A book summit just for planners

Since the beginning of 2026, Planetizen has been thrilled to collaborate with our friends at Booked on Planning — a bi-weekly podcast hosted by AICP planners Stephanie Rouse and Jennifer Hiatt, where they chat with the authors of books about planning and issues related to planning. It's the kind of nerdery we can really get behind. 

Now, we're getting behind their next big endeavor, too! In mid October, Booked on Planning will host its first ever Book Summit — a two day event bringing together urban and regional planners, allied professionals, and book enthusiasts to hear from authors and publishers on literature related to planning. On top of our ongoing collaboration, Planetizen is proud to support the Booked on Planning Book Summit as their media sponsor this year. As part of that sponsorship, and to celebrate, we thought we'd finally introduce you properly to the ladies behind the mic. 
 

Planetizen: This is a very fun new event, and I'm excited to get into it in a moment. But first, tell us briefly a bit about yourselves.

Stephanie: I recently watched a reel that essentially said there’s Type A and B people, but no one talks about the Type C person who can go for 18 hours straight or sit and do nothing for 2 days. I couldn’t identify more, which is probably how I’m able to read 24 books a year for Booked on Planning in addition to the other 40 fiction books I read on the side. When I’m not reading with the fur babies, I’m supporting affordable housing in Lincoln, NE through my role at the City in our Urban Development Department.

Jennifer: I’m a yapper and book lover, so Booked on Planning is a perfect combination of my interest. I’ve always loved reading, even considering library science before ultimately choosing planning. At my day job, I’m an economic development planner, helping advance incentive-based development projects in Lincoln, NE in the City’s Urban Development Department. I spend the rest of my time hanging out with my dogs and exploring cities.

Planetizen: How did Booked on Planning get started, and how has it grown to where it is today?

Stephanie: Booked on Planning started 5 years ago as a project of the American Planning association Nebraska Chapter as a way to support members in our chapter and others with preparing for the AICP exam. The recommended reading list is 24 books long, many of which are textbooks, which is a challenge to do while also covering the rest of the study materials. Our podcast in year one covered all 24 books, giving listeners the most important details in episodes they could consume in under an hour. We had so much fun with the podcast that we continued it, covering more recent publications in the world of planning and urban design.

Jennifer: I joined in the first season as one of Stephanie’s rotating cohosts, hosting two episodes that season. At the end of season one, Stephanie proposed continuing the podcast and focusing on more current books. At first, we found books from top reading lists and publisher announcements but in the last few years, we’ve had authors reach out and have really pivoted to providing author support and advancement and promoting the importance of physical media in planning

Planetizen: What makes a planning book a planning book to you?

Stephanie: We have covered such a variety of topics over the past five years that my answer to this question has really evolved. Before we started the podcast, I might have said your typical books like "The High Cost of Free Parking" or "Walkable City," but we have found some really great books that are have more of an anthropological approach like "The Cities We Need" and even some architectural design books like "Building for People" that show how individual buildings impact cities on a large scale. There really is a wide variety of topics that can be considered a planning book because planning as a field is so robust.

Jennifer: For me, planning is such a broad topic, it can really touch anything. We’ve had authors pitch a topic that at first I didn’t think would be right, like “Dark PR” by Grant Enis, but he made such a great case for why marketing and planning are related, we covered him on the podcast. I do think the topic needs to impact the built environment in some way. But I’d be open to a different argument!
 

Planetizen: What's special about creating a podcast for an audience of planners, do you think? 

Jennifer: Planners have such a rich perspective on the human condition. I know that every episode we put out, even one on squirrels, will be at least a little interesting to our audience. We are able to tackle a lot of different ideas and know that our listeners will appreciate the diversity of topics. Plus, we are able to be a part of the profession that is advancing fresh ideas and pushing the boundaries of what planning is and I think that is awesome.

Stephanie: There are shows out there that planners would benefit from listening to like 99PI, NextCity or the APA podcast, but there aren’t that many. Planners are inherently life long learners, always looking for the latest trend or the next idea to improve their communities. A podcast that covers the latest books in planning helps provide that for not just planners, but anyone interested in improving where they live and work and gives it to them in a quick and easy to digest format. The episodes that resonate the most might just lead them to picking up a copy of the book which helps support the authors too.

Planetizen: Do you have any favourite anecdotes or moments from your conversations with authors over the years?

Jennifer: My favorite moment with an author over the years actually started when they stood us up for the recording. We were set to record with Robert Searns about his book “Beyond Greenways: The Next Step for City Trails and Walking Routes” and he never jumped on the call. We got an email a couple hours later that his daughter had gone into labor and he got to meet his twin grandbabies. What a great excuse to miss an interview!

Stephanie: Building on this, while it wasn’t related to an episode, we worked with Robert to build a walking tour at the 2025 National Planning Conference in Denver to showcase the ideas from his book in real life. We took the light rail north to Littleton and completed one of his walking routes, talking about the concepts as we went. It was a ton of fun to be able to meet one of our authors in person and to share his book with the tour attendees.

Planetizen: Hard question for each of you: favorite planning book of all time, and why?

Stephanie: This is like being asked to pick a favorite child or furbaby in my case. While I find value in the more academic publications, I really enjoy the books that weave a narrative and pull in lived experiences like how Emily Lieb covered "Road to Nowhere." I also really enjoyed "Meet Me By the Fountain" by Alexandra Lange which surprised me since I hate going to malls despite growing up spending Friday nights at them.

Jennifer: Every book we’ve covered is special in some way but my all time favorite so far has been "City on a Hill" by Alex Krieger. The concept of utopia has always intrigued me and the way Krieger strings the utopian idealism throughout American history and development was amazing.

Planetizen: What inspired you to create the Booked on Planning Book Summit?

Jennifer: I have an unwavering belief that Stephanie and I can do anything we put our minds to on the podcast at this point so we’ve thrown ourselves into this crazy idea. What a better opportunity to bring the planning, design, and publishing together for a conversation on cutting edge ideas and how to bring them to the masses. The planning and design profession thrives when fresh ideas are constantly being presented. One of the best ways to make sure this continues happening is protecting and advancing books and other media forms.

Stephanie: The idea was actually pitched to us on LinkedIn by a follower and we had to google what a book summit even was. While we found some fiction or children’s book summits, no one had done an event like this for professional topics like planning and design. We thought, who better to do this than a podcast devoted to planning books? 

Planetizen: Can you give us a sneak peek into some highlights of the summit?

Stephanie: We landed on Charlottesville, VA because there are a number of authors of planning books who recently published living in the area. We have five lined up to present on their books, one of which is Ebony Walden, a planner who is our closing keynote on her memoir about her time visiting 17 countries in 8 months. We are also excited to partner with UVA faculty to host two walking tours and join an optional evening lecture by Bruce Appleyard, one of our past guests on the show. Our big highlight, though, is that anyone who registers by September 10th will get a copy of Ebony’s book with registration. Who doesn’t love an event that comes with a free book?

Planetizen: A book summit specifically about planning books is delightfully specific. What would wild success look like? What will folks take away?

Stephanie: While it may seem pretty specific, our answers to "what is a planning book?" showcase just how broad the field actually is. We are highlighting planning books yes, but they are books on power generation, data, historic preservation, equitable engagement, and travel. Attendees will also benefit from our publishers session which demystifies the publishing process for anyone mildly curious or thinking about publishing their own book someday.

Jennifer: Obviously, we’d love to have a high turn out for the event because we think that we are providing really valuable insight into the publishing world and how to advance great ideas and get them out to a wider audience. But I also think a wild success will look like having robust conversations about planning and design and, hopefully, attendees will walk away with fresh ideas on tackling sticky problems and excited about the prospect of bringing their own ideas to a wider audience someday. And who knows, maybe they will be inspired to take a globe trotting adventure and see the world through a planner’s perspective.

Catch the Booked on Planning Book Summit October 12-13, 2026 at the Graduate by Hilton in Charlottesville, VA. Regular Registration $135. Student Registration $85. Free Key Note Speaker book if you register by September 10. Anticipating 8 AICP CM Credits. More info here. 

And don't forget to check out Booked on Planning's bi-weekly column on Planetizen, where you can read reviews and listen to their episodes!