{"id":583860,"date":"2026-05-07T20:17:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?post_type=blog&p=583860"},"modified":"2026-05-07T20:17:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:17:52","slug":"esri-npc-26-recap-detroit-housing-ai-gis-planning","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/esri-npc-26-recap-detroit-housing-ai-gis-planning","title":{"rendered":"Esri’s NPC 26 Recap: Housing, AI, and GIS Innovation in Detroit"},"content":{"rendered":"

The weekend of April 24\u201327 brought the American Planning Association’s National Planning Conference (NPC) to Detroit \u2014 and with nearly 5,000 attendees, it proved once again that NPC is the premier event for planning professionals (and soon-to-be professionals). That’s not just a numbers story. The real strength of NPC is in its breadth: planners from small towns and villages, the largest metropolitan areas, and everything in between. Regardless of the size of the organization they came from, attendees shared a great deal of common demands, problems, and projects.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Michelle Flemming discusses scenario planning in ArcGIS Urban with NPC26 attendees.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

America’s Housing Comeback<\/h2>\n\n

The joint initiative between APA and the National League of Cities \u2014 the Housing Supply Accelerator Program \u2014 kicked off its next phase: America’s Housing Comeback<\/strong>.City and county elected officials from across the country joined leaders from the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors to discuss objectives and hurdles to clear in order to increase housing affordability, capacity, and diversity. It was a privilege to present to the group and demonstrate how GIS is part of the solution \u2014 being used in communities of all sizes to modernize housing policy and pave the way for sustainable economic development and mobility. We will continue to work with APA and NLC to develop repeatable game plans for cities and counties to use in meeting their residents’ housing needs.<\/p>\n\n

The Esri Theater Premiere<\/h2>\n\n

Esri’s role at NPC has been consistent for many years, but we’ve been looking for new ways to reach planners and demonstrate the increasing role of GIS in community development. This year, for the first time, we introduced the Esri Theater<\/strong> inside NPC’s Hub. This was a designated space where planners could attend 20-minute presentations from fellow planners, Esri staff, and Esri business partners. The goal was to highlight innovative yet practical uses of GIS. Sessions covered topics like using augmented reality (AR) to help the public visualize proposed developments, streamlining development review, creating award-winning comprehensive plans, and much more.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The Esri Theater is packed with standing room only during a session.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The twenty sessions we hosted were almost always packed. We received great feedback from attendees \u2014 particularly those who wanted a quick, relevant demonstration of a GIS success story. It’s safe to say that our first year hosting the Esri Theater was a success, and we plan to bring it back in Houston next year.<\/p>\n\n

AI in Planning: A Packed Conversation<\/h2>\n\n

We are grateful to be part of APA’s Foresight Committee, which helps planners identify upcoming trends that will impact the profession. Zhenia Dulko, who leads this effort for APA, invited us to participate in a panel discussion on the role of AI in planning \u2014 both today and down the road. The panel included Devin Lavigne of Houseal-Lavigne and Li Plass, a lecturer at Georgetown and Berkeley. Admittedly, an 8:30 AM session on a Monday was an unknow, but we had a full ballroom. Topics included the emerging role of AI assistants and agents in planning, balancing AI with human judgment, and specific ways AI can help understaffed departments. <\/p>\n\n

AI is not going to replace planners \u2014 nor should it be used to replace human judgment in planning. But it absolutely can, and should, be used to help improve and justify human judgment. That is one of the most immediate and impactful roles AI will play for planning departments in the near future.<\/p>\n\n

Next Stop: The Lone Star State<\/h2>\n\n

By virtually any metric, NPC 26 was a success. Hundreds of attendees stopped by our booth to share their planning projects or ask how they could better leverage GIS in their department. We were also grateful to see a growing number of Esri partners at the conference. It’s not Esri’s goal to do everything in planning. We rely heavily on our partners to help users succeed, whether it’s writing better zoning ordinances and comprehensive plans, informing the public, or improving the permitting and review process. A sincere thank-you to the many Esri partners who gave up their weekend to join us in Detroit.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Esri’s Partner Pavilion showcases the many partners who implement GIS in planning.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

If you weren’t able to stop by our booth or the Esri Theater, be sure to download our guide<\/a> <\/strong>to using GIS in planning. We’ve already started planning for NPC 27 in Houston<\/a> (May 15\u201318)<\/strong> \u2014 and we can’t wait to see you there!<\/p>","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[376],"tags":[2662,5032],"class_list":["post-583860","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community-development","tag-housing","tag-national-planning-conference","industry-community-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNPC26 | Housing, AI, GIS in Planning<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Esri shares highlights from the 2026 APA National Planning Conference, including the America's Housing Comeback initiative, the Esri Theater debut, and a packed AI in Planning panel.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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