parking. -
Climate Migrants Are on the Move
Which cities need to plan for population booms?by: Daniel Vock January 01, 2021Geography alone won’t turn communities into climate change migrant receiver cities. Communities must think about their own sustainability and prepare their existing residents for changes to come. -
Funding for More Than a Rainy Day
Bipartisan congressional action signals a potential shift in federal disaster dollar allocations.August 01, 2019Planners have been arguing for years that disaster mitigation is simply good business, but communities need to take action when the funds are available. -
Planning for Infrastructure Resilience
PAS Report 596by: Joseph DeAngelis, AICP, Haley Briel, Michael Lauer, AICPInfrastructure systems and facilities across the country are increasingly threatened by the rising seas and storm events of climate change. This PAS Report helps planners ensure that the public investments of today yield infrastructure that can withstand the floods of the future.List price$0.00APA member & PAS subscriber$0.00 -
Out With the Old, in With the New: The Cost of Teardowns
Zoning Practice — June 2005by: Lane KendigThis issue of Zoning Practice discusses zoning tools to help communities deal with excessive residential teardowns.List Price$10.00ZP subscriber$0.00 -
Planning for Climate Readiness — And Growth
Using climate vulnerability assessments and long-range master planning, Boston and Cambridge address the dual demands of climate change and economic development.March 01, 2018Web-only expanded version: Boston and its neighbor, Cambridge, are taking seriously the need to connect the results of their climate vulnerability assessments with emerging master planning efforts. -
Fast Food’s Bad Rap
July 01, 2016Planners should rethink their opposition to fast food and try to understand the role it plays in communities with few food options. -
The Water Within
Rain poses a more regular threat than hurricanes in New Orleans — but it’s also an untapped asset.January 01, 2018Most agree that a fundamentally different approach is needed to manage New Orleans's stormwater. A 2013 water plan envisions a dramatically different-looking city. -
Appalachian Vision
Southwestern North Carolina organizes thousands to develop a regional framework.February 01, 2015In the fall of 2014, seven southwestern North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians collaborated to create a regional plan. Driving the project was the need to unite the area around the unfinished final segments of Corridor K of the Appalachian Development Highway System. -
Local Agricultural Preservation: Making the Food System Connection
PAS Memo — March/April 2011Local food deserves a fair chance to compete in the marketplace and in the hearts, minds, and mouths of all. Planners have a major role to play in educating the public, helping to put in place the components of a viable food system, and advocating change at systemic as well as local levels. -
Planning for Street Connectivity: Getting From Here to There
PAS Report 515by: Susan Handy, Robert Paterson, Kent Butler June 01, 2003Planners, decision makers, and residents can benefit from a better understanding of the concept of street connectivity. This PAS Report offers examples from case studies of 14 communities and excerpts from their codes.List Price$25.00APA member & PAS subscriber$0.00 -
Cohabiting the City with Nature
August 01, 2017Thanks to an ongoing study, Chicago may be the first city to fully understand how animals live, move, and reproduce in urban environments. -
Strike Two for Urban Revitalization
February 01, 2016In the Viewpoint column from Planning magazine’s February 2016 issue, policy and planning consultant Kris Hartley discusses stadium projects. -
Implementation Project Assessment: A New Tool For Implementing Community Plans
PAS Memo 120Planners can use the implementation project assessment process to evaluate all potential implementation projects based on plan alignment, feasibility, and community impact, allowing them to identify the projects that will be the best candidates for successful plan implementation. -
Curb Control
Parking is so passé. Swiftly changing mobility options and competing priorities mean planners need to practice active curb management.June 01, 2019Curbs are quickly evolving into hyperlocal transportation terminals. Planners need to update their methods to think about curb use on a minute-by-minute scale. -
Activating Ground Floors in Mixed-Use Buildings After COVID
Zoning Practice — August 2022This issue of Zoning Practice looks at the actions of several communities trying to promote successful mixed-use development, including communities that have adopted stricter criteria for where ground-floor retail is appropriate and communities that have reduced the number of locations where ground-floor retail is mandated. -
Equitable Zoning for Home Occupations
Zoning Practice — September 2023This issue of Zoning Practice explores how zoning regulations can remove unintentional and inequitable barriers to working from home. It briefly examines the reasons why zoning reform is necessary before providing recommendations to help planners draft updated standards that better reflect existing conditions and advance equity in zoning. -
Climate-Resilient Floating Residences
Zoning Practice — February 2024This issue of Zoning Practice explores the climate-adaptive features of floating residences, describes the different types of floating residences and the regulatory barriers they face, explains how local jurisdictions typically regulate floating residences, and suggests some climate-smart zoning strategies for these structures. -
Zoning for Biosafety
Zoning Practice — July 2024This issue of Zoning Practice explores how some communities use zoning to prevent or mitigate biosafety risks associated with biological research and development facilities. It begins with a brief summary of key biosafety concepts as well as the market and regulatory conditions affecting biolabs before examining basic zoning considerations and highlighting potential model approaches. -
When Man Makes the Disaster
In these cases, resilience involves analysis and introspection.August 01, 2015Man-made disasters require self-analysis and reflection. -
Smart Cities or Surveillance Cities?
The terrain is shifting for this movement, as many of us wonder aloud whether the urban tech utopia is all it’s cracked up to be.March 01, 2019Ever-present technology is shaping our cities, and planners across North America have entered the conversation about this new social contract. -
Planning for Action
Communities in crisis take on affordability with Housing Action Plans.March 01, 2019Housing Action Plans take into account the full range of a city’s housing challenges to set priorities, identify solutions, and build a long-term, holistic plan of action. -
Big Data and Planning
PAS Report 585by: Kevin Desouza, Kendra Smith December 05, 2016Data sets are growing so large and complex that using them is like drinking from a fire hose. But big data isn’t a problem, it’s the solution. This PAS Report shows how to use it.List price$25.00APA member & PAS subscriber$0.00 -
Toward a Grounded Theory of Sustainable Zoning
May 01, 2015This Research You Can Use column from the May 2015 issue of Planning explores research and planning tools to promote smart growth. -
Planning With Diverse Communities
PAS Report 593by: Ivis Garcia, AICP, Andrea Garfinkel-Castro, Deirdre Pfeiffer, AICP January 01, 2019The U.S. will become a “majority-minority” country by the mid-2040s. More than before, planners must serve diverse publics and build inclusive communities. This PAS Report offers the tools planners need to engage people of color and improve quality of life for all in ethnically and racially diverse communities.List price$25.00APA member & PAS subscriber$0.00