Journal of the American Planning Association
For more than a century, the Journal of the American Planning Association has published research, commentaries, and book reviews useful to practicing planners, scholars, students, policy makers, and others interested in the planning profession.
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Current Issue
Volume 92, Number 2
Open Article
Kayleigh Swanson
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Special Issue: Planning and the Politics of the New Infrastructure Economy
Around the world, local communities are grappling with a new wave of infrastructure expansion associated with the digital economy. This special issue examines how planning can shape the infrastructures of the contemporary economy and how these investments are reshaping planning authority and practice. We seek contributions that connect contemporary infrastructure conflicts to broader economic and political transformations, with attention to the possibilities for public intervention. Authors should submit a title and 500-word extended abstract by February 1, 2027.
Special Issue: Planning Skills and Career Development
The planning profession continues to evolve as rapid technological advancement, climate change, and changing political and financial conditions challenge traditional approaches to advancing equity and quality of life. This special issue seeks to advance that conversation by bringing together diverse perspectives on how the planning profession is changing by understanding the types of skills and knowledge that will be necessary for the successful planning professional, as well as the internal and external pressures forcing these changes. Authors should submit a title and a 500-word extended abstract by February 1, 2027
Special Issue: AI and the Future of Urban Planning
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the conditions under which planners work, the data they rely on, and the decisions they help make. Yet whether AI will ultimately improve planning, distort it, or simply reproduce existing problems in new forms remains an open question. JAPA Editor Yan Song, PhD, and guest editors Xinyu Fu, PhD, AICP, and Tom Sanchez, PhD, AICP, invite submissions to this special issue, which seeks to advance the conversation by bringing together diverse perspectives on how AI may reshape planning theory, practice, governance, and professional institutions. They particularly encourage submissions from practitioner-academic collaborations, research grounded in direct engagement with planning agencies, professional organizations, or policy actors, and contributions from international scholars to advance a globally informed conversation on the future of AI in urban planning. Authors should submit a title and a 500-word extended abstract by August 1, 2026.
2026 JAPA Writing Workshop for Emerging Scholars
This online workshop, hosted by the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA), aims to foster scholarship among emerging scholars in planning and related academic disciplines. Targeted at junior scholars, the workshop offers a unique opportunity for participants to enhance their writing and publication skills, specifically tailored to JAPA's standards. Participants will also gain insights from experienced scholars and editors and receive personalized feedback on their work.
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