A researcher at the University of Sydney in Australia offers three recommendations for planners to better negotiate the real world of politics and governance to help create healthier communities.

Jennifer Kent details three ways that urban planners can have a positive impact on public health. Writing from Australia, Kent's lessons apply easily to the United States and other countries around the world.
Although providing better infrastructure for walking and biking is a prime example of better planning producing better public health outcomes, Kent wants to focus on three les appreciated methods to promote better health.
Equity provides the overarching theme of the three recommendations that follow in the article. "Urban planners are well versed in the fundamentals of planning the equitable city," writes Kent. "But planners must work within the constraints of our political systems and prevailing approaches to government."
The three recommendations, with more detail and explanation included in the article, read as follows: 1) Play to emotions, 2) speak the language of money, and 3) enlist trusted figures.
FULL STORY: Working the system: 3 ways planners can defy the odds to promote good health for all of us

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie