American Planning Association

Latest Episodes:

People Behind the Plans: Mitchell Silver, FAICP May 21, 2018

Show notes

Mitchell Silver, FAICP, thinks parks are more than just islands of green spaces — much, much more. As Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Mitch makes it his mission to understand how people use these critical urban spaces, and he aims to ensure that children, adults, seniors, and everyone in between have access to a quality 21st-century park system.

Courtney caught up with Mitch during the 2018 National Planning Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the two discussed not only how he was shaped by a childhood spent blocks away from Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, but also how seriously he takes public engagement when working with residents on park projects. He touches on some of the initiatives under way in his department and highlights a few of the less well-known examples of park success stories in New York City, including St. Mary's Park in the Bronx and Highbridge Park, home to the city’s oldest standing bridge. Mitch reflects on his time in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he served as Chief Planning & Development Officer and Planning Director and sought to encourage growth in a community once hesitant to change. He also shares his views on equity, which he defines simply as fairness, in a bid to eliminate the jargon planners can sometimes employ when discussing the subject.

People Behind the Plans: Kristin Saunders May 07, 2018

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In this episode of People Behind the Plans, Courtney talks with Kristin Saunders, principal transportation planner with the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility & Infrastructure. They discuss the new department’s five ambitious goals relating to safety, access, reliability, affordability, and engagement. They cover Kristin’s work on the city’s bike plan and the City Steps Assessment, which aims to understand how each one of Pittsburgh’s 800 public staircases fit into the pedestrian network. The two even tackle the commotion surrounding Pittsburgh Steelers’ player JuJu Smith-Schuster and his stolen bicycle, which saw the city come together in support of finding the athlete's primary mode of transportation.

Planning the Autonomous Future: Episode 3 featuring Jeff Tumlin Apr 17, 2018

Show notes

In the third episode of the APA Podcast series Planning the Autonomous Future, hosts Jennifer Henaghan and Kelley Coyner take stock of multiple autonomous-vehicle-focused sessions from the 2018 National Shared Mobility Summit, which took place March 12–14 in Chicago. Later on in the episode, they welcome Jeff Tumlin, principal and director of strategy at ‎Nelson\Nygaard, to the table. Jeff moderated the summit plenary session called "The (Shared) Road Ahead: An Electrified, Connected, Autonomous, and Accessible Vision of Transit," and he discussed the topic with Jennifer and Kelley, touching on what could happen if autonomous vehicles aren't shared, why we need to prioritize space-efficient modes of transportation for AVs to work, and why planners need to take sprawl seriously when planning for automated vehicles.

People Behind the Plans: Jarrett Walker Mar 29, 2018

Show notes

In the ninth episode of the People Behind the Plans series, transit planner and author Jarrett Walker offers up his thoughts and musings on all things transit. Jarrett reflects on growing up in Portland in the 1970s, a revolutionary period in the city's history. He describes how his firm, Jarrett Walker + Associates, helps cities and regions think about public transit (hint: they aim not to make recommendations but to help each client clarify their own values and priorities). Courtney and Jarrett discuss his book, Human Transit: How Clearer Thinking About Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives, and they delve into the role of the private sector in transit operations. They close out their conversation with a discussion of elite projection, the idea that what a wealthy person might want for his or her city might not be the best thing for the majority of its people.

Planning the Autonomous Future: Episode 2 Featuring Corey Clothier Mar 23, 2018

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In the second episode of the APA Podcast series Planning the Autonomous Future, hosts Jennifer Henaghan and Kelley Coyner hear about the ins and outs of conducting autonomous vehicle pilot projects from Corey Clothier, a principal at Mobility e3. Corey talks about his involvement in the first automated vehicle (AV) pilot in the United States — a project called Applied Robotics for Installations and Base Operations (ARIBO), which changed the way that soldiers involved with Wounded Warriors at North Carolina’s Fort Bragg Army Base traveled to their medical appointments. Corey also discusses the quickly changing landscape of AV pilots across the country and divulges what steps communities should follow when considering an autonomous vehicle pilot. Later on in the episode, the three talk autonomous vehicle design and what types of eye-catching looks vehicle makers are coming up with.

People Behind the Plans: Doug Farr Feb 28, 2018

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Series host Courtney Kashima, AICP, sits down with Doug Farr, a founding principle and president of Farr Associates and the author of Sustainable Nation: Urban Design Patterns for the Future. He and Courtney discuss the book's unique approach to creating and improving neighborhoods. They also consider how Doug's hometown of Detroit influenced him in his career trajectory, why equity is crucial in the planning process, and how planners use language in crafting plans and defining outcomes.

Planning the Autonomous Future: Episode 1 Feb 27, 2018

Show notes

"Planning the Autonomous Future" is a new podcast series from APA. The series explores the many ways in which autonomous vehicle (AV) technology will impact cities and regions, mobility, and the planning profession. In this episode, host Jennifer Henaghan, AICP — APA's deputy research director and Green Communities Center manager — and cohost Kelley Coyner — CEO of Mobility e3, a transportation leadership firm that helps communities plan, pilot, and deploy AV fleets — provide an introduction to AVs and explain why every community needs to be paying attention to them.

People Behind the Plans: Joanna Trotter Jan 31, 2018

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In this episode of People Behind the Plans, Courtney Kashima, AICP, interviews Joanna Trotter, Senior Program Officer for Economic and Community Development at the Chicago Community Trust. The conversation touches on the organization's work funding community initiatives, how that has shaped her view of the profession, the issues and challenges she believes face planners in the future, and more.

People Behind the Plans: Eugenie Birch, FAICP Nov 08, 2017

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Courtney Kashima, AICP, interviews Eugenie Birch, FAICP in this special World Town Planning Day edition of the "People Behind the Plans" podcast series.

People Behind the Plans: Lynn Ross, AICP Oct 27, 2017

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In this episode of People Behind the Plans, Courtney Kashima, AICP talks with Lynn Ross, AICP, Founder of Spirit for Change Consulting. Lynn discusses how she discovered the field of urban planning, equity in the planning profession, her work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Knight Foundation, and much more.