Blogs

April 8, 2018

APA Great Places and the Power of Advocacy

Read about the benefits of having a Great Place in America in your community, and how planners can leverage it for years to come.

April 4, 2018

NPC18 Water and Planning Guide: 7 Must-Attend Events

Attend the following water and planning related events at the National Planning Conference to learn about a broad range of topics related to planning for water and addressing water resource challenges.

April 1, 2018

Critical Planning Programs Fully Funded by the Omnibus

With the passage of the omnibus spending package, federal planning programs are fully funded through fiscal year 2018 (FY18).

March 25, 2018

California's Urgent Search for Housing Solutions

Housing affordability challenges across the nation are some of the most pressing and controversial. Learn more about California housing legislation and the role of planners.

March 14, 2018

Infrastructure Remains a Priority, But Funding Still a Question Mark

APA's Policy Director Jason Jordan recaps the latest congressional overtures on an infrastructure package.

March 5, 2018

Equity As a Skill You Can Learn

Social equity and inclusive growth concerns are among APA's top policy priorities. Learn how you can engage in the process of creating an equity policy guide at NPC18 and beyond.

March 5, 2018

Transit a Focus of Next DOT Automated Vehicle Policy

The U.S. Department of Transportation held a listening summit in Washington to preview its AV 3.0 guidance set for a summer release date.

February 28, 2018

Tax Law Creates New Opportunity Zone Program; Planners Must Act Early

The deadline for states to apply for an Opportunity Zone designation is fast approaching. Planners need to act quickly to ensure that their communities do not miss out on this important opportunity.

February 20, 2018

Taking the "UD" Out of HUD: President's Proposed Budget Kills Off Programs

The President's FY 2019 budget proposal dramatically changes the core functions of HUD by eliminating all community development programs and cutting off funds for renovating and modernizing public housing.

February 13, 2018

Infrastructure Plan Moves Debate Ahead, Fails to Address Funding

President Trump released his long-awaited infrastructure plan in conjunction with his FY 2019 budget proposal. While the plan pushes debate on infrastructure legislation forward, it fails to address serious funding concerns held by APA and others.

February 12, 2018

Administration's 2019 Budget Would Devastate Core Planning Programs

Once again, the Trump administration has proposed eliminating federal funding for programs central to good planning. APA believes such attempts only hurt communities, and urges planning advocates to voice their support for these vital programs.

February 12, 2018

Congress Still Working to Finalize Current Fiscal Year Spending

Congress approved a two-year budget deal that will allow Congress to wrap up work on the current fiscal year 2018 spending and begin initial discussions over the upcoming 2019 fiscal year.

February 5, 2018

Autonomous Vehicles: States Pave the Way

Technology is rapidly expanding our transit choices, and states are taking notice. What’s new for autonomous vehicles at the state level thus far in 2018?

January 30, 2018

State of the Union's Infrastructure Aspirations Lofty but Details Scant

APA's Director of Policy Jason Jordan recaps President Trump's first State of the Union Address, the planning issues discussed, and policy issues Congress must address in the days ahead.

January 24, 2018

Federal Government Reopens, Negotiations Continue

The short-lived government shutdown has come to an end, but the underlying policy issues that led to the shutdown still have not been resolved.

January 22, 2018

Lay of the Land: 2018 State Legislative Sessions

By the end of January, almost 40 state legislatures across the nation will be in session. Get in the know about key issues and players likely to affect planning during the 2018 legislative season.

January 10, 2018

HUD Extends Assessment of Fair Housing Deadline

In a controversial move, HUD issued a notice effectively suspending new fair housing planning rules until 2020. APA plans to submit comments on the action.

January 10, 2018

APA Announces Policy Recommendations for Creating Healthy, Active Places

APA’s Healthy Communities Policy Guide identifies policy recommendations for local, state, and federally elected officials with the goal of improving community health and quality of living through planning.

December 19, 2017

Year in Review: APA Took a Stand for Planning in 2017

With 2018 on the horizon, APA looks forward to advancing smart, federal planning policies by building on the momentum sparked this year.

December 17, 2017

Most Planning, Development Tools Survive in Tax Reform Compromise

House and Senate conferees have struck a compromise agreement on tax reform. While the bill preserves most planning and development tools, long-term effects of tax reform pose new uncertainties for local planning efforts and communities.

December 11, 2017

Reimagining the Civic Commons

Reimagining the Civic Commons is a national initiative to foster engagement, equity, environmental sustainability, and economic development in our cities. APA members learned more about the initiative at the 2017 Policy and Advocacy Conference.

December 4, 2017

Congressional Conference Committee Takes on Tax Reform

Congressional leaders are hoping to complete work on tax reform before the end of the year. The quickest way to accomplish that is reconciling the differences between the House and Senate bills through the conference committee process.

December 3, 2017

Tax Reform Clears Senate; Key Planning Issues Still at Stake

With both House and Senate tax bills passed, it is now the job of conferees to reconcile the two for a final vote on tax reform before the holiday recess. Here's what APA likes and dislikes about each bill.

November 29, 2017

Congress Makes No Progress on Finalizing Spending

Congress's deadline for finalizing an FY 18 budget or passing another stop-gap measure funding the government is December 8. Tax reform may have an effect on year-end budget decisions.

November 20, 2017

For Better Tax Reform, Learn from History

If tax reform is intended to spur economic growth and investment, it should retain historic tax credits (HTCs) — an incentive for boosting private investment in the rehabilitation of old buildings.

November 20, 2017

Tax Reform Negotiations on the Horizon

Congress heads home for Thanksgiving having made significant progress on tax reform legislation. The House of Representatives passed its bill, and the Senate's legislation will head to the floor soon.

November 9, 2017

Senate Tax Bill: Key Differences from the House Version

The Senate Finance Committee released a detailed summary of its own tax reform legislation just hours after the long-awaited tax bill hit the floor in the House.

November 5, 2017

Analysis: Tax Reform Proposal Impacts Housing, Economic Development

The long-awaited tax reform legislation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1), contains provisions that will have potentially significant impacts on housing and economic development activities.

October 18, 2017

2020 Census Funding Increase Needed Urgently

The 2020 Census faces severe budgetary constraints for the irreplaceable decennial count. Similar problems could be in store for other Census Bureau activities, including the American Community Survey and the already delayed Economic Census.

October 15, 2017

Planning for Sustainability in the Long Term

Communities across the country are using APA's Comprehensive Plan Standards as a resource for the preparation of their own comprehensive plans.

October 9, 2017

#PlanningMonth: A Planner’s Bully Pulpit

National Community Planning Month is an opportunity for planners to demonstrate the benefits of smart planning to legislators and the public.

October 2, 2017

Innovation in Planning Through New Smart Cities Legislation

The overarching theme of National Community Planning Month this year is "innovation in planning." New federal legislation, the Smart Cities and Communities Act, aims at spurring the development of smart cities technology.

September 26, 2017

What Happened at the 2017 Policy and Advocacy Conference

Planners descended in Washington, D.C., in September 2017 for three days of panel discussions, provoking keynotes, and action on Capitol Hill at the largest Policy and Advocacy Conference ever.

September 26, 2017

Planners Call on Congress: "Fund Community Programs"

At Planners' Day on Capitol Hill 2017, planning advocates urged their representatives to support programs that benefit communities.

September 25, 2017

With Technology Expanding, Inequality Rising

Ryan Avent spoke about rising inequalities in the nation in his luncheon keynote at the 2017 APA Policy and Advocacy Conference.

September 24, 2017

Solving the New Urban Crisis With Inclusiveness

Richard Florida urges a switch from from winner-take-all urbanism to urbanism-for-all at APA's Policy and Advocacy Conference.

September 24, 2017

Is Federal Data Collection in Jeopardy?

Federal data, smart cities, and civic innovation was the focus of the 2017 Daniel Burnham Forum on Big Ideas.

September 21, 2017

Policy and Advocacy Conference: Budget and Appropriations Primer

Before APA's annual Policy and Advocacy Conference, a timely update on where Congress is on FY 2018 budget negotiations, and what comes next.

September 4, 2017

Congress on Road to AV Legislation Vote

Congress returns this week with autonomous vehicles (AVs) on a lengthy to-do list.

August 13, 2017

Tell Your Representatives: It's Time to Fund THUD

Congress is home. Tell your representatives to fund THUD before the looming budget deadline and the start of FY 2018 on October 1, 2017.

July 31, 2017

Congress Makes (Slow) Progress on Transportation, Housing Spending

Both House and Senate are far behind in their work to put in place finalized spending for the fiscal year that begins on October 1, 2017, including allocations for housing and transportation.

July 20, 2017

Interior-EPA Spending Bill Presents Mixed Bag for Planning

The full House Appropriations Committee has advanced its FY18 spending bill for the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency, and it's a mixed bag for planning priorities.

July 13, 2017

Why We Need to Pass a Law That Funds Urban Green Spaces

Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán recently introduced the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program Act of 2017, a bill that would codify funding for the development of urban parks, green spaces, and recreational areas in communities across the country.

July 10, 2017

Congress Behind on Budget and Appropriations Work, Again

Congress moves on the Budget and Appropriations Process, but uncertainty still looms for Fiscal Year 2018.

June 25, 2017

Bipartisan Urban Parks Legislation Introduced in the House

Bipartisan legislation introduced in the House would increase investment in urban and community parks across the country.

May 25, 2017

Inadequate Funding Imperils a Fair and Accurate 2020 Census

There is a real concern that the 2020 Census will be underfunded and unable to deliver the type of data needed for the nation and its communities.

May 23, 2017

Official Presidential Budget Released: It’s Officially Bad for Planners

APA's coverage of the President Trump's full budget proposal for FY 2018: it shifts $54 billion away from critical domestic programs and makes a devastating disinvestment in the nation’s communities.