American Planning Association

American Planning Association

Welcome to the American Planning Association Podcast. This is your source for discussions, interviews, and lectures on a multitude of planning topics.

  1. Pathways to Influence: Finding Your Voice as a Planning Advocate

    2D AGO

    Pathways to Influence: Finding Your Voice as a Planning Advocate

    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 conversations, Ed LeClear, AICP, Laila Imihy, AICP, and Madeline Sturms, AICP, aim to demystify advocacy work and help us better understand how it can be empowering in a planning career. They also highlight the value of planting seeds for future change, the rewarding outcomes of long-term advocacy, and why we need planning voices at the table now more than ever. Episode URL: https://www.planning.org/podcast/pathways-to-influence-finding-your-voice-as-a-planning-advocate/

    22 min
  2. The Current — and Future — State of Hazard Mitigation Planning with Chrissy Caggiano, AICP

    JAN 30

    The Current — and Future — State of Hazard Mitigation Planning with Chrissy Caggiano, AICP

    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 topics are being integrated into planning education and professional practice. They also discuss how planners working in this space are coping with an environment of uncertainty and what it means for the federal government to transition responsibility for hazard mitigation and response to state and local governments. The 2026 Trend Report for Planners is created by APA in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Episode URL: https://www.planning.org/podcast/the-current-and-future-state-of-hazard-mitigation-planning-with-chrissy-caggiano-aicp/

    33 min
  3. Marccus Hendricks on Infrastructural Justice and Staying True to Your Values

    JAN 17

    Marccus Hendricks on Infrastructural Justice and Staying True to Your Values

    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 inequity, and his experience as a senior adviser for Climate and Community Resilience in the Biden administration, Hendricks explores the roots of social vulnerability and the role planning plays in shaping health, safety, and opportunity. He also shares a path to planning via public health and emergency medicine, and namechecks some of his planning heroes, like Shannon Van Zandt, Walt Peacock, Lori Peek, Dennis Mileti, Norma and Bill Anderson, John T. Cooper Jr., and Philip Berke. “My mentors were studying the aftermath of disasters and I wanted to get after the root causes of how we got here. Individuals and groups who live at the social and economic margins of our society are the least likely to be able to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from environmental hazards. “ — Marccus Hendricks Hendricks shares how cuts to federal planning programs and research funding are affecting planners, students, and academic institutions, and why retreating from hard truths poses a risk to the future of the field. And he offers candid advice to students and local planners navigating uncertainty, emphasizing the enduring power of community-centered work and action at the local level. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/marccus-hendricks-on-infrastructural-justice-and-staying-true-to-your-values/

    31 min
  4. Kelsey Zlevor on Designing Public Spaces for Mental Health

    10/21/2025

    Kelsey Zlevor on Designing Public Spaces for Mental Health

    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 depression and anxiety. Drawing from dozens of interviews and her own lived experience, Kelsey introduces four “design amendments” that planners can use to shape spaces that feel more emotionally inclusive and less overwhelming — particularly for people navigating mental health conditions. The conversation builds on Kelsey’s illustrated book Mental Landscapes, a self-published guide designed to help planners, designers, and community leaders take the emotional and psychological experience of place seriously — without making it clinical or inaccessible. Together, Meghan and Kelsey unpack what it means to feel seen in public space, why awe and observation matter, and how something as simple as removing a “Keep Off the Grass” sign can open the door to healing. Whether you're a park planner, an equity advocate, or someone navigating your own emotional landscape, this episode offers insight into the subtle power of design — and the radical potential of listening. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/kelsey-zlevor-on-designing-public-spaces-for-mental-health/

    23 min
  5. Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Reverend Jessica Abell

    08/28/2025

    Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Reverend Jessica Abell

    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 Conference to explore the innovative concept of street disruption indices and the intersection of faith-based community organizing with transportation planning. Rev. Abell discusses how her unique background combining ministry with city and regional planning provides insights into the multilayered effects of transportation projects on neighborhoods, businesses, and quality of life. The conversation examines how houses of worship serve as anchor institutions and neutral meeting grounds for community planning discussions, while exploring the potential for utility corridors and coordinated infrastructure planning to minimize disruptive impacts. Drawing from successful community organizing examples, including a Denver neighborhood plan that survived political opposition through deep relational work, this episode challenges planners to think beyond traditional transportation metrics and consider the intersectional impacts of infrastructure decisions on community resilience and social justice. This episode was sponsored by Caltrans Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/critical-conversations-in-transportation-planning-reverend-jessica-abell/

    32 min
  6. Stephanie Rouse, AICP, and Jennifer Hiatt on Books, Podcasting, and Finding Your Own Voice

    08/22/2025

    Stephanie Rouse, AICP, and Jennifer Hiatt on Books, Podcasting, and Finding Your Own Voice

    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 through conversations with authors of classic and contemporary works. In this episode of People Behind the Plans, APA Editor in Chief Meghan Stromberg talks with Stephanie and Jennifer about their unexpected journey into podcasting, the behind-the-scenes work that keeps Booked on Planning running, and how reading has shaped their careers. They discuss the books that surprised them, the ones they believe will become new staples of the profession, and the lessons they’ve carried back into their day jobs. Jennifer and Stephanie also reflect on the power of making space for diverse voices in planning, sharing why they believe every planner—no matter their age or experience—has something unique to contribute. From funny stories of interviewing legends like Donald Shoup to practical insights on launching a podcast, this conversation is a reminder that curiosity, collaboration, and storytelling are central to the planning profession. Episode Sponsor: University of Cincinnati Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/stephanie-rouse-aicp-and-jennifer-hiatt-on-books-podcasting-and-finding-your-own-voice/

    25 min
  7. Planning After Bankruptcy: Detroit's Path to Recovery and Innovation

    08/01/2025

    Planning After Bankruptcy: Detroit's Path to Recovery and Innovation

    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 in cities across the nation. In addition, Alexa shares her excitement to showcase the city's transformation in person as Detroit is set to host the 2026 National Planning Conference. Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/planning-after-bankruptcy-detroits-path-to-recovery-and-innovation/ Interested in presenting a session at NPC26 in Detroit or online? Submit a session proposal or sign up to be a session reviewer. Proposal window closes August 20, 2025. Submit your proposals at planning.org/conference/proposal/

    40 min

  8. 07/17/2025

    Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Jill Locantore

    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 transforming corridors from car-centric to bike and pedestrian-friendly. From traffic calming and street design to Denver’s bold efforts to prioritize buses and pedestrian safety, Jill unpacks how a truly safe city starts with valuing people over cars. Under Jill’s leadership, DSP has helped to advocate for and implement policies that promote a transit-centered approach to improving traffic safety. The organization has been instrumental in convening multiple community stakeholders with a common goal of transforming Colfax Avenue, the “longest, wickedest street in America,” into a major arterial that supports the city’s ambitious Vision Zero goals of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030. Relevant Links Denver Streets Partnership Guiding Principles for Colfax BRT A Vision for Transit in the Denver Region A new vision for Speer Boulevard: Cut down the cars in favor of pedestrians, parks and buses Episode URL: https://www.planning.org/podcast/critical-conversations-in-transportation-planning-jill-locantore/

    27 min
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4.5
out of 5
58 Ratings

About

Welcome to the American Planning Association Podcast. This is your source for discussions, interviews, and lectures on a multitude of planning topics.

Information

  • Creator
    American Planning Association
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodes
    278
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © American Planning Association
  • Show Website
    American Planning Association

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