📰 What Happened: There’s a growing movement of amateur urbanists—everyday people passionate about urbanism and community planning. From advocating for bike lanes to modeling development impacts, many use free online tools to influence local planning, democratizing a once-opaque and complex process.

🔍 A Closer Look: Notable tools include Google Maps for site illustrations, OpenStreetMap for community data, and Envision Tomorrow for scenario-based planning. Streetmix helps design safer streets, SketchUp is for 3D modeling, and Walk Score helps assess walkability. Meanwhile Canva empowers users to create sleek proposals. UrbanSim is a more advanced option for tech-savvy users.

🧠 Why It Matters: Easy access to powerful planning tools has leveled the playing field, allowing city residents to have a direct impact on the design of their neighborhoods. As more amateurbanist actively shape their cities, we could see more inclusive, innovative, and community-driven developments that meet the needs of a diverse population.