American Planning Association

In July, D.C.'s first seasonal parklet popped up along K Street's busy commercial district. Transforming two parking spots into a playful, interactive micro-park, it invites pedestrians and office workers into a small oasis with fern and liatris. Called "parKIT," this new public space was designed by Gensler in collaboration with the Golden Triangle BID, as a toolkit for D.C.'s parklets. Wedge-shaped, multi-use modules of various heights can be scattered and rearranged by the public, and the scene at the parklet has been ever-changing since its opening. In this presentation, the parKIT team discussed the lessons learned from the design process, various reactions, and discoveries through the daily operation of the parklet. Also, they shared their observations on how temporary urban spaces can generate a new type of participation and placemaking in D.C.

The Santa Fe Railyard in Santa Fe, New Mexico was designated as a 2015 "Great Place in America" for the public space category by the American Planning Association. In this podcast Brian Drypolcher and Greg Hiner from the Trust for Public Land discuss how the Santa Fe Railyard became a vibrant public space.

Jim Schwab, AICP interviews James Buika from the Department of Planning for the County of Maui and Tara Owens from the University of Hawaii Sea Grant program about disaster recovery planning in Hawaii.

An interview with Daren Fluke, AICP about the Idaho Plan4Health coalition.

An interview with APA member and Bensenville, Illinois planner Victoria Benham about the "B-Well Bensenville" campaign which is part of APA's Plan4Health initiative.

Roundtable discussion on water shortage and drought originally aired July 13, 2015 on KVMR Radio in Nevada City, California. Discussion participants include Frank Meecham, San Luis Obispo Board Supervisor from District 1; Tom Tedd, Director of the Office of the Columbia River - Department of Ecology for the State of Washington; Vic Ferrara, Nevada County Office of Emergency Services; Jim Schwab, AICP, APA's Manager of the Hazards Planning Center.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015 As news arises of drought, harmful algal blooms, and chemical spills across the nation, we are regularly reminded of the need to protect drinking water in our cities and communities. Every day, land use decisions affect future drinking water supplies, either intentionally or inadvertently. By protecting sources of drinking water through regular planning activities and practices like green infrastructure, we can build resilient, healthy, and beautiful communities. The Source Water Collaborative formed in 2006 with the goal to combine the strengths and tools of a diverse set of member organizations to act now, and protect sources of drinking water for generations to come. As a member of the collaborative, APA works with partners like the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, Smart Growth America, and many others to help communities across the nation protect sources of drinking water. Rachel Carlson is an e

APA talks to Dale Morris, Senior Economist at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, DC and David Waggonner, president of Waggonner and Ball Architects in New Orleans about the "Dutch Dialogues" workshops.

Linking Communities Together Through Innovative Regional Transportation Planning May 12, 2015 Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and regional planning councils are in the midst of a wave of innovative practices in how they work with communities to create long-range plans and how they work with local jurisdictions to implement land use, transportation and development decisions that support regional outcomes. Mariia Zimmerman shared highlights of recent work that she has conducted through her company, MZ Strategies, looking at some of the emerging best practices including highlights from the Innovative MPO Guidebook published by Transportation for America. Specifically, what types of local assistance programs are being created to foster more livable communities, how are regional agencies incorporating social equity into their investment decisions, and what role are MPOs and regional planning agencies playing in cross sector regional collaboratives. Erich Zimmermann focused on how MPOs and regional pl

2014 AICP Symposium - Originally Recorded on October 29, 2014 at the National Building Museum "Housing Equity and Healthy Housing Choices" Featuring: Carol Payne, Director, Baltimore Field Office of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Derek Hyra, Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and Policy, American University Jonathan Wilson, Deputy Director, National Center for Healthy Housing

On this episode, APA’s Emily Pasi talks with APA member Brad Klamer of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans about the actions the City of New Orleans is taking to create a more water resilient, green and educated community. We’ll explore what cities New Orleans is looking to as models in resiliency planning and how the City is learning to live with water.

February 24, 2015 This talk drew upon lessons from the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP), a collaboration of the Urban Institute and organizations in 35 cities. NNIP partners help local actors use neighborhood data to improve communities through policy, planning, and advocacy. From her experience in NNIP, Kathryn Pettit of the Urban Institute discussed the types of information infrastructure needed to make good decisions in a local community — including open government data, integrated data systems, community indicators, and neighborhood data systems. Examples from local partners demonstrated how stakeholders are using local data on health, housing, and education to set priorities and make better decisions, including examples from the Washington and Baltimore areas. For more information about NNIP, visit www.neighborhoodindicators.org.

APA interviews Rodger Lentz, AICP, Chief Planning and Development Officer for the City of Wilson, North Carolina and Will Aycock, General Manager of Wilson's Greenlight Community Broadband. They discuss the city's recent successful petition with the FCC and how the issue of municipal broadband will continue to be important for planners.

Pete Pointner, FAICP, former board member of the Historic Pullman Foundation in Chicago discusses the history of the Pullman neighborhood and its recent proclamation as a National Monument by President Barack Obama.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014 Transit-oriented development (TOD) is defined by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Northeastern Illinois as moderate to high-density, mixed-use communities generally located within a half-mile radius (10-minute walk) of a rail or bus station designed to maximize walkability and transit access. Interest in TOD is driven by its ability to reduce traffic congestion; changing demographics; and a desire to live in mixed-use, sustainable, and walkable communities accessible to transit. In this program, Heather Tabbert, AICP, and Tony Manno, both from the RTA, discuss how the Community Planning program has transformed over the years in response to the needs of communities, the results of a recent survey of TOD residents, and case studies of several diverse communities from throughout the region that have taken TOD planning from vision to reality.

Climate risks and sustainable growth are shared responsibilities — engineers, architects, planners, and developers are uniquely placed to improve the built environment. Sustainable development can both reduce emissions and cities' vulnerability to climate change and many impacts can be avoided, reduced, or delayed. Cities have the right density, economic conditions, and geographic scale for efficient public transport; recycling of water, waste, and materials; and energy production, distribution, and use. However, few cities have reached their full potential in these areas. There are major benefits with creating cities with substantial efficient use of resources, where transportation and use of infrastructure is both effective and attractive, land is used optimally, and the impacts on water and the natural environment are limited. Cooperation and synergies require more coordinated solutions, as well as new construction with better environmental performance and more energy efficient transport vehicles. In this

Private Capital, Public Good September 28, 2014 National Building Museum Washington, D.C. Featuring Guest Speaker Congressman John Delaney and a panel discussion with Ben Hecht, CEO of Living Cities, John Rahaim, Planning Director of the City and County of San Francisco, and William Anderson, FAICP, President of the American Planning Association Today's fiscal and political realities make private and philanthropic investments ever more important to building communities. New tools like social impact bonds are rapidly moving from concept to reality. In Washington, Congress is debating how to leverage private and nonprofit involvement in infrastructure and housing. The latest Burnham Forum will zero in on these issues from the perspectives of the investors and communities working with new partners.

September 23, 2014 The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) projects a population increase of 1.96 million people and 1.24 million jobs in the Northeastern Illinois region by the year 2030. And the cumulative impact of planning decisions throughout the region will determine the degree to which the built environment will satisfy the broad objectives of (1) meeting human needs efficiently; (2) creating economically viable and sustainable communities; (3) shaping the built environment in harmony with the landscape and the natural and cultural environments that frame the context of a specific project or area; and (4) nourishing the human spirit by creating beauty, diversity, order, justice, and opportunity. In this program, Pete Pointner, FAICP, presented seven key principles to guide the future of planning practice. Drawing on his book Planning Connections, Pointner emphasized the cumulative effects of principle-based planning decisions, focusing on the important role that planners play in supportin

August 26, 2014 Until recently, climate change has correlated to polar bears and melting ice caps — heart rending, but safely distant. Yet climate-related extreme weather, combined with urban development, is starting to show its force, as realized by the severe droughts in California and the misery caused to millions of home owners and businesses as a result of urban flooding. With these impacts comes the potential for public mobilization and a renewed focus on the way we plan our towns and cities. But can we channel individual concerns over wet basements and leaky pipes into a broader public participation and advocacy movement? This July, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) launched Rain Ready (rainready.org), aimed at building an alliance of individuals and communities working together to find solutions to the problems of too much or too little water. Rain Ready is inspired by the growing number of resident actions groups in the Chicago region mobilizing as a result of the impacts of flooding in