Blogs

April 30, 2020

Coping With Ethical Dissonance in Planning

Uncovering JAPA: Learn what research shows about the ways planners are responding to ethical dilemmas.

April 16, 2020

Simplifying Coastal Planning for Small Cities

Uncovering JAPA: How can small coastal cities plan for climate uncertainty?

February 28, 2020

Planning Ethics: Lessons from 2019

AICP Ethics Officer James Peters, FAICP, reports on ethics cases from 2019.

February 27, 2020

An Urgency for Insurgency: Lifting Marginalized Voices

Uncovering JAPA: Neighborhood association insurgents successfully challenged planning in one Detroit neighborhood, and planners can support marginalized voices elsewhere.

December 19, 2019

A Ladder to More Meaningful Community Participation

Uncovering JAPA: Arnstein's Ladder of Citizen Participation can't fix community participation, but it surely provides a space from which to start.

December 11, 2019

Revisiting Arnstein’s Ladder: Justice as Parity of Participation

Uncovering JAPA: How can planning toward participation have a transformative effect on social equity?

December 3, 2019

Planning Ethics: What Could Be Wrong About Accepting a Gift?

The holidays are a time for giving and receiving. The AICP Code of Ethics is a professional planner's guide to making the right decisions about accepting gifts.

October 17, 2019

The View From Arnstein’s Ladder: The Promise of Community Control

Uncovering JAPA: Is community control — a shift of power from the government to the majority of the community — the way to address injustice faced by marginalized members of the community?

October 1, 2019

Seal of Expertise, Credibility, and Ethics: Benefits of AICP Certification

Wendy Shabay, AICP, finds that there's a direct correlation between the AICP credential and the success her firm has had in building relationships with local communities.

September 19, 2019

Building That Well-Known Ladder of Citizen Participation

Uncovering JAPA: Sherry Arnstein's influential Ladder of Citizen Participation grew from her frustration with government ideas about power in the 1950s and 1960s.

September 12, 2019

Who Cares? Reimagining Planning as Caring

Uncovering JAPA: How can planners acknowledge and make use of all of their emotions in a productive way when engaging with the public?

August 29, 2019

Planners as Partners in Building Healthy Communities

Uncovering JAPA: What does it look like for planners to not simply involve communities but ensure they have agency and can lead?

August 1, 2019

Zoning: The Cause and the Cure for High Housing Prices

Uncovering JAPA: Single-family restrictions, lot sizes restrictions, and parking requirements limit developers’ ability to build affordable housing. However, in this quandary, we may also find the solution.

June 13, 2019

A JAPA Special Edition: The Enduring Legacy of David Godschalk

Uncovering JAPA: The latest edition of the Journal of the American Planning Association commemorates the life of professor, planner, architect, and JAPA editor David Godschalk, FAICP.

June 6, 2019

Kevin Lynch and the Shaping of Los Angeles

Uncovering JAPA: The Journal of the American Planning Association continues to highlight Kevin Lynch’s legacy and the ideas in his book The Image of the City. Learn more about his imprint on Los Angeles.

May 23, 2019

40 Years Ago: Neil Smith, Gentrification, and the Flow of Money

Uncovering JAPA: In 1979, Neil Smith reconsidered the foundations of gentrification, pinpointing the flow of capital that continues to reshape city centers today.

April 10, 2019

Kevin Lynch in Retrospect

Uncovering JAPA: A special issue of JAPA honors planner and academic Kevin Lynch and explores why his work still matters.

March 4, 2019

Planning Ethics: Lessons from 2018

AICP Ethics Officer James Peters, FAICP, reports on ethics cases from 2018.

February 9, 2018

Planning Ethics: Lessons from 2017

AICP Ethics Officer James Peters, FAICP, reports on ethics cases from 2017.

January 9, 2018

Theories of Change and Your Planning Career

A "Guide for the Idealist" blog post: How do planning theories of change affect planners both personally and professionally?

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.

December 7, 2017

Planning in Uncertain Times and a New Agenda for the Future

To achieve greater social cohesion, inclusion, and safety in a society where the needs of all citizens are met, the approach needs to be comprehensive and have wide citizen support. Planning is the vehicle through which much of this vision can be achieved.

November 28, 2017

Planning Theory: What Is It Good For?

A "Guide for the Idealist" blog post: Think of planning theories as tools rather than expressions of truth.

November 7, 2017

Misusing the AICP Credential: Ethics and Consequences

The AICP planning certification is the gold standard credential for planners and, as such, it is a brand that merits protection.

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.

September 7, 2017

Ethics and RFPs

Even before a project is undertaken — when the project is being bid out and proposals received — planners have key ethical responsibilities to consider.

May 16, 2017

Ethics Aren’t Just for Jane Doe, AICP

APA's Ethical Principles in Planning can help you stay focused in contentious times.

February 24, 2017

Planning Ethics in 2016

AICP Ethics Officer James Peters, FAICP, reports on ethics cases from 2016.

October 25, 2016

When Planners and Engineers Team Up, Everybody Wins

Cross-sector collaboration between planners and other allied professionals is a powerful partnership. Get one civil engineer's take on the important of working early and often with planners on master plans.

September 22, 2016

In Memoriam: John Hirten, FAICP

Former AIP Executive Director John Hirten, FAICP, died in September 2016.

August 26, 2016

Enlightening Students Through the Built Environment: Active Transportation

The Built Environment Education Program (BEEP) in San Diego, led by Benjamin Martinez, educates its students on how street design and active transportation shape their communities.

August 16, 2016

The 4 Ways Urban Parks Bring Value to City Life

Vibrant, well-maintained parks bring public health, environmental, economic, and community benefits to cities. Catherine Nagel, executive director of the City Parks Alliance, highlights the value of parks and the need for greater investment.

July 19, 2016

Announcing Planning Oregon, an Initiative for Statewide Future Planning

Faculty members at Portland State University explain Planning Oregon, an initiative to establish the school as a focal point of research and innovative practices for the statewide land-use planning program.

July 14, 2016

Study: Why Do Communities Adopt Inclusionary Zoning?

A new study examines why Inclusionary Zoning is a driver of economic diversity and expanding opportunities in cities across the U.S.

June 28, 2016

Washington Planners Are Rising to Meet Global Challenges

Big Ideas for Washington’s Future has produced a website and a variety of models for practicing planners, education programs for the public and elected officials, and partnerships with other organizations covering diverse topics

June 15, 2016

Automated Vehicles and the Next Great Transformation of the Built Environment

Researchers at Florida State University and the Florida Department of Transportation document how automated vehicles may transform the built environment in coming decades.