Blog
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August 9, 2022
Visual Guide to Agrivoltaics and Wildlife-Friendly Solar
Agrivoltaics — or the placement of a solar energy system on the same parcel of land as agricultural production — and wildlife-friendly solar practices can help communities capture multiple benefits from large-scale solar development. -
June 3, 2022
It’s Not Necessarily Solar vs. Agriculture
The topic of large-scale solar development in rural communities doesn't have to be controversial. Learn how local officials and developers can work together to clear up the misconception that these two land uses cannot co-exist. -
January 21, 2022
Grappling with the Racist Legacy of Zoning
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Jenny Raitt challenges planners to reckon with zoning's racist legacy, and work to build integrated and equitable communities. -
December 15, 2021
Three Bold Proposals for Zoning Reform
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Three recent issues of Zoning Practice have offered bold new visions for alternatives to the status quo in zoning. These visions range from a radical rebuild to an attempt to harness self-interest to advance elusive collective goals. -
December 8, 2021
Smart Cities – Integrating Technology, Community, and Nature
For many planners, “smart city” is just a buzzword that does not connect with their community goals and is not part of their vision or toolkit. This is something that needs to change. The question is not whether planners should plan for smart cities, but rather how they can do so in equitable and sustainable ways. -
December 7, 2021
The Silver Linings of Asset-Based Community Development
Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) is a framework to discover and mobilize assets or resources available in a community and use them to benefit residents. -
November 12, 2021
Is Campus Zoning Due for a Shake-Up?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Cities, towns, and counties often take a light touch when it comes to zoning for major educational and health-care campuses. But do demographic and technological changes mean it's time to rethink the status quo? -
November 10, 2021
The Multiple Benefits of Dementia-Friendly Communities
The number of Americans living with dementia, which includes Alzheimer’s disease, is growing. Planners can play a key role in making sure that communities allow for the best possible quality of life for this growing population. -
November 1, 2021
Solar@Scale: Opportunities for Planners to Act
A new guidebook from APA and ICMA highlights key opportunities for planners to help speed the decarbonization of the U.S. electricity grid by promoting context-sensitive large-scale solar development in the communities they serve. -
September 28, 2021
Helping Planners Advance Disaster Recovery
APA recently published the Post-Disaster Recovery Guide for Planners — a resource that aims to help local planners working for communities that are recovering from all kinds of disasters, including catastrophic flooding and damage and disruption from cascading hazards. -
July 16, 2021
Digitalization and Implications for Planning
Digitalization is the conversion of processes or roles from an analog form to a digital form? What are some of these broader societal trends in digitalization, and what are the implications for planning? -
July 9, 2021
Combating Climate Change Through Vacant Lot Restoration
A success story of how vacant lots in Philadelphia were transformed into climate-resilient pollinator gardens to combat climate change. -
February 10, 2021
The Future of Planning Is Agile, People-centric, and Technologically Advanced
Petra Hurtado, PhD, APA's Research Director, explores patterns and the agility and technological innovation planners need. -
December 21, 2020
Exploring Gaps in Guidance for Large-Scale Solar Development
The Solar@Scale team recently analyzed the existing literature on planning and zoning for large-scale solar development and identified some significant gaps. -
December 18, 2020
Do Planners Know Plan Integration Can Improve Local Resilience?
APA developed a survey and conducted a series of interviews in an attempt to uncover how planners think about plan integration, and what relationship local plan integration efforts may have with building community resilience. -
November 16, 2020
Incorporating Drones Into Planning Practice
City and regional planners are uniquely trained to consider the broader impacts to society of uncrewed aircraft systems like drones. -
October 14, 2020
Solar@Scale: Improving the Local Rules for Large-Scale Solar
APA has partnered with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) on Solar@Scale, a new U.S. Department of Energy-funded project to help realize the potential benefits of large-scale solar development for cities, counties, and special districts. -
January 9, 2020
Crafting a Disaster Recovery Guide With Planners in Mind
APA partnered with Texas A&M University to design a mixed-methods research project examining where planners turn for information and assistance after a disaster. -
June 13, 2019
Partnerships + Data: The Keys to Creating Change and Opportunity
One of APA's partners, Enterprise, describes its work in the arena of housing affordability and accessibility. -
January 29, 2019
Four Plans for Shaping the Future of Puerto Rico
A summary of four plans that will shape Puerto Rico’s response to the urgent humanitarian needs of the island’s residents after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. -
July 19, 2018
Planning Resilient Urban Forests with i-Tree Landscape
i-Tree Landscape is a free geographic tool that uses tree information to aid local and regional planning for more resilient communities. -
April 6, 2018
Green Schoolyards for Healthy Communities
What if every schoolyard was a green schoolyard? Multifunctional schoolyards can ensure kids' healthy mental, physical, cognitive, and social development. -
January 16, 2018
Living on the Edge: Get to Know Your Wildland-Urban Interface
One-third of the U.S. population lives in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). It's important for planners to consider the WUI during the community planning process due to its direct link to potential wildfire disasters. -
December 18, 2017
Growing Older — and Designing Smarter
First in a series from the Healthy Aging Working Group: The Healthy Communities in PA task force encourages healthy community design in Pennsylvania by combining expertise from the planning and health fields. -
October 23, 2017
Get New Megaregional Planning Resources
Get resources on megaregional planning from APA and the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development at the Georgia Institute of Technology. -
August 29, 2017
Tackle the Data Tsunami with APA Water Planning Network Tools
American Planning Association's Interest Group — the Water and Planning Network — provides periodic updates on current research, leading practices, and tools related to planning for water. -
June 5, 2017
Happy 10th Birthday to NOAA’s Digital Coast!
NOAA's Digitial Coast is turning 10. APA is a partner in this initiative, which brings tools and resources to coastal communities. -
March 29, 2016
NOAA Unveils New Water Resources Dashboard
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration worked with APA and several water-related organizations to develop and combine resources into its new Water Resources Dashboard.
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