'A Curious Thing Happened To The Planning Profession'

The American Planning Association came closer than ever to endorsing New Urbanism's principles, but displayed a surprising lack of respect for many of the people who put those principles into practice, says Philip Langdon.

1 minute read

April 15, 2005, 10:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"My sense is that during the past 15 years, many planners have absorbed the new urbanist emphasis....A significant number of planners have started to see themselves once more as advocates for good principles of community design, drawing on New Urbanism, regionalism, and environmental conservation. This is a welcome change. The problem now is that the APA seems to have become jealous of competitors possibly intruding on its turf...I’m glad to see the profession expressing renewed interest in how to shape walkable, transit-connected, mixed-use communities. But APA is making a mistake in claiming most of the credit for what has so far been achieved. "

Thanks to Karenn Gobrecht

Monday, April 11, 2005 in New Urban News

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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