Trend Category

Social Change

Social change is often reflected in not just how we plan and structure our communities, but also in the practice of planning itself.

Trends to Act on Now

Silent Mental Health Crisis

The world is currently facing a "silent" health crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought mental health and...

Place-Based Social Networking;

Place-based social networking platforms, a form of civic technology that encourages neighbors to communicate virtually, are growing in popularity. The...

Racial And Ethnic Diversity Awareness

By 2045, the majority of the U.S. population will be minorities. While greater cultural diversity is associated with wage growth...

Inclusive Design

Inclusive design is an emerging trend across industries.Thisevolving market and movement in design professions is leading to changes in public...

Gender-Inclusive Planning

Efforts to achieve gender equality are ongoing worldwide, with diverse strategies being employed. Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) is a key method,...

Youth Climate Action

Young people are actively participating in effecting change, often with successful outcomes. A new caseunfolded positively in Montana. There, a...

Future Decolonization

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are increasingly important in various professions, especially in planning. A growing focus on issues like...

Telehealth

Telemedicine, doctorless exams (where sensors and artificial intelligence capture health data to provide a direct diagnosis to the patient), at-home...

Gun Violence

According to theCDCand theAmerican Public Health Association, gun violence is a public health issue. It includes homicide, violent crime, attempted...

Dementia and Aging

Planning for aging in place and dementia are more important than ever. The national median age saw itslargest single-year gain,...

Declining Life Expectancy

According toprovisional datafrom the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS),life expectancy inthe U.S. experienced a significant decline, decreasing by...

Aging Populations

The number of U.S. adults aged 65 and over is expected to grow to about 90 million by 2050. Few...

Assistive Tech

Planning for aging in the community and planning for people with disabilities go hand in hand. Disabilities are more common...

Gender Mainstreaming

Gender mainstreaming, a strategy used in European countries since the 1990s that identifies how policy decisions impact people based on...

Gender Expansiveness

Discussions about gender, particularly those beyond the traditional gender binary, are becomingmore commonin major media outlets. As a result, the...

Societal Polarization

The ongoing polarization in society significantly contributes to growing antigovernment sentiments, the spread ofconspiracy theories, and escalating threats of violence....

Childless Adults

A growing share of childless adults in the U.S. do not expect to ever have children, according to thePew Research...

Community Influencers

Cities and communities are now at the mercy of the rapidly growing social mediainfluencer industry. An influencer is a type...

Bots And Unreliable Data

Social media bots arebecoming more prevalentand better at mimicking human behavior on social media platforms. Bots are an example of...

Social Media Toxicity

The detrimental impact of continuous social media use, particularly its potential to worsen mental health issues such as anxiety, depression,...

Digital solutions for safety concerns

While privacy has become a concern in a world of constant online presence and social media, younger generations value the...

Surveillance Spread

More and more communities, as well as private residents within these communities, have access to video surveillance and facial recognition...

Trends to Prepare For

Scoring Systems

Social credit scoringwas initiated by China in 2014 and this system continues to evolve. A person's social credit score plays...

Human rights in the digital world

The World Economic Forum'sGlobal Risk Reportpoints to a worrying trend regarding personal privacy in the next decade. With the rise...

Trends to Learn About and Watch

CRISPR

CRISPR, a cutting-edge genome editing technique, has ushered in a new era in biotechnology. Scientists and researchers are particularly excited...

Life extension and reverse aging

Life extension and anti-aging research is a burgeoning field, attracting considerable attention in recent times. In 2023,scientistsat Harvard Medical School...

Trend Reports

APA's foresight research is made possible in part through our partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

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