It’s been said there’s a first time for everything. For Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama, one of those firsts was a comprehensive plan to guide community growth and change for years to come. As the fastest growing of Alabama’s five largest cities over the past two decades, Tuscaloosa faced no shortage of challenges: an EF4 tornado that decimated 12 percent of the city, a population boom driven by UA’s growth, notable demographic shifts, and a global recession. Planning NEXT led a multidisciplinary team—including Clarion Associates and Kimley Horn—in partnering with the City to develop a playbook that tackled these challenges head-on. The effort didn’t stop at the comprehensive plan; it also included a complete overhaul of the city’s land development regulations to put that vision into action.