American Planning Association

In this episode of the APA podcast, host Dina Walters is joined by David Salazar, FAICP, and Annette Koh to discuss an initiative in Long Beach, California, that is looking to pave the way for future urban planners. Through engaging youth in high schools and teen centers, the program introduces students to the world of urban planning, providing them with tools and knowledge to improve their communities. David and Annette discuss the origins of the program, its growth, the partnerships that have made it possible, and the impact it has had on both the students and the city. Learn how this innovative program is creating a pipeline for future planning professionals and fostering the next generation of community leaders. This episode is sponsored by: University of Michigan Engineering Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/empowering-youth-and-the-urban-planning-pipeline-with-annette-koh-and-david-salazar-faicp/

In this special NPC25 episode of the APA podcast, host Michael Brown, AICP, conference committee chair for NPC25, engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Leah Rothstein. Leah is co-author along with her father, Richard Rothstein, on the book Just Action, and has specialized in community development and affordable housing policy, practice, and finance throughout her career. Leah delves into the challenges in addressing critical issues surrounding race, housing, and community equity, emphasizing the importance of building relationships, engaging in service, and finding purpose. As a keynote speaker at the 2025 National Planning Conference (NPC 25), Leah offers a sneak peek into her upcoming talk and highlights the significance of local action in advancing equity and making a positive impact on your community. This episode is sponsored by AARP Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/building-community-and-purpose-leah-rothstein-on-just-action/

Sacramento, California, is at the forefront of zoning reform, tackling some of the biggest challenges in housing supply and affordability. Tom Pace, the city’s director of community development, shares how the city has embraced policies to remove barriers to housing production, modernize outdated regulations, and promote sustainable growth. And, he offers ideas for how other places can approach zoning reform to build more equitable and livable communities. In this episode of People Behind the Plans, Pace shares insights on the city’s ambitious approach to infill and transit-oriented housing, as well as how to eliminate parking requirements and simplify the approval process for new developments. He also reflects on the evolution of Sacramento’s General Plan and how planners can balance community engagement with bold policy changes. Tune in for an in-depth discussion on the power of planning to shape more accessible and vibrant cities. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/tom-pace-on-zoning-reform-and-h

In this episode of Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning, hosts Divya Gandhi and Em Hall interview Jacky Grimshaw and Nina Idemudia, AICP, from the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) in Chicago. They discuss the evolution of transportation planning, the importance of community engagement, and the emergence of millennial leadership in the planning profession. Jacky shares her extensive experience in advocating for citizen participation in transportation planning, while Nina reflects on her journey from growing up in Detroit to serving as CNT's CEO, and emphasizes the need for planners to address structural inequities. Together, they highlight CNT's innovative approaches and ongoing efforts to create equitable and sustainable urban environments. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/critical-conversations-in-transportation-planning-cnt-nina-idamudia-aicp-and-jacky-grimshaw/

In this episode of the Trend Talk series, a companion podcast for APA's 2025 Trend Report for Planners, Joe DeAngelis, AICP, Research Manager at the American Planning Association, chats with APA President, Sue Schwartz, FAICP. The two discuss the evolving landscape of public sector planning and delve into current hiring challenges, the impact of political polarization on community engagement, and the importance of personal resiliency for planners. Sue shares insights on managing technological changes, balancing remote and in-office work, and preparing for future trends in the profession. Join us for an enlightening conversation on the crucial role of planners in shaping resilient and equitable communities. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/the-future-of-public-sector-planning-with-apa-president-sue-schwartz-faicp/

Planners have a difficult job. In addition to being experts on their own technical field of planning, they must also understand a variety of other disciplines — like architecture, landscape and ecology to name just a few. These fields are complex in their own right, and planners must consider and translate these concepts for laypeople and elected officials alike. Nico Larco experienced this information overload firsthand and decided to build a resource to compile and contextualize the essential elements of sustainable design. The result was The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook, which he co-authored with Kaarin Knudson. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/nico-larco-and-kaarin-knudson-on-demystifying-sustainable-urban-design/

In this episode of the Housing Supply Accelerator series, Emily Pasi, Director of Public Affairs at the American Planning Association, chats with Robert Broeksmit, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association. The two discuss why MBA joined the Housing Supply Accelerator; how the economics of the housing crisis impacts the real estate finance industry; the importance of bringing the lending community's voice to the table when crafting policy; how local government can close housing development finance gaps; public-private partnerships as a financing solution; demystifying housing finance for community planners, and much more. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/housing-supply-accelerator-an-interview-with-mortgage-bankers-association-president-and-ceo-robert-broeksmit/

In this episode of People Behind the Plans, Julia Freedgood, author of Planning Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems, talks about the complex and fragile web behind the food we eat, and the important role planning plays, especially in rural areas. Freedgood, a senior fellow and senior program advisor at the American Farmland Trust, digs into rural and urban agriculture, food insecurity, and even how renewable energy production can be at odds with food production. Always optimistic, she'll share how planners can shift their mindset toward comprehensive food systems planning and offer guidance on addressing food challenges. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/american-farmland-trusts-julia-freedgood-on-planning-sustainable-food-systems-for-all-people/

In this third episode of the series, Emily Pasi, Director of Public Affairs at the American Planning Association, chats with Kevin Sears, President of the National Association of Realtors. The two discuss how real estate professionals have been specifically impacted by the housing crisis, what barriers and opportunities exist for growing the nation's housing supply, and why it is important for NAR to be a partner in the Housing Supply Accelerator. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/housing-supply-accelerator-an-interview-with-national-association-of-realtors-president-kevin-sears/

In this episode of the APA Podcast, Jason Jordan, APA's Principal of Public Affairs, chats with Burlington, Vermont's former mayor, Miro Weinberger, and former planning director, Meagan Tuttle, AICP. In this discussion, they share how they worked together to provide the political leadership and the critical insights needed for Burlington to enact one of the nation's most important and far-reaching reforms aimed at increasing housing supply. Episode Sponsor: Booked on Planning Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/the-burlington-model-how-planning-led-reforms-transformed-the-citys-housing-market/

Welcome to the third episode of Short Takes, a three-part miniseries from the American Planning Association. Short Takes, hosted by Sophia Burns, brings listeners into the field with planners pursuing inventive new approaches to everyday issues: community engagement, land use and zoning, and career advancement. In this episode, we share how three planners helped community members navigate change with deep listening, secret shopping, and sometimes leading by following. Listen as they share how putting themselves in stakeholders’ shoes ultimately made them a more informed and effective collaborator. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/improvise-innovate-and-involve-3-planners-reveal-the-importance-of-flipping-your-perspective/

Welcome to the second episode of Short Takes, a three-part miniseries from the American Planning Association. Short Takes, hosted by Sophia Burns, brings listeners into the field with planners pursuing inventive new approaches to everyday issues: community engagement, land use and zoning, and career advancement. In this episode, we dive into the journeys of two planners who have transformed career challenges into opportunities for growth. They share their strategies for coping with imposter syndrome, advocating for themselves, and advancing their careers. Listen as they recount handling negative comments with grace, confidently navigating tough conversations, and successfully negotiating for what they truly deserve. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/aspire-advocate-and-advance-2-planners-talk-frankly-about-career-challenges-and-moving-up/

Welcome to the first episode of Short Takes, a three-part miniseries from the American Planning Association. Short Takes, hosted by Sophia Burns, brings listeners into the field with planners pursuing inventive new approaches to everyday issues: community engagement, land use and zoning, and career advancement. This episode retraces three planners’ steps as they implement and evaluate novel approaches to community engagement. Tune in to hear how block parties, compensation policies, and "Frenchified" zoning puns are winning planners more face time with the communities they serve. Episode URL: https://www.planning.org/podcast/creativity-compensation-and-culture-3-planners-share-community-engagement-innovations/

In this second episode of the series, Emily Pasi, Director of Public Affairs at the American Planning Association, chats with Carl Harris, Chairman of the National Association of Home Builders. The two discuss the NAHB's role as a core partner in the Housing Supply Accelerator, as well as what some of the barriers home builders face to building more housing nationwide. They also look at some of the potential solutions that can help communities and developers work together to produce, preserve, and provide diverse, attainable, and equitable housing options. Episode URL: https://www.planning.org/podcast/housing-supply-accelerator-an-interview-with-national-association-of-home-builders-chairman-carl-harris/

In this first episode in a new series, Emily Pasi, director of public affairs at the American Planning Association chats with Clarence Anthony, CEO of the National League of Cities (NLC). Clarence and NLC are partners alongside APA on the Housing Supply Accelerator. The Housing Supply Accelerator is a national campaign to improve local capacity, identify critical solutions, and speed reforms that enable communities and developers to work together to produce, preserve, and provide diverse, attainable, and equitable housing by realigning the efforts of public and private stakeholders in the housing sector to meet housing needs at the local level. The two discuss the importance of elected officials, home builders, real estate professionals, bankers and community planners coming together to address the housing supply crisis; how partnerships can address housing supply barriers; the solutions outlined in the newly released Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook; and much more. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podca

Zoning reform has become a topic of national interest, not just among planners and local decision makers, but also in the national media and in everyday conversations. While the national housing crisis is well-documented, information on the role of local zoning rules has been harder to find — until now. The National Zoning Atlas is going state by state to create a map of local land use policies. It simplifies and unifies a multitude of data inputs, helping planners and community members to both make sense of zoning regulations and champion zoning reform. The brainchild of lawyer and Cornell University professor Sara C. Bronin, the National Zoning Atlas is proving to be a valuable advocacy tool. In this episode, Bronin explains how an effort to Desegregate Connecticut paved the way for the National Zoning Atlas and how planners are contributing to — and benefiting from — this movement to demystify and democratize the policies that shape communities. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/national-zoning-a

Planners can design places for many purposes: to promote commerce, to protect us from natural disasters, to uplift historical significance. As mental health and social relationships become increasingly significant, new questions rise to the top: What about planning for the way people feel? How can planners better understand how environments impact well-being and then learn to shape more joyful, healing spaces? In this episode of People Behind the Plans, Megan Oliver, AICP, WELL AP, founder of Hello Happy Design, discusses how the intersection of neuroscience and planning — called neurourbanism — can provide planners with the necessary tools to design places for social and emotional health. Oliver also speaks to the rising awareness of neurodiversity and how we can change our assumptions about how community members engage with the people and places around them. This episode was sponsored by Nexus at University of Michigan Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/megan-oliver-on-how-to-plan-for-happiness-in

The history of planning includes racist policies and practices that have resulted in entrenched inequity and enduring systemic barriers. Understanding the complexities and impacts of those barriers is necessary to dismantling ingrained inequalities and achieving transformative change. A recent edition of the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA) called “Antiracist Futures: Disrupting Racist Planning Practices in Workplaces, Institutions, and Communities” centers racial justice in the planning field, documenting the current state of the profession and planning education, and offering tangible strategies for implementing anti-racist practices that are adaptable and responsive. In this episode of People Behind the Plans, JAPA contributors Rashad Williams, Assistant Professor of Race and Social Justice in Public Policy at the University of Pittsburgh, and Anaid Yerena, Associate Professor of Urban Studies at the University of Washington, Tacoma, speak about anti-racist community planning concepts t

Jewell Littles Walton is an urban planning and real estate professional with a career spanning multiple decades. She joins Dina Walters, a member of APA's Prioritize Equity team, for this special episode to share the story of uncovering her family’s connection to the early 20th century Greenwood neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Greenwood was known as “Black Wall Street”, one of the most prosperous African-American communities in the United States, and was home to one of the nation’s worst race massacres. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/rediscovering-roots-planner-jewell-littles-walton-uncovers-family-ties-to-tulsas-black-wall-street/

When it comes to essential services and the stakeholders of a city, music and the people who make up a music ecosystem may not always be mentioned in the same breath as utilities and schools or residents and businesses. But music can enhance quality of life and plays an important role in generating prosperity for people, organizations and cities as a whole when it coexists harmoniously among its neighbors. Shain Shapiro has dedicated the last decade to helping cities embrace the value of music and plan for it with thoughtful policies. He wrote about his experience in his debut book, This Must Be the Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better. In this episode, Shapiro joins host Meghan Stromberg to discuss how planners can champion music policy in cities, as well as a case study of an American city that took a strategic approach to incorporating music in its long-term plan. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/shain-shapiro-on-taylor-swift-and-the-benefits-of-a-music-policy-for-your-city/