American Planning Association

Today’s the day! Final chance to enter the 2026 Student Planning & Design Competition. Share your vision for improving communities and everyday spaces by 11:59 p.m. CT tonight. https://plnn.org/46RQdDw

Nominations are now open for the 2025–2026 APA Outstanding Student Awards. The awards recognize outstanding achievement by students graduating from PAB-accredited planning programs. Fall submission window ends Dec. 19, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CT. https://plnn.org/3MhTAx4

Call for Proposals is now open for partner-led events UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) #WUF13 in Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17–22, 2026. Under the theme “Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities,” the forum will spotlight solutions to the global housing crisis. Apply by Jan 27, 2026.

The University of Cincinnati is launching a fully online Master of City Planning in Spring 2026. Built for professionals ready to elevate their influence in urban planning, the program blends flexibility with in-demand skills in GIS, transportation, economics, and communication, all culminating in a real-world capstone. If you’re looking to advance your career without putting it on hold, explore the program today! #sponsored https://lnkd.in/gu6wUxMe

Only a few days left! Registration is open for the 2026 Student Planning & Design Competition. Share your vision for improving communities and everyday spaces by Dec. 5 at 11:59 p.m. CT. https://plnn.org/46RQdDw

Ready to make data-driven planning decisions without the data headaches? Social Explorer combines comprehensive community data with user-friendly design. With Social Explorer economic indicators, environmental data, and equity metrics are all accessible via intuitive maps and tables in minutes – not hours. See why planners nationwide are making the switch by signing up for a free trial. #sponsored #DataDrivenPlanning #PlanningInnovation #UrbanPlanning https://plnn.org/43ZcAGw

The Reagan era ushered in a financially difficult time for local and regional planners who saw federal funding cut as part of the president’s New Federalism. The 1980s also saw deep recession for the American economy, leaving planners to search for new avenues into economic development. This week, we’re diving into the 1980s as part of our look back at 90 years of planning. Throughout the year, we’ll explore our archives decade by decade to reflect on how the profession has evolved.

"Adaptability of Low-Income Communities in Postdisaster Relocation: A Long-Term Study Following Typhoon Haiyan” has received the 2024 Article of the Year Award from the American Planning Association. The sole writer of the paper, Kanako Iuchi, PhD, an associate professor at Tohoku University’s International Research Institute of Disaster Science, accepted the award at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning annual conference in Minneapolis in October. The paper, which covers post-disaster low-income community relocation, appeared in Volume 90, issue 1 of the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA). Iuchi qualitatively followed six years of government-led relocation of communities in Tacloban City in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda and recommended a planning-centered model of how to conduct this. The economic and social networks of relocated residents gradually changed over the six years, and the status of the new development is key to how quickly and well the residents adapt to their new environment. There are five dimensions that are important to planners and policy makers: working with residents to reestablish their daily lives, proactively strengthening residents throughout the process, applying some transitional strategy, providing positive information to residents, and using an “iterative, co-designing"" planning process. The JAPA awards committee highlighted Iuchi’s “ethnographic methods, participatory research, and extended time and trust-building in the field” as part of the reason she received this award. The framing of Iuchi’s five useful findings as not just immediate or momentary and the necessity to include “individuals and families in a long process of thinking, calculating, planning, and building futures” stood out to the jury as “crucial” for planners and policy makers. '" https://plnn.org/4ooc7VZ

Building a safer path forward, Taholah’s transition to higher ground reflects the Quinault Indian Nation’s proactive approach to flooding and tsunami risks through a community-centered relocation plan that prioritizes safety, resilience, and cultural continuity. https://plnn.org/487BNzU

Colorado is taking a bold step on housing! A new state law now allows multifamily buildings of up to five stories to use a single staircase, cutting construction costs by hundreds of thousands of dollars and creating brighter, better-ventilated homes. #PlanMag https://plnn.org/3XP6XqZ