Blog
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March 19, 2025
Building for Tomorrow: States Take Action on Housing Reform
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. -
March 12, 2025
Let’s Make This ‘Shouse’ a Home
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? -
March 3, 2025
Wait, Who Approves Large-Scale Solar Siting?
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. -
February 21, 2025
Understanding What Environmental Review Executive Orders Mean for Planning
President Trump signed the “Unleashing American Energy” Executive Order (EO). The EO rescinds a 1977 Carter-era order that charged the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) with issuing binding standards and regulations implementing NEPA. -
February 12, 2025
Turn Down the Lights
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Is it possible to balance human health and public safety in outdoor lighting regulation? -
January 13, 2025
How Risky Is Your Freight Corridor Zoning?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Could a risk-based approach to managing development along freight rail corridors help communities balance safety and growth? -
December 20, 2024
4 Legislative Wins for Planners and Housing Reform in the 118th Congress
The past two years have brought about significant changes across the country — but housing supply and zoning reform remain top-of-mind for planners, elected officials, and their communities. Here are four legislative wins planners — and APA — made possible in the 118th Congress. -
December 12, 2024
Aiding the Small Farm Evolution
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Small farmers must adapt to survive. How can zoning help? -
November 26, 2024
YIMBY Act Finds New Support in Congress
From greenlighting two rounds of pro-housing planning funding to the launch of the Yes in My Backyard Caucus, members of the 118th Congress have demonstrated their willingness to better partner with communities on housing reform. -
November 12, 2024
Bringing ‘Hidden’ Suburban and Exurban Housing into the Light
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Developers are already building subtly mixed residential communities in suburban and exurban areas. Could zoning do more to support build-to-rent and multigenerational housing? -
October 9, 2024
What to Do When the Map Doesn’t Match the Text
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Zoning map-to-text mismatches may be more common than you think. But planners can help prevent and fix these discrepancies. -
September 11, 2024
When More Participation Isn’t Better
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: What can planners do to "right-size" public participation in land use approval processes? -
September 6, 2024
Streamlining Housing Development Review Through Zoning Reform
As communities look for solutions to increase their housing supply in a way that fits their needs, overly complicated zoning review processes often get in the way of development, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse projects. One strategy offered to increase housing supply is to speed or streamline processes for housing development review and approval. -
August 16, 2024
Six Takeaways: The Latest in Federal Housing Action
Top takeaways from a new series of federal actions aimed at closing the housing supply gap. -
August 14, 2024
How Do We Safeguard Our Zoning Reforms?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Minimize or mitigate potential backlash to zoning reforms. -
July 15, 2024
Should Zoning Play a Bigger Role in Promoting Biosafety?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Should zoning be part of our defense against deadly pathogens and biological toxins? -
June 14, 2024
Is Your Zoning Ready for Greener Death Care?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How does your zoning code treat water-based cremation, human composting, and conservation cemeteries? -
June 5, 2024
Making HUD a Better Partner for Local Zoning Reform
The newly introduced Reducing Regulatory Barriers to Housing Act would make HUD a better policy partner to communities embracing housing reform by providing ideas and information that leverage federal expertise, increase transparency through new tools like a national zoning atlas, and spur local innovation. -
May 20, 2024
Planners Call for Federal Support for Housing Reform
Planners across the country are joining APA for Planners' Day to tell Congress why communities need federal action on zoning reform. -
May 13, 2024
Take Notice of Zoning Notifications
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Are your zoning notification practices reaching anyone other than the "usual suspects"? -
April 22, 2024
Manufacturing Affordability
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: The important role of manufactured housing in supporting housing choice, availability, and affordability. -
April 5, 2024
FY24 Spending Package: What You Need to Know About Housing
APA Public Affairs staff break down the support for housing and zoning reform in the FY24 spending bill and what it means for planners. -
March 13, 2024
Big Batteries Are Changing the Energy Landscape
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Is your community ready for battery energy storage systems to help store the sun? -
February 28, 2024
5 Federal Zoning Reform Bills Every Planner Should Know
Five federal zoning reform bills, endorsed by APA, that every planner should know. -
February 9, 2024
Can Floating Homes Help Us Dodge Climate Hazards?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Are floating homes part of the solution to rising sea levels and more frequent and severe storms? -
January 12, 2024
Harnessing the Power of Patterns for Zoning Reform
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Can pre-reviewed plans, pattern books, and pattern zones pave the way to broader missing middle housing reforms? -
January 4, 2024
Are Traffic Impact Studies Still "Junk Science"?
Uncovering JAPA: How Traffic Impact Assessments (TIAs) often fail to meet the substantial evidence standard due to flawed, unsubstantial methods. -
December 11, 2023
Can Zoning Save Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH)?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: What role can zoning play in shielding naturally occurring affordable housing from redevelopment? -
November 14, 2023
Top Five Takeaways: White House Housing Fact Sheet
The Biden-Harris Administration announced new actions last month to support and accelerate commercial-to-residential conversions through new federal guidance on financing and tax incentives, technical assistance, and the reuse of federal properties. -
November 13, 2023
Tribal Zoning? Well, It’s Complicated
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How can planners help tribal authorities apply zoning to "checkboard" reservations? -
November 8, 2023
Support for Zoning Reform Across Capitol Hill
The PRO-Housing Program cleared important legislative hurdles this month after gaining a second year of funding in the Senate transportation and housing funding bill and passing as an amendment in the House's version of the same funding bill. -
October 11, 2023
Are We Close to Automating Zoning?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Can generative AI take the drudgery out of drafting zoning regulations? -
September 12, 2023
Who’s That Knocking at Your Door?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How equitable are your zoning regulations for home occupations? -
August 30, 2023
Federal Zoning Reform Funding Available Now
A new federal competitive grant program – totaling $85 million – is now available to help local governments develop and implement policies that create and preserve housing options by breaking down barriers to zoning reform. -
August 14, 2023
Whose Status Quo Should Zoning Protect?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How can zoning protect historically disadvantaged and vulnerable neighborhoods and business districts? -
July 10, 2023
Small Churches Equal Big Opportunity
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Does your zoning allow new housing on faith-based land? -
May 30, 2023
How to Overcome ADU Barriers
APA and AARP partner to create a guide to expand local supply and legal occupancy of ADUs -
May 10, 2023
Should States Shrink Zoning?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Is state preemption of local zoning the answer to the housing crisis? -
April 12, 2023
Can You Zone Drone Use?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: How might communities apply zoning concepts to regulations for drone operations? -
March 9, 2023
Retrofitting Suburban Arterials for Smart Growth
Uncovering JAPA: Four Toronto region corridors are examined for walkability and retrofitting potential. -
February 16, 2023
It's Perilous to Ignore “Gentle” Zoning Reforms
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Could subtle zoning changes make a big difference in your community? -
February 9, 2023
Lessons for American Zoning From Australia and Canada
Uncovering JAPA: Learning from Australia and Canada's zoning decisions to advance environmental goals, not exclusionary motivations. -
January 20, 2023
What to Expect in State Legislatures on Zoning Reform in 2023
State legislatures in 2022 focused on increasing affordable housing within their respective regions. The trend of state legislatures preempting zoning reform is expected to continue in 2023 across the country. -
January 13, 2023
Demystifying the Zoning Reform Process
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Is your community overdue for a new development code? -
January 10, 2023
Congress Funds New ‘YIMBY’ Grants for Zoning Reform
Congress passes a new $85 million grant program aimed at zoning reform. The funding represents a new and significant incentive and support for local zoning reform and planning for housing affordability. -
December 12, 2022
Queuing Up Drive-Thru Zoning Reforms
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: What does a sensible approach to zoning for drive-through services look like? -
November 11, 2022
Don’t Sleep on Coliving
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Your zoning code probably isn't ready for modern coliving communities. -
October 18, 2022
GIS Prioritizes Federal Funding to Revitalize Neighborhoods
Equity in Practice: GIS helps prioritize funding for neighborhood revitalization and keeps the entire process transparent. -
October 13, 2022
Is Your Zoning Ready for the EV Surge?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: Your zoning code could probably be doing more to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles. -
August 16, 2022
How Should We Zone for Post-Retail Streets?
Spotlight on Zoning Practice: It's time to rethink zoning requirements that mandate active ground-floor uses.
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