Et Cetera

Publication: Prefaces

Billed as both a creative and practical guide, Prefaces aims to prepare young and underrepresented planners for their entry into the planning profession. Through the voices of experienced planners, this semiannual publication shares advice, strategies, and narratives on topics around four key themes: finding the right graduate program, making the most out of graduate school, preparing for and entering the job market, and how to be happy and successful in the field of urban planning. A pilot issue was distributed at the APA New York Metro Diversity Committee's Hindsight Conference in November 2018 and is available at PrefacesGuide.com.

Prefaces is currently accepting submissions for the next issue online from planners of color, those who identify with other underrepresented groups, and allied professionals.

—Luis R. Gonzalez, Gloria Lau, AICP, and Addison Vawters

Gonzalez, Lau, and Vawters are the editors of Prefaces.

Film: The World Before Your Feet

Image courtesy The World Before Your Feet.

After walking 3,100 miles across the U.S., Matt Green has spent the past seven years exploring every block of New York City — all five boroughs — and every bridge, alley, and path by foot. That makes for more than 8,000 miles. As he wanders, he ponders, collecting hidden stories, revealing lost urban lore, and exploring patterns meaningful and whimsical.

Green is the subject of Jeremy Workman's new documentary, The World Before Your Feet. But there is so much to discover in the city that the 90-minute film can only scratch the surface; consider it a teaser for a never-ending line of inquiry. (The film also includes some splendid establishing shots made from the scale model of the city in the Queens Museum. For screening information, visit theworldbeforeyourfeet.com.

—Ezra Haber Glenn, AICP

Glenn teaches at MIT's Department of Urban Studies & Planning and writes on cities and film. Visit him at urbanfilm.org.

Map: Networks and American Renewal

Image courtesy New America.

New America, a nonpartisan think tank dedicated to public policy, released an interactive heat map of the growing civic tech industry. The visualization tracks 25 "innovation networks" tackling criminal justice challenges, climate change, equitable growth, and other social issues in nearly 2,000 communities across the country, identifying new technologies, hotbeds for their implementation, and the places in need of more attention. Explore the map.

Report: The Growing Threat of Urban Flooding: A National Challenge

A new two-year study from the Center for Disaster Resilience at the University of Maryland and Texas A&M investigates the causes and impacts of urban flooding across the country. More than 300 stormwater officials were surveyed as part of the report, which indicates that around 3,600 urban flooding events have occurred in the past two and a half decades. Get the full details, including mitigation recommendations.

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Et Cetera is a curated collection of planning odds and ends. Please send information to Lindsay R. Nieman, Planning's associate editor, at lnieman@planning.org.