2026 Trend Report

Planning for the future can feel overwhelming, yet essential. The American Planning Association’s (APA) 2026 Trend Report offers planners foresight into upcoming trends that could shape our world. In our latest episode, we talked with Petra Hurtado, APA’s Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer, to delve into these trends. Now in it’s fifth year (coincidentally…or not….this was our 100th episode in the fifth year of our show), we have covered every trend report from the first so you can really start to see the evolution of the document and it’s contents.

This time around, we definitely talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and it’s impacts and how to prepare for it. As trends like AI, transportation, and housing continue to evolve, Hurtado emphasizes the need for planners to address these changes head-on--”looking away won’t make it go away” was the theme of the conversation. The episode highlights recurring themes like climate change, demographic shifts, and policy changes.

Show Notes:

• Check out the full report on APA’s website at https://planning.org/publications/document/9323378/
• Trend Universe: https://planning.org/foresight/trends/
• New Home for Data Source’s Article: https://www.planning.org/planning/2025/sep/5-tech-tools-for-building-relevant-and-reliable-urban-data-infrastructure/
• Upskilling: https://www.planning.org/upskilling/
• Further Reading:
  • The Ministry of Time by Kiliane Bradley
  • God is Red: A Native View of Religion by Vine Deloria Jr.
  • Work Without Jobs: How to Reboot Your Organization’s Work Operating System by Ravin Jesuthansan and John W. Boudreau
• To view the show transcripts, click on the episode at https://bookedonplanning.buzzsprout.com/

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