Category: Engagement
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Advocating for CRPL
On August 4, 2025 the Chancellor of the University of Nebraska announced significant budget challenges that require $27.5 million in cuts to remedy. The reasoning behind the deficit given despite several years of prior cuts was “a combination of downward trends in state appropriations, net tuition and campus allocations combined with historically high inflation of…
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The Cities We Need
Book Review The concept of “place work” might not be familiar to most urban planners, but it’s a critical element of city life that deserves our attention. In a fascinating conversation on the Booked On Planning podcast, author Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani discusses her book “The Cities We Need: Essential Stories of Everyday Places,” offering insights into…
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Meet Me at the Library
Book Review Libraries have always been places of knowledge and quiet contemplation, but in our increasingly polarized and isolated society, they’re evolving into something even more crucial—centers for social connection and democratic engagement. In Shamichael Hallman’s insightful book and our latest Booked on Planning podcast episode, “Meet Me at the Library: A Place to Foster…
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Mastering Advocacy: Key Strategies for Effective Policy Influence
The American Planning Association held it’s sixth State Legislative Summit in Des Moines, Iowa this past week. The two-day event began with a morning bootcamp covering strategies and information to successfully lobby and champion good legislation at the state level. By waiting for legislation to pass and report the results, we lose a valuable opportunity…
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Socially Distanced Public Engagement
Public engagement has been evolving rapidly to keep up with our growing reliance on technology. Already city governments and advocacy groups use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to keep their constituents informed. The benefits of digital engagement include removing time constraints, providing a new and interactive way to engage, and bringing new voices to the…
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Why the U.S. Census Matters: Impact on Communities
We have been completing a countrywide census every ten years since 1790 as required by the U.S. Constitution. Back then it was very basic with only a few demographic questions processed and counted at the local level of government. The handwritten forms are fascinating to read, scribbled in cursive with extra notes you wont find…
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Plazas for Safe Protests
Since the 2016 elections, I have followed the news chronicling the latest demonstrations and protests on a wide range of issues — including immigration, inequality, and women’s rights — and felt inspired by the people who are no longer content with waiting for someone else to make change happen. At the same time, I am…
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A Plaza for Protests
Today’s public squares have become remnants of the city beautiful movement, home to landscaped areas in a picturesque setting. They offer a nice place to sit for lunch, but little more. The purpose of the public square in history is rooted in government interaction and democracy. One that represents this and continues to function as…
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Integrating Equity in Urban Planning
I spent yesterday morning on the 16th floor of the U.S. Bank Building in downtown Saint Paul among a crowd of mostly government planners like myself. We were all there with the hopes to discover the secret to how we can better integrate equity into our comprehensive plans. While hopeful it would be handed to…
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The Planning Lady 