Better Planners Podcast

Welcome to another episode from the Better Planners Podcast brought to you by the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association. This episode is part 1 of a 2-part series on sounds of cities, both the good and the bad. In this episode we focus on the negative impacts of sounds on cities, especially around noise pollution. What is the definition of noise pollution, who is responsible for creating regulation, and why are certain sounds regulated and others not? We'll also discuss the health impacts sound has on humans and then what inventive ways are cities dealing with noise pollution. Where can planners play a role and what tools already exist out there? 
Research:
Noise Control Act of 1972
Noise pollution: more attention is needed
Conducting a Case Study: Brooklyn Bridge Park
Integrating soundscape in urban design, planning and landscape
Want to be a part of the podcast? Send in an email!
The team behind the upcoming Better Planners podcast wants to hear from you about the real life issues you handle as a planner. What are the honest, gritty, wicked problems you find yourself managing?
To share your experiences, email [email protected]
Your message might end up in one of the upcoming podcast episodes. You can be as anonymous or as identifiable as you want.

Where to find us:
Website: https://oregon.planning.org/community/betterplannerspodcast/
Instagram: @betterplanners

Today's episode is a great one! We interviewed Gary Hamer, the current Director for Strategic Planning at Partner Tulsa, but his previous role with the City of Tulsa led to the implementation of a locally owned, full service grocery store in an underserved area of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this episode we cover how Gary, as a planner, was able to use federal funds to assist in building a community led grocery store, lessons learned and the importance of community engagement and community leaders, as well as the impact of local businesses to the economics and livability of a city or neighborhood.  
Learn more about the Oasis Grocery store:
Planning Magazine: Partnerships and Federal Funding Build an Oasis in a Food Desert 
He Opened the First Black-owned Grocery Store in Tulsa in 50 Years (video)
Oasis Fresh Market Opens in North Tulsa (video)
Want to be a part of the podcast? Send in an email!
The team behind the upcoming Better Planners podcast wants to hear from you about the real life issues you handle as a planner. What are the honest, gritty, wicked problems you find yourself managing?
To share your experiences, email [email protected]
Your message might end up in one of the upcoming podcast episodes. You can be as anonymous or as identifiable as you want.

Where to find us:
Website: https://oregon.planning.org/community/betterplannerspodcast/
Instagram: @betterplanners

Welcome to another episode of the Better Planners Podcast! This time Mary is joined by four other planners who also happen to be our podcast volunteers! They bring stories and advice from all across Oregon with various backgrounds and expertise. In particular, we focus on the good, bad, ugly, and funny parts of working in urban and rural planning. We also provide some good advice for new planners or folks in planning grad school or people who are looking into planning as a career. We hope this episode brings fun, relevant, and informative stories to new and old planners alike. 
Article mentioned by Alexa as part of her funny story: https://vtdigger.org/2019/06/23/westfords-middle-finger-there-to-stay/
 Enjoy! 
Want to be a part of the podcast? Send in an email!
The team behind the upcoming Better Planners podcast wants to hear from you about the real life issues you handle as a planner. What are the honest, gritty, wicked problems you find yourself managing?
To share your experiences, email [email protected]
Your message might end up in one of the upcoming podcast episodes. You can be as anonymous or as identifiable as you want.

Where to find us:
Website: https://oregon.planning.org/community/betterplannerspodcast/
Instagram: @betterplanners

In this episode, Mary and Shelley interview planner and artist: Miguel Vazquez! He is a FAICP planner who likes to mix the worlds of art and planning together. We discuss how to think like an artist to become a better planner and why that is important. We also discuss various projects he's been involved in where art was used to assist in planning activities.
Miguel is also heavily involved in the Latinos in Planning Division of the American Planning Association (APA) and the California Chapter of the APA.
In the episode, Miguel discusses an activity around dancing and movement as part of that year's annual conference for California APA. You can watch the outcome of that here: https://youtu.be/IogrB6cyGfc?si=yW0p-thoMY25PVPR
Want to be a part of the podcast? Send in an email!
The team behind the upcoming Better Planners podcast wants to hear from you about the real life issues you handle as a planner. What are the honest, gritty, wicked problems you find yourself managing?
To share your experiences, email [email protected]
Your message might end up in one of the upcoming podcast episodes. You can be as anonymous or as identifiable as you want.

Where to find us:
Website: https://oregon.planning.org/community/betterplannerspodcast/
Instagram: @betterplanners

The Better Planners Podcast is back for 2025! In this episode, Shelley and Mary interview James Rojas and John Kamp to talk about their new book, Dream Play Build: Hands On Community Engagement for Enduring Places and Spaces.

They talk extensively on their process with using hands-on community engagement methods to create an equal playing field for everyone to get involved in community planning work.

Find their book at Island Press.
Find James Rojas at PlaceIt.org.
Find John Kamp at Prairieform.com. 
Want to be a part of the podcast? Send in an email!
The team behind the upcoming Better Planners podcast wants to hear from you about the real life issues you handle as a planner. What are the honest, gritty, wicked problems you find yourself managing?
To share your experiences, email [email protected]
Your message might end up in one of the upcoming podcast episodes. You can be as anonymous or as identifiable as you want.

Where to find us:
Website: https://oregon.planning.org/community/betterplannerspodcast/
Instagram: @betterplanners