Blog
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April 6, 2026
The Digital Accessibility Time Bomb: Leveraging AI to Accelerate Compliance
The previous two parts in "The Digital Accessibility Time Bomb" series established the scope of the accessibility problem (Part 1) and the institutional barriers that prevent easy solutions (Part 2). This final part turns to what might actually work: AI tools that can help planners create and remediate accessible documents at a scale that manual processes cannot match. -
April 6, 2026
Don’t Wait for a Vacancy: Start Succession Planning Now
Succession planning isn’t just a future concern. It’s quickly becoming one of the most urgent challenges facing planners today. -
April 3, 2026
New Executive Order Aims to Remove Regulatory Barriers to Housing
President Trump signed a new Executive Order, Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Home Construction, directing a range of federal agencies to reduce regulatory obstacles to new housing development. Take a deeper look into the impacts on local planning. -
April 2, 2026
What Federal Mandates Mean for Local Green Infrastructure
Uncovering JAPA: Federal mandates shape local green infrastructure, with Cleveland emphasizing social and environmental justice, while St. Louis focused on demolition and cost, showing performance and budget often drive decisions. -
April 1, 2026
Chicago Planners Infill West Side Train Station After 75 Years
Transportation planners in Chicago and Cook County are hoping a new infill elevated train station on the city’s west side can be a catalyst for future growth. -
March 26, 2026
More Than Just Tree Canopy: Assessing True Shade Access
Uncovering JAPA: Discover how digital tools for urban tree planting often focus only on canopy cover, overlooking social, environmental, and access factors that determine who truly benefits. -
March 24, 2026
22 APA Members Selected as 250 Government Champions
Twenty-two APA members were selected as part of the 250 Champions, in honor of the America 250 celebration. This honor recognizes individuals who have made a significant impact in their work. -
March 23, 2026
Elisabeth May Herlihy: A Matriarch of Urban Planning in Boston
Elisabeth May Herlihy was a pioneering planner, opening the door for women in the planning profession and left a lasting impact on the profession. -
March 23, 2026
The Digital Accessibility Time Bomb: Navigating Institutional Barriers
Planners should expect to face institutional barriers as they seek to promote compliance with web accessibility standards. Preparing talking points for conversations with decision-makers and adding contract provisions to planning-related vendor agreements can help planners navigate some of these barriers. Part 2 of 3. -
March 20, 2026
Senate Advances Landmark Housing and Zoning Reform Bill
The U.S. Senate has overwhelmingly approved sweeping housing supply legislation with the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. The action marks the latest step forward on Capitol Hill toward enacting major housing legislation. -
March 16, 2026
From Kitchen Tables to City Hall: Making Planning Accessible and Personal in Danville
PLAN Danville’s 2024 comprehensive plan was shaped by a women-led team that prioritized accessible, community-centered engagement and inclusivity. -
March 13, 2026
How to Avoid Being a (Design) Control Freak
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: What role might objective design standards play in streamlining development approvals? -
March 12, 2026
What Can Planners Give Back to the Land?
Uncovering JAPA: Discover how planners can confront colonial legacies and climate change by treating land as a living entity, integrating Indigenous knowledge, and fostering reciprocal relationships with more-than-human life. -
March 9, 2026
The Digital Accessibility Time Bomb: A Reality Check on WCAG Compliance
The U.S. Department of Justice requires all state and local governments to comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Planners can take an essential first step toward compliance by auditing existing PDFs, project websites, and interactive tools. Part 1 of 3. -
March 9, 2026
New Executive Order Targets Rebuilding and Disaster Recovery
In late January, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at stripping California and Los Angeles of permitting authority for rebuilding in areas affected by the 2025 wildfires. The action came amid some media criticism of the pace of rebuilding. -
March 9, 2026
Change the Words, Change the Impact
Self-esteem mentor Dr. Mary Beth Janke challenges you to change your language and embrace empowering speech. -
March 4, 2026
6 Insights for Future Leaders from a Past Chair
It’s time for a new group to lead, and I believe I now can help most by being there to support the new leadership and the organization by sharing what I’ve learned over the past two decades. -
February 26, 2026
Can We Blame Highways for Urban Sprawl? It's Not That Simple.
Uncovering JAPA: Discover how a study of a proposed Portland, Maine, highway shows that new roads don’t automatically cause sprawl and how integrated land use–transportation modeling can guide smarter planning decisions. -
February 23, 2026
Investing Attention Wisely: Rethinking Productivity
By making deliberate choices about where to focus your attention, you can shift from a traditional time management practice to intentional time investment, a more sustainable approach to productivity that supports professional momentum and personal well-being. -
February 23, 2026
Targeted Online Harassment: Are You Prepared?
As public-facing staff deeply engaged in often-controversial community issues, planners are increasingly at risk of facing targeted online harassment. What would you do if you found yourself the victim of such a campaign? -
February 19, 2026
How a Camera on a Car Helped Detroit Challenge the U.S. Census
When Detroit’s enterprise GIS team first launched Detroit Street View (DSV) in 2017, they had no idea the mobile mapping program would help with the city’s U.S. Census challenges — or inspire a Massachusetts police chief to take up a similar project. -
February 18, 2026
Kate Meyer Joins APA as the New Chief Communications Officer (CCO)
APA welcomes Kate Meyer as the new Chief Communications Officer. -
February 18, 2026
Planning Win: Housing for the 21st Century Bill Passes the House
Planning advocates celebrate an early win with passage of the bipartisan Housing for the 21st Century Act (Housing 21) out of the House. -
February 13, 2026
How Can Zoning Foster Neuroinclusive Communities?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Could sensory-aware zoning be the key to fostering neuroinclusive communities? -
February 12, 2026
Lives Are Not the Only Thing That Matters in Hazard Planning
Uncovering JAPA: Discover how planners balance saving lives with costs, equity, and economic tradeoffs in flood hazard mitigation. -
February 9, 2026
Congress Passes Spending Bill for Transportation and Housing
Approval of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) spending bill marks the end of a long and contentious journey that included the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. -
February 9, 2026
Bouncing Back After Job Loss: Advice from Those Who’ve Been There
Major career disruptions often require stepping back, separating emotion from logic, and making a clear plan focused on what you can control. Planners who have recently been in this position share what they went through to aid those currently going through it. -
February 9, 2026
Free Data Science Tools for Mid-Career Planners
Planners are increasingly expected to leverage technological advances to provide data-driven guidance to decision-makers. Seasoned planners can take advantage of free self-directed and open-source data science courses and texts to build new hard skills and stay current in the field. -
February 6, 2026
ICYMI: Find Out Who Won APA Divisions Council Awards in 2025
The 2025 American Planning Association (APA) Divisions Council Awards celebrated standout achievements, innovative programs, and impactful initiatives between October 2023 and September 2024. -
February 5, 2026
What Does AI Recommend For Your City's Resilience Plan?
Uncovering JAPA: Discover how AI can help planners generate context-specific resilience indicators by pairing data analysis with practitioner expertise, offering a flexible framework for strengthening urban resilience across systems. -
February 4, 2026
Refashioning a Commercial Corridor in Detroit
Equity in Practice: Detroit's Livernois Avenue Streetscape Project set the precedent for how the city would approach corridor redesign, preserving the culture and legacy of the Avenue of Fashion's place as one of the largest shopping districts of Black-owned businesses. -
January 30, 2026
APA Remembers the Life of Carlos Parra
APA honors the life of colleague Carlos Parra. -
January 28, 2026
How to Use the Trend Report for Planners
Explore the features of the annual Trend Report for Planners and how to apply them in your work. -
January 28, 2026
The 2026 Trend Report for Planners Equips Planners to Prepare for Uncertainty
NEWS RELEASE: APA releases the 2026 Trend Report for Planners, the fifth edition of the report that identifies nearly 100 trends that have the potential to significantly shape communities. -
January 26, 2026
Planning Creates Housing for the 21st Century
While the political winds are clearly at the back of housing legislation in 2026, there are key challenges ahead. First, while ROAD and Housing 21 are very similar, they are not identical companion bills. So, a compromise will have to be reached by congressional leaders on which provisions to include in a final package. -
January 26, 2026
Building Endurance in an Era of Constant Change
A reflective practice can help you make sense of your work in a more constructive way, reducing the strain that often leads to burnout. -
January 22, 2026
What Does "Just Green Enough" Really Mean?
Uncovering JAPA: Discover how planners and residents in Minneapolis grappled with gentrification concerns and tested the limits of the “just green enough” approach while shaping a new park on a former industrial site. -
January 16, 2026
2025: The Year Housing Took Center Stage in Congress
Throughout 2025, the American Planning Association has fought hard for pro-planning positions in a challenging environment, pushing against the trajectory and polarization that has taken hold of Washington. In a Congress so divided, APA and partner organizations looked for pockets of common ground to push a housing agenda forward at the federal, state, and local levels. -
January 16, 2026
How Houston is Restoring Streets — and Trust — in Freedmen’s Town
Two historic streets in Houston's oldest Black neighborhood needed repairs. But first, city officials had to mend relationships with residents. -
January 15, 2026
Rethinking How We Teach Zoning in Planning School
Uncovering JAPA: Discover why zoning remains a central planning tool and how teaching it with an equity-focused perspective, connected to broader planning strategies and local contexts, can better prepare future planners for practice. -
January 13, 2026
Leverage Zoning to Fight Against Criminalizing Homelessness
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How can planners use zoning to resist the rising tide of homelessness criminalization? -
January 12, 2026
Creating Stronger Connections in a Disconnected World
In an era of feeling disconnected from coworkers, a free guide provides actionable ways to connect with your peers to help combat loneliness and improve individual wellbeing. -
January 12, 2026
Better Metrics for Communicating Planning Agency Value
Process-oriented metrics often fail to communicate the value of planning work to decision-makers and the public. Results-oriented metrics are more compelling but harder to connect to planning agency activities. Planning agencies can elevate the value of their work by developing performance metrics that bridge process and results, aligning daily activities with broader community goals. -
January 9, 2026
What We’ve Seen on the Housing Front 2025: State Policy Highlights and Trends
Across the country, housing rose to the top of legislative agendas with legislators introducing 412 housing reform bills and enacting 124 pro‑housing laws. Take a deeper look into the reforms enacted in 2025 and look ahead to the housing action to come in 2026. -
January 5, 2026
Using GIS to Shape Growing Communities
Sponsored content from University of Cincinnati. -
December 23, 2025
Planning Through the Black Mirror
The APA Technology Division creates a card game to help planners with scenario planning. -
December 22, 2025
Three Ways AI Can Be a Planner's Friend
Discover how AI can help planners streamline routine tasks freeing time for much more important human work endeavors. -
December 22, 2025
Planning a Better Mindset: Rethinking How We Think
Adopting a gratitude practice, which only takes two to three minutes a day, can be an effective way of regulating stress and restoring perspective under sustained pressure. -
December 19, 2025
U.S. DOT Opens Applications for BUILD Grants
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has opened a new round of funding applications for the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program. Learn how planners can utilize this federal funding. -
December 19, 2025
In Memoriam: Hunter Morrison
In Memoriam: Hunter Morrison is remembered for a decades-long career shaping Cleveland and Northeast Ohio with innovative approaches to right-sizing and regional planning.
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