Essential Web Skills for Urban Planners
Jing Zhang, FAICP
Sarah Vitale, AICP
Jing Zhang, FAICP
Sarah Vitale, AICP
Google Sites
Website: www.apiplanning.org
The website for the APA Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Interest Group is built using Google Sites and serves as the primary digital platform for this group. The site supports the Group’s mission to foster stronger, more resilient Asian and Pacific Islander communities through inclusive planning and professional collaboration.
This project demonstrates how Google Sites can be used to develop a fully functional organizational website. Key components of the site include:
An About page introducing the group’s mission and vision
A Leadership page showcasing current team members
Join Us and Campaign pages for outreach and advocacy efforts
An Events Calendar to keep members informed
A News section for announcements and updates
A File Archive for public documents and reports
A Photo Gallery for community visuals
Social media icons are integrated into the footer for external engagement
These elements together form a comprehensive yet user-friendly structure suitable for a volunteer-led organization.
Instead of using basic text links, the site employs stylized buttons to link to downloadable files stored on a public Google Drive. This enhances both accessibility and visual clarity, making it easier for visitors to locate and interact with resources. The approach also allows for quick file updates without altering the main site structure.
The API Group has made excellent use of YouTube video integration, particularly on the Webinars page (link). Videos are:
Embedded with clear visual separation using row-based layouts
Accompanied by relevant metadata such as title, duration, speakers, and Certification Maintenance (CM) information
Easy to browse and watch without navigating away from the site
Since the group’s formation, 12 webinars have been published and archived on the platform, providing valuable professional development content to the planning community.
Website: sustainability.urag.org
The Environmental Sustainability Planning Guideline is a comprehensive online resource developed by the APA International Division’s Ukraine Rebuilding Action Group (URAG). Designed to support sustainable recovery and long-term environmental resilience, the guideline presents extensive content across a range of planning themes.
Due to the volume and complexity of the content, the guideline is hosted on a dedicated subdomain—sustainability.urag.org—rather than the main URAG site. This decision enhances site organization, allows for greater design flexibility, and simplifies long-term maintenance. Using a subdomain also enables the team to tailor the layout and structure specifically to this project without affecting the broader website framework.
To enhance interactivity and streamline content delivery, the project leverages several Google products:
Google Slides are embedded on the homepage to provide visual overviews and thematic presentations.
YouTube videos are integrated to enrich the learning experience through multimedia.
Google Forms are used for collecting user feedback, enabling continuous improvement and engagement with a wider audience.
A notable design feature is the use of custom-designed images as navigation buttons within the Google Sites platform. This approach required careful image preparation, including maintaining consistent aspect ratios for visual balance. Although it involved more design effort than using the platform’s default buttons, the result is a significantly improved visual interface and more intuitive user experience.
Given the limitations of dynamic page creation in Google Sites, the project makes extensive use of tabs and subtabs to organize content logically, by parts, sections, and specific topics. This structured navigation allows users to easily access different components of the guideline without feeling overwhelmed, supporting both casual browsing and deep exploration.