American Planning Association

Recorded live at the 2026 National Planning Conference in Detroit, this special APA Podcast episode features an intimate and uplifting conversation between host Mike Johnson and NPC26 keynote speaker Jaz Ampaw-Farr— an internationally acclaimed British motivational speaker, leadership consultant, and self described "resilience ninja". Jaz earned mainstream recognition in the UK as a candidate on S...

The Joe Louis Greenway is a 29-mile trail network connecting 23 neighborhoods and four cities across metropolitan Detroit, and it runs on land with a complex legacy of disinvestment, industrial use, and community displacement. Building the Greenway requires more than funding and construction. It requires trust. Recorded at the 2026 National Planning Conference in Detroit, this episode of Critical...

How do you protect communities from intensifying floods, heat, storms, and other hazards when the words around those risks can shut the conversation down? In this episode of People Behind the Plans , recorded live at NPC26, APA Editor in Chief Meghan Stromberg talks with Ryan Slattery, AICP , a resilience and hazard mitigation planner in Houston, about what it takes to keep difficult conversations...

Co-hosts Divya Gandhi and Em Hall continue the Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning series with a conversation that challenges transportation planners to reckon with a new kind of infrastructure: the data center. Recorded at the 2026 National Planning Conference in Detroit, this episode features Manny Patole, Industry Assistant Professor at NYU’s Center for Urban Science + Progress (C...

In this episode of the Trend Talk podcast, a companion series for the 2026 Trend Report for Planners , Joe DeAngelis, AICP, research manager at the American Planning Association (APA), chats with author and professor Tom Sanchez, AICP. The two engage in a thoughtful discussion about the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and planning, reflecting on the unpredicta...

In this episode of the APA Podcast, Roberta Rewers, senior communications manager, explores California’s Land Use Planning for Wildfires in California Training Program , recipient of the 2025 Resilience and Sustainability Award . Joined by Molly Mowery, AICP, executive director of Community Wildfire Planning Center, and Matt Damon, staff chief of Community Wildfire Mitigation Assistance with CAL F...

In this episode of the APA podcast, Roberta Rewers, senior communications manager, explores Detroit's Heavyweight Impact: The Joe Louis Greenway Neighborhood Planning Study for Inclusive Neighborhood Growth, recipient of the 2025 National Planning Excellence Award. Joined by Michele Flournoy, urban designer at Detroit's Planning Development Department, and Ashley DiCaro, senior associate at Interf...

In this episode of the Trend Talk podcast, a companion series for the 2026 Trend Report for Planners , Joe DeAngelis, research manager at the American Planning Association (APA), sits down with Nestor Davidson, the Emma Bloomberg Professor of Real Estate at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. An urban law expert, Nestor delves into the complex dynamics between state and local governance, highli...

In this episode of Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning, co-hosts Divya Gandhi and Em Hall spoke with Luke Van Denend, Outreach Coordinator at AECOM, and Zoe Miller, MPH, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Moving Maine Network, for a wide-ranging discussion focused on rural Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and mobility access. The conversation explores how rural communitie...

In this episode of the APA podcast, Roberta Rewers, senior communications manager, explores the 2045 Unified Plan from Gwinnett County, Georgia , recipient of the Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan in the 2025 National Planning Awards . Joined by Yang Chen, Planning Division director at Gwinnett County, and Allison Stewart-Harris, lead consultant with TSW, they discuss how the plan reim...

In this episode of the Trend Talk podcast, a companion series for the 2026 Trend Report for Planners , Joe DeAngelis, research manager at the American Planning Association, chats with climate urbanist and researcher, Helen Santiago-Fink. Helen shares insights drawn from her extensive experience working with international organizations and city governments as the two discuss the convergence of the...

What does it take to prove that community engagement didn’t just happen — but actually shaped decisions, priorities, and outcomes? In this episode of People Behind the Plans, APA Editor in Chief Meghan Stromberg talks with planner Christina Edingbourgh about a framework her team calls “Memphis Math.” The approach turns open-ended community input into trackable, quantifiable data — without losing t...

In this episode of the APA Podcast, three planning professionals share their personal journeys and practical advice on how planners can engage in advocacy work. Planners have the data, vision, and insights that elected officials need to be able to make informed decisions for our communities. And yet, advocacy can still feel intimidating or even prohibitive to planners. Over a series of conversatio...

In this episode of the Trend Talk podcast, a companion series for the 2026 Trend Report for Planners , American Planning Association (APA) Research Manager Joe DeAngelis, AICP, talks with Chrissy Caggiano, AICP, chair of APA’s Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Recovery Division . The two discuss the evolving role of planners in hazard mitigation and climate change adaptation, and how these critical t...

Marccus Hendricks, associate professor at the University of Maryland and director of the Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice Lab , joins People Behind the Plans for a wide-ranging conversation on disaster resilience, environmental justice, and the current challenges facing the planning profession. Drawing on his upbringing in Dallas, his scholarship on flood risk and infrastructure in...

How can a public space help someone who’s in the middle of a depressive episode? And what does it mean to design with emotional experiences in mind? In this episode of People Behind the Plans , planner and design researcher Kelsey Zlevor joins APA Editor in Chief Meghan Stromberg to explore how parks, streetscapes, and public spaces can be intentionally crafted to support people living with depres...

This episode of Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning introduces the groundbreaking Disruption Occurrence Index, a tool designed to quantify and predict the community impacts of infrastructure maintenance, utility work, and street improvements. Co-hosts Divya Gandhi and Em Hall spoke with Reverend Jessica Abell of Living Waters Community Church in Denver at the 2025 National Planning C...

What started as a study tool has grown into a nationally recognized podcast. When Nebraska planners Stephanie Rouse and Jennifer Hiatt volunteered to read through the AICP exam’s recommended reading list, they decided to share the workload—and the insights—by creating a podcast. Four seasons later, Booked on Planning has evolved into an engaging platform where planners can explore big ideas throug...

In this episode of the APA Podcast, Ann Dillemuth, AICP, chats with Detroit Planning Director Alexa Bush for an in-depth conversation about Detroit’s remarkable journey from decline and bankruptcy to revitalization and growth. Alexa shares how creative funding, community engagement, and persistent vision have fueled Detroit’s urban renewal, offering crucial lessons for planners facing uncertainty...

Jill Locantore, Executive Director of the Denver Streets Partnership (DSP), joined co-hosts Divya Gandhi and Em Hall at the 2025 National Planning Conference in Denver to discuss how Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) can be a key tool for achieving Denver’s Vision Zero goals. This Critical Conversation in Transportation Planning dives deep into the political, cultural, and social challenges inherent to tran...

Episode sponsor: Caltrans Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/critical-conversations-in-transportation-planning-mike-pritchard-aicp/ Co-hosts Divya Gandhi and Em Hall had the pleasure of sitting down with Mike Pritchard, AICP, Assistant Director at York County Planning Commission, at the 2025 National Planning Conference in Denver. This episode of Critical Conversations in Transportation Pla...

What do improv comedy and planning have in common? According to Phil Green, AICP —more than you'd think. A practicing planner and seasoned improviser, Phil shares with APA Editor in Chief Meghan Stromberg how tools from the improv stage—like active listening, quick thinking, and collaborative storytelling—can empower planners to navigate tough questions, community tensions, and even mundane fence...

Episode sponsor: Eastern Washington University Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/critical-conversations-in-transportation-planning-wes-marshall-and-trung-vo-aicp/ In this episode, co-hosts Divya Gandhi and Em Hall were excited to take the podcast show on the road, recording episodes at the 2025 National Planning Conference in Denver. This dispatch of Critical Conversation in Transportation...

What does being an introvert in a profession centered on community and collaboration mean? For Katelynn Morgenstern, AICP , Director of Planning and Zoning in Kennett Township, Pennsylvania , navigating networking and building a brand used to feel daunting—until she discovered the power of social media to build authentic connections, explore planning passions beyond her day job, and grow her confi...

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 author and urban planning professor Justin Hollander, FAICP. Listen as they examine the potential for human settlements on the Moon and Mars, and discover the unique challenges and ethical questions that come...