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May 21, 2025
To explore accelerating momentum to increase housing supply and tackle housing affordability, APA hosted a session on "State Momentum for Housing Reform." The discussion featured expert panelists who examine recent state-level efforts, emerging trends, and where housing policy is headed next.
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May 20, 2025
As federal databases are moved off of government websites, other institutions such as nonprofits and universities are stepping in to preserve and house this data.
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May 19, 2025
When APA and ICMA launched Solar@Scale in late 2020, relatively few communities referenced large-scale solar energy systems in their zoning codes. Nearly five years later, zoning regulations for community- and utility-scale solar energy systems are much more common, we are seeing the emergence of more nuanced regulatory approaches.
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May 15, 2025
Global Perspectives: Learn how Japan’s approach to aging condominiums offers planners a flexible model for keeping older housing viable amid shifting demographics worldwide.
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May 15, 2025
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: It isn't 1959 anymore. What are the keys to an effective modern incentive zoning scheme?
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May 13, 2025
The effects of the nationwide housing supply crisis were pushing Columbus, Ohio, to the brink.
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May 12, 2025
With the new unpredictability of some federal grants, many communities are looking for other ways to drive federal investment into local planning and projects. An alternative, or perhaps a supplement, to either discretionary grants or formula-based funding may be congressionally directed spending, known as “earmarks.”
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May 9, 2025
Learn how to apply scenario planning to help you deal with uncertainty.
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May 9, 2025
Learn how to build your personal resilience when confronted with challenging times or behaviors.
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May 8, 2025
Global Perspectives: Learn how coastal planning balances growth and sustainability through Brazil’s tourism-driven model and Spain’s ecological restoration approach.
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May 7, 2025
On May 2, the Trump administration released their Fiscal Year 2026 "skinny" budget proposal outlining funding recommendations for federal programs. Learn more on what planners should expect and APA's response.
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May 5, 2025
Sponsored content from Eastern Washington University
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May 5, 2025
Engage Generation Z in planning decisions to create civic engagement and a commitment to their communities.
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May 2, 2025
Sponsored content from Altitude by Geotab.
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May 1, 2025
Global Perspectives: London’s housing reforms reveal the trade-offs of deregulation, highlighting the need for planners to balance accelerated development with livability and affordability.
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April 30, 2025
Sponsored content from Tyler Technologies. Here are three simple questions you can ask yourself to improve your planning processes internally and for residents.
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April 28, 2025
The 2024 election results mark unified Republican control of the White House and Congress. Here are some ways planners can expect the administration to chart a different regulatory course for transportation programs and policy.
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April 22, 2025
Recent legislative efforts in Washington, Connecticut, Colorado, Minnesota, and Montana highlight a growing movement to reduce or eliminate parking requirements. While each state’s approach varies, the common theme is clear: outdated parking mandates are increasingly an obstacle to housing affordability and sustainable development.
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April 21, 2025
When Nguyen Nguyen, an associate planner in Sacramento, California, began meeting with residents about housing concerns in 2021, he started hearing similar stories.
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April 18, 2025
Honoring the recipients of the 2024 APA President Awards.
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April 17, 2025
Uncovering JAPA: Discover how allowing private developers to build middle housing is key to making single-family zoning reform effective and expanding affordable housing options.
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April 17, 2025
The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) has issued new guidance for required Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy plans (CEDS). Learn how these new standards will affect planners.
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April 17, 2025
FEMA has issued new guidance related to requirements for incorporating underserved communities, socially vulnerable populations, and climate change into local hazard mitigation plans. Those sections are now removed from the guide outlining plan requirements. Read more on how this is affecting planning practices.
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April 15, 2025
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Why is public engagement around zoning changes so difficult, and what are the keys to effective engagement?
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April 10, 2025
Uncovering JAPA: Learn how a Milwaukee pilot program challenges the effectiveness of first-mile/last-mile services and reveals the need to center rider input and regional coordination in transit planning.
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April 9, 2025
Many emerging professionals struggle with the transition from college to the workforce, facing job market challenges, mental health stressors, and the pressure of starting over in a new environment.
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April 7, 2025
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton issued a memorandum suspending funding for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. The action stops $750 million in planned grants for FY25. Learn how this will impact planners.
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April 2, 2025
Over 4,300 people made their way to Denver for the American Planning Association’s (APA) 2025 National Planning Conference (NPC25).
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April 2, 2025
The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program is now accepting applications.
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March 27, 2025
Uncovering JAPA: Explore how planners can strengthen disaster recovery efforts by embracing proactive roles, utilizing planning tools, and leading recovery initiatives to build more resilient communities.
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March 27, 2025
A variety of federal grant programs are at risk of losing funding due to recent actions by the Trump Administration, including discretionary programs such as Safe Streets for All, RAISE/BUILD grants, and Reconnecting Communities. Here are 7 actions for planners to take when federal grant funds in their communities are in jeopardy.
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March 27, 2025
As federal funding programs are changed, reduced, or curtailed, localities are increasingly looking to states to supplement finance efforts to produce, preserve, and improve housing supply. Here are four ways to use state funding for local housing action, plus a look at two states that are creating even more opportunities for financing
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March 27, 2025
Despite a shifting political environment, planners can still support their communities in securing funding for local reforms that increase housing abundance. Here are four tips to explore the wide variety of financial tools available, and a look at how some communities are already using these tips to their advantage.
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March 27, 2025
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has begun to undo a variety of directives from the Biden administration that guided state and federal infrastructure investments. There are potentially troubling signs that progress through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in areas like biking, pedestrian safety, and environmental impacts may be jeopardized.
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March 25, 2025
President Trump signed an Executive Order targeting the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund for elimination.
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March 24, 2025
In mid-March, Congress passed H.R. 1968, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Extension Act, which President Trump signed into law, stopping a potential government shutdown.
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March 24, 2025
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced an agenda to formally reconsider more than 30 existing rules and regulations. Administrator Zeldin called the effort “the biggest deregulatory action in American history.”
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March 24, 2025
Grant programs from all agencies, including those coming out of the U.S. Department of Transportation grants (USDOT), may be frozen or even taken back due to perceived inconsistency with new guidance from the Trump administration. The new guidance will also change the eligibilities and criteria for future rounds of grants. Here’s what you can do.
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March 24, 2025
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released an updated notice on how communities can plan and use funds for disaster recovery under the CDBG-DR program.
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March 22, 2025
Marjory Stoneman Douglas' groundbreaking advocacy for the Everglades preserved its vital ecosystems and influenced sustainable urban planning practices that continue to guide communities today.
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March 20, 2025
Uncovering JAPA: Learn about rental registries and their role in improving housing transparency while addressing legal and privacy concerns.
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March 19, 2025
While the nation navigates the latest executive orders and highly anticipated bipartisan action on the federal level, state leaders are taking action now to enable the reforms communities need to boost supply. Increasingly, governors are bringing local leaders together with housing policy experts – including planners – to determine ways the state can pave the way for local housing action.
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March 17, 2025
Sponsored Content from UC Berkeley + University of Toronto. Earn CM credits by participating in the Workshop in Urban Data Storytelling, a training program to help planners leverage data analysis and storytelling to advance local urban initiatives.
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March 13, 2025
Uncovering JAPA: Learn more about how the rise of e-commerce and how remote work has led to an oversupply of retail space, revealing a zoning mismatch that urges planners to rethink and repurpose vacant retail areas for more sustainable uses.
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March 13, 2025
How the planners got creative with the city's zoning code and built community coalitions to create housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness.
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March 12, 2025
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Is there is an emerging typology of unconventional homes in rural and exurban areas, and are local development regulations frustrating efforts to build these homes?
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March 6, 2025
Uncovering JAPA: Despite ongoing ADA compliance challenges, especially in transportation infrastructure, emphasize the need for a system-wide approach, greater support, and expanded education to enhance accessibility for people with disabilities.
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March 3, 2025
Determining which agency ultimately has the authority to approve the siting of a new large-scale solar facility can be complicated. About half of all states have have established explicit limits on local siting authority, offer certain developers a way to bypass that authority, or maintain a parallel siting process.
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February 27, 2025
Uncovering JAPA: Discover how AI-enhanced planning can drive urban development while requiring planners to tackle biases, ensure transparency, safeguard privacy, and engage communities to promote ethical and equitable outcomes.
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February 25, 2025
Figuring out whether a potential employer values employee mental health can be overwhelming, but there are ways to prioritize workplace well-being during your job search.
