I'm a planner. Also VC-Communications @APA_SmallTown
Nebraska, USA
Joined January 2009
- Tweets15.8K
- Following496
- Followers816
- Likes30.8K
Pinned Tweet
15 years of #UrbanPlanning & #rural #econdev here. I do Americana @JCShepard and politics elsewhere.
I’m also Vice-Chair for Communications @APA_SmallTown
Twitter had a good run—now you can also find me on Threads 🧵.
Do you remember when you joined X? I do! #MyXAnniversary – at Nebraska, USA
John C Shepard, AICP retweeted
Our university's Food Processing Center’s "collaboration with private industry, including Danao’s product-specific research and training for food industry personnel, helps strengthen the state’s multibillion-dollar pet food sector, a major Nebraska employer with more than two dozen manufacturing plants across the state"
@NeDeptAg @NEFarmBureau @NESoybeanBoard @NebraskaChamber
news.unl.edu/article/innovat…
Most small town airports never had airline service. They're there for crop dusters, medical flights, and firefighting planes. They're also expensive, competing with streets, water, and sewer for the same local dollars.
The last post in my October transportation series looks at that tradeoff for your air transport system, your local airport, and what a comprehensive plan can do about it.
jcshepard.com/2026/10/air-tr…
#landuse #airports #planning #smalltowns
John C Shepard, AICP retweeted
The Organization of MISO States, comprised of utility commissions in MISO, has put out a Position Statement saying that data centers should be directly assigned ALL of the incremental transmission upgrade costs they cause, PLUS their full embedded costs.
Good stuff!
👀
John C Shepard, AICP retweeted
“The number of children who have lost SNAP in just one year exceeds the populations of Scottsbluff or La Vista.”
Nebraska Appleseed held a roundtable Tuesday to talk about the impact of federal changes for SNAP funds a year after they went into effect.
nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/n…
John C Shepard, AICP retweeted
Animas River at 11,200 cfs this afternoon at the whitewater park in Durango. 400 cfs shy of the 1970 mark.
John C Shepard, AICP retweeted
One year apart, two major floods in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. 🌧️ Heavy rainfall caused the San Juan River to crest near 13 feet on Oct. 12, 2025, but even heavier rain on Oct. 23, 2026, pushed the river above 15 feet, reaching its highest level since 1911 and prompting widespread evacuations.
It could have been worse. Mitigation efforts have helped reduce flood impacts in Pagosa Springs, believe it or not. #floodmitigation #CO #COwx
JAW-DROPPING drone video shows devastating flooding in Pagosa Springs, CO, as rising waters have triggered evacuations and rescue efforts.#COwx
Opportunity Zones: Analyzing the tax incentive’s impacts, and how to enhance them
As OZ 1.0 transitions to OZ 2.0, @BrookingsInst reports on #EconDev impacts.
Figure 1: Eligible and designated Opportunity Zones, 2018 brookings.edu/interactive/fi…
The grain elevator beside the tracks. The old depot. The streets aligned with the railroad. In many small towns, you can still read the railroad’s influence on the map. But what does the community need from those tracks today? (1/4)
A blocked crossing can separate homes from emergency services. A former rail corridor can become a trail, or disappear beneath development. Rail planning is also about land use, public safety, and keeping future choices open. (3/4)
The railroad helped shape the town. The comprehensive plan should state what the community needs next. Explore eight practical priorities in the carousel, then read the full article:
jcshepard.com/2026/10/rail-a… (4/4)
John C Shepard, AICP retweeted
Pagosa Springs river flooding on the San Juan forecast to reach major flooding level, cresting at nearly 14 feet. That'd be higher than last October's flood.
Mancos River (Durango) currently forecast to get to at least minor flood stage as well.
#COwx
John C Shepard, AICP retweeted
Showers & isolated t-storms will continue across the mtns overnight into Fri, with the heaviest rainfall across the San Juans. Flooding has already been reported in/near South Fork, & run-off/flooding may worsen overnight. Remain weather aware! Turn Around, Don't Drown! #cowx
ALT Key Messages Flood Watch remains in effect through 6 PM Fri for the San Juan Mountains/Upper Rio Grande Valley. An additional 1-2 inches of rain possible in the San Juans through Friday morning. Potential Impacts include : Flooding of Small Streams Forest road and culvert washouts and inundation of low-lying areas High flows and possible flooding on the Rio Grande, South Fork Rio Grande, Conejos and other areas rivers on Friday Rockslides, debris flows and water over roadways will be possible
John C Shepard, AICP retweeted
“The number of children who have lost SNAP in just one year exceeds the populations of Scottsbluff or La Vista.”
Nebraska Appleseed held a roundtable Tuesday to talk about the impact of federal changes for SNAP funds a year after they went into effect.
nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/n…
John C Shepard, AICP retweeted
Home battery storage is going vertical.
US residential battery capacity has climbed to about 800 megawatts, more than triple the level of 2020 and up from near zero a decade ago. Cheap storage is rewiring the grid, even as locals fight new sites over fire fears. The buildout is outrunning the pushback.
John C Shepard, AICP retweeted
Factories built to supply America’s electric-vehicle boom are getting a second life making batteries for the power grid. As EV demand weakens and electricity demand from data centers and new factories strengthens, battery makers are shifting toward stationary storage, but the new market still relies on federal incentives and a supply chain that remains partly dependent on China. @EdLudlow traveled to Arizona to find out more on Wall Street Week bloom.bg/3EMZYZX
John C Shepard, AICP retweeted
October 2026 Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Survey erniegoss.substack.com/p/oct…
🤖 Made with AI
