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Jargon Buster

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How to Get Involved in Local Planning (Without Losing Your Mind)

Sometimes we forget how much power we actually have in shaping the places we live. It’s not about being an expert or knowing every code section. It’s showing up early, paying attention, and asking real questions before decisions are already made. You start to see that local government isn’t some distant machine. It’s just a handful of people in a room, waiting for someone like you to walk in. And once you step into that space, even quietly, you realize you’re not on the outside at all. You’re part of the process.

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News

Small-town Minnesota flips the script with “experimental” housing types

In a bold move, a small Minnesota city just approved tiny homes, shed-houses, and a multi-unit apartment complex a rare push for housing variety in a rural context.

December 3, 2025

San Francisco ups the density ante with new “Family Zoning” approval

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors just OK’d a broad up-zoning plan that allows taller, denser housing across much of the city, a dramatic move toward meeting California’s housing targets.

December 3, 2025

Global Planning Report: “From Awareness to Action” on Sustainable Cities

A new study warns the global planning field must move beyond talking about SDG 11 to delivering tangible action across cities worldwide.

November 8, 2025

City of Syracuse Launches “Reconnecting Communities” Street-Design Open Houses

Syracuse opens two community-workshops to shape streets in historic south-side corridors once severed by I-81 — walkability, safety, re-connection are key. Date: 07 Nov 2025

November 8, 2025

Dubai’s Big Urban Vision: What It Means for Sustainable Growth

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum laid out Dubai’s sustainable urban development strategy at the Asia-Pacific Cities Summit.

October 27, 2025
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Videos

@zonedoutplanner A single parking space takes about 330 sq. ft. once you include drive aisles. That’s the size of a small studio apartment—and we anywhere between 3 - 8 parking spots for every car according to estimates. (NRDC & Planning researchers) #planning #parkinglots #zop ♬ Watchin - Nicholas Creus

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How to Get Involved in Local Planning (Without Losing Your Mind)

Sometimes we forget how much power we actually have in shaping the places we live. It’s not about being an expert or knowing every code section. It’s showing up early, paying attention, and asking real questions before decisions are already made. You start to see that local government isn’t some distant machine. It’s just a handful of people in a room, waiting for someone like you to walk in. And once you step into that space, even quietly, you realize you’re not on the outside at all. You’re part of the process.
Juan Castillo | Founder | Urban Planner
December 3, 2025

What Trump’s New “Affordable Housing Focus” Actually Means, And Why Planners Should Pay Attention

Affordable housing isn’t just a federal headline, it’s the everyday reality shaping our cities block by block. National policies might shift toward long mortgages or new development, but the real work still happens locally. It’s in the zoning meetings nobody attends, the aging buildings we choose to preserve, and the places we allow homes to exist. If we want affordability that lasts, we can’t wait for Washington to save us. We build it thoughtfully, in our own communities, one decision at a time.
Juan Castillo | Planning Professional
November 21, 2025

The Invisible Hand of Planning: The Plan You Live Inside Of

Most people don’t realize they live inside a plan, one drawn long before they arrived. The distance to the grocery store, the lack of sidewalks, the price of rent, it’s not coincidence, it’s design. Cities don’t just happen; they’re built by choices about who belongs where and what matters most. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Planning is power, and it’s personal. The good news? The same system that built the problem can also build something better, if people show up.
Juan Castillo | Urban Planner | Real Person
November 10, 2025

NEWS

Small-town Minnesota flips the script with “experimental” housing types

In a bold move, a small Minnesota city just approved tiny homes, shed-houses, and a multi-unit apartment complex a rare push for housing variety in a rural context.
December 3, 2025

San Francisco ups the density ante with new “Family Zoning” approval

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors just OK’d a broad up-zoning plan that allows taller, denser housing across much of the city, a dramatic move toward meeting California’s housing targets.
December 3, 2025

Global Planning Report: “From Awareness to Action” on Sustainable Cities

A new study warns the global planning field must move beyond talking about SDG 11 to delivering tangible action across cities worldwide.
November 8, 2025

City of Syracuse Launches “Reconnecting Communities” Street-Design Open Houses

Syracuse opens two community-workshops to shape streets in historic south-side corridors once severed by I-81 — walkability, safety, re-connection are key. Date: 07 Nov 2025
November 8, 2025

Dubai’s Big Urban Vision: What It Means for Sustainable Growth

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum laid out Dubai’s sustainable urban development strategy at the Asia-Pacific Cities Summit.
October 27, 2025

Videos

@zonedoutplanner A sidewalk isn’t just concrete. It’s how neighbors meet without planning to. How kids learn independence. How a stranger’s “good morning” turns into a friendship. When we design streets without sidewalks, we don’t just remove a path, we remove the chance encounters that make places feel alive. Sidewalks are where life leaks out of our homes and becomes shared space. Take them away, and the neighborhood goes quiet.#urbanplanning #sidewalk #ZOP ♬ me va a costar - Kevin Kaarl

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