Webinars And Videos

Public engagement can generate hundreds – or thousands – of comments. LLMs can help planners quickly identify themes and synthesize large volumes of feedback. See how AI can make public input easier to analyze and act on. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI

Looking for more on transportation policy? Our newest YouTube video explores where the Highway Trust Fund goes from here.

Generative AI can produce compelling ideas – but also inaccuracies, bias, and outputs that look more trustworthy than they are. Learn why planners still need to critically evaluate AI-generated work. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI

Over the past ten weeks, we’ve learned a lot from what Jane Jacobs had to say about the uses of sidewalks. Hope Henchey tried out some of those insights as in a neighborhood in Chattanooga. What will you observe as you walk around your own city?

AI can help planners explore scenarios, visualize alternatives, and make complex planning ideas easier to engage with. See how generative AI can create more interactive planning workflows. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI

☀️🥗What if farms could produce food and clean energy at the same time? Agrivoltaics involves incorporating solar panels onto agricultural land, enabling the simultaneous production of energy alongside crops or livestock. Places like the community farm at Roundabout Meadows in rural Virginia are already generating clean, affordable power through this emerging practice. Read their story and learn about other #SolutionsInFocus happening around the world: https://go.wri.org/solutions-in-focus

Generative AI learns patterns from large amounts of data and uses them to produce new content from a prompt. Understand the core concepts behind the tools planners are starting to use. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI

When people hear “more housing,” they often imagine massive apartment buildings. That’s not what we’re talking about.

Generative AI is quickly becoming part of the professional toolkit, but using it effectively requires understanding what it can – and can’t – do. Explore where AI fits into modern planning practice. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI

One of the biggest reasons people don’t use transit is simple. They’ve already looked it up and realized it doesn’t work for them. When transit gets people where they need to go in a time that fits their lives, people ride. The goal isn’t convincing people to take the bus. It’s building a system that’s useful enough that they want to.

Prompt engineering isn’t just about asking AI a question – it’s about giving it the context and direction needed to produce useful results. Learn how planners can write stronger prompts for real-world planning tasks. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI

AI can help analyze, draft, summarize, and brainstorm – but professional judgment still belongs to people. Learn how planners can use AI as a tool without outsourcing the decisions that matter. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI

Want to dive deeper into federal transportation policy? Watch our latest YouTube video on the Highway Trust Fund.

AI can take on repetitive work and give planners more time for the work that requires human judgment. See how generative AI can support more efficient planning workflows. #Planetizen #UrbanPlanning #AI

If casinos have figured out how to build an environment that makes spending money convenient as you get around, can’t neighborhoods find ways to make meaningful interactions and local support more convenient too? #urbanism #cityplanning #janejacobs

Local governments don’t all have the same authority to regulate land use. Peter Henn explains Home Rule governance and why understanding local authority matters for planners. #Planetizen #PlanningLaw #LocalGovernment

This course helps both public and private sector planners update and streamline their Zoning Code Standards of Review using legally sound best planning practices. This course is beneficial to both government planners and private sector planners who need to update and streamline zoning codes so they can do so in a legally sound manner. Most zoning codes have Permitted Uses ( allowed as-of-right) and Conditional Uses or Special Exceptions (allowed if certain conditions or standards are met). Most codes also have a Waiver or Variance process to provide some form of relief from regulations so that development can move forward even if established regulations are not met. Planners need to know which types of approvals apply to each development application.

Knowing a code needs work is one thing. Knowing where to start is another. Peter Henn breaks down how planners can identify practical fixes and begin improving a zoning code that isn’t delivering. #Planetizen #Zoning #UrbanPlanning

We’ll say it again and again: you don’t need a giant, expensive project to make positive change!

A zoning code can shape development for decades – but that doesn’t mean it’s delivering the outcomes your community wants. Peter Henn explains what planners should look for when evaluating whether a zoning code is effective, outdated, or ready for reform. #Planetizen #Zoning #UrbanPlanning

A safer street can start with something simple: showing up and seeing how people actually use it. Walking an intersection, observing the conflicts, and understanding the conditions around a crash can reveal problems that aren’t always obvious from behind a desk. Better street design starts with paying attention.

Can a standardized development impact fee trigger constitutional scrutiny? Peter Henn examines Sheetz v. County of El Dorado and what the Supreme Court’s ruling means for legislatively imposed fees and the Nollan/Dolan framework. #Planetizen #PlanningLaw #LandUse

Three Supreme Court cases helped define the rules governing development exactions. Peter Henn breaks down the cases planners should know when navigating property rights and the Fifth Amendment. #Planetizen #PlanningLaw #UrbanPlanning

Accessibility shapes who can participate, navigate, and engage with their community. Explore why designing for people with disabilities is an essential part of inclusive planning. #Planetizen #Accessibility #InclusivePlanning

Scuffletown Park in Richmond, VA is exemplary of this! #urbanism #neighborhood #janejacobs #shoplocal #cityparks

So why are we still building as if the job isn’t done? Watch the full video on our YouTube channel.

What changed on Las Tunas Drive wasn’t just the buildings. It was the rules.

So how did so many communities end up divided by highways? Watch the full video on our YouTube channel.

Interested in the future of transportation policy? Our latest YouTube video takes a deeper dive into the Highway Trust Fund and what comes next.

So why are we still funding transportation as if the mission never changed? Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn sits down with Smart Growth America CEO Beth Osborne to discuss the Highway Trust Fund, the growing cost of maintaining our infrastructure, and why it’s time to rethink our transportation priorities. Watch the full conversation now on our channel.