Planners can respond to a lack of affordable housing by leveraging the regulatory and institutional tools at their disposal. This article will highlight a few tools and strategies within a framework of three “levers” of affordability: facilitate the development of income-restricted affordable housing; mitigate residential displacement; and encourage expansion of overall housing supply. by Jamin Kimmell and Catherine Corliss, AICP

It takes a lot of work to rewrite ordinance. Often, there is only time to address specific problems as they present themselves, leaving the entire ordinance to slowly become a confusing jumble of relevant information mixed with outdated language. Eventually, the ordinance has to be reviewed in its entirety, not just to update anything that was missed in prior targeted revisions but also to create a code that is user-friendly. In the right circumstances, this daunting task can be a fun and informative process that can be accomplished in-house. by Erin Callahan, AICP

Dan Pava, FAICP, shares why the 2018 Tribal Planning and Western Planner Conference was not a typical planning conference. The conference offered more than 25 panels and presentations over two days, typically four to five concurrently. While some of the topics were a bit different from those we encounter, the emphasis was on using planning to solve difficult issues.

Here are the presentations that we have so far received from the speakers at the 2018 Tribal Planning and Western Planner Conference, held Aug. 5-8, 2018 in Fort Hall, Idaho.

The 2018 Western Planner Awards ceremony took place on a warm and hazy August 7 evening at the Fort Hall ballfields, immediately after the famous Wyoming vs. the World softball game concluded with yet another record win for Wyoming. Western Planning Resources (WPR) President-Elect Dan Pava, FAICP recognized seven awards during the outdoor event that included a tasty barbecue dinner and some fine picking and singing by Rocky Watson.

The 2014 Boles Fire went through Weed, California destroying 16 percent of their housing and other structures. A year later, the community started a planning process, called the Weed Resilience Plan, which was completed in April 2016. This effort was the first example of a rural resilience planning process in the nation. by Tom Brandeberry

Kim Lee, AICP is the Planning Manager for the city of Bismarck with over 30 years of experience. Reprinted courtesy of the North Dakota Planning Association

West Fargo leaders determined in 2016 that it was important for the community to develop a new comprehensive plan, to provide a vision for the community going forward. With the extensive growth and changing demographics of the community, it was essential to undertake a community engagement process unlike anything previously experienced. The city contracted services with Town Planning and Urban Design Collaborative (TPUDC) who brought a focused and multi-faceted public engagement process to the table. The new planning effort was named West Fargo 2.0. by Larry M. Weil, West Fargo, North Dakota