Tag Archives: cities

How Successful Agencies and Developers Maximize Value Through On-Call Contracts

Nicole Flewellen

On-call contracts are more than procurement mechanisms; they’re strategic tools that enable agencies and developers to unlock agility, capacity, innovation, and specialized resources to support project delivery. Amid evolving regulations, budget constraints, and urgent socioeconomic needs, the opportunity lies not just in having an on-call contract but in leveraging that contract to its fullest potential to meet these challenges. This

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7 Tips to Ace the AICP Certification Exam

Nicole Flewellen

solidify the historical timeline in your memory. Make Connections Connect. After memorizing all the facts, make sure you take a step back and connect the dots. The AICP exam will include many situational questions where you may need to connect certain facts from different eras. Understanding the timeline and circumstances of events can help you

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How SB 1425 and AB 1889 Impact Updates to General Plan Open Space and Conservation Elements

Nicole Flewellen

Advancing Climate Resilience through Open Space Updates SB 1425 mandates that every city and county in California review and update their local open-space plans by January 1, 2026. General plan updates in consideration of SB 1425 must include plans and action programs that address: Equitable access to open space, considering social, economic, and racial

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Homes on the Brink: Community Wildfire Protection Planning in the Wildland–Urban Interface

Nicole Flewellen

Community wildfire protection planning plays a key role in protecting the millions of homes throughout California located on land designated as Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). The U.S. Forest Service defines the WUI as places where humans and their development come into contact with (within a half mile of) wildland fuel sources. With 32% of housing in

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5 Steps to Craft a Successful Urban Forest Management Plan

Nicole Flewellen

Urban forests play an important role in reducing surface temperatures, improving air quality, conserving energy, and increasing quality of life, amongst many other benefits. A sustainable urban forest must contain healthy, well-maintained trees with high species and age diversity. Creating such a robust urban forest can be complicated for cities and municipalities and is best

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Water Storage 101: How 3 Types of Reservoirs Support Long-Term Water Supply

Nicole Flewellen

In California, the past 20 years have been the driest in over 1,000 years, but a deluge of storms in January and February 2023 brought more than 24.5 trillion gallons of water to the state. “In the past several years, we’ve said, ‘We welcome every drop we can get,’” Dudek hydrogeologist Jill Weinberger said. But

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Will Your Stormwater Infrastructure Survive a 100-Year Storm?

Nicole Flewellen

Perhaps inspiring Murphy’s later pronouncement, mathematician Augustus De Morgan said, “Whatever can happen, will happen if we make trials enough.” At some point, your flood infrastructure will be tested by a storm event equal to or larger than the event it was designed to withstand. The chance in any given year that a storm occurs

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How to Secure Funding for Projects through California’s Climate Adaptation Planning Grant Program

Nicole Flewellen

California state law requires jurisdictions to integrate considerations for climate change and associated risk into General Plans, Climate Adaptation Plans, and Local Coastal Programs. The law also incentivizes the integration of adaptation in Local and Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plans. Collectively, these plans guide the development of long-term community vision, infrastructure investments, community health and safety,

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4 Vital Observations to Assess the Health of Blue Gum Eucalyptus Trees

Nicole Flewellen

Tasmanian blue gum eucalyptus (eucalyptus globulus) are ubiquitous in California. The species was imported as seeds from Australia during the Gold Rush during the mid-1800s, in the hopes that the fast-growing trees’ wood could be used for construction, furniture making, and railroad ties. They were unsuitable for that use due to the propensity of the

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How Sonic Tomography Helps Arborists Detect Unhealthy Trees to Keep Communities Safe

Amy Steele

Drought and pests, as well as tissue and root damage, put many trees at risk for internal rot and decay, which can pose a risk to property and public safety in the event a tree fails. Sonic tomography allows municipalities and developers to efficiently detect and accurately map tree decay in a non-invasive manner, especially

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