The American City Planning Institute (ACPI) was founded on May 7, 1917. Later becoming the American Planning Association (APA), the organization promotes urban planning – the building or improving of parks, highways, roads, and residential developments. The early 1900s brought an increased interest in improving American cities and towns. In 1901, New York passed a tenement law requiring buildings that housed three or more families to improve light, air quality, windows, courtyards, and more. The following year, Washington, DC adopted the McMillan Plan, to update the nation’s capital with a focus on parks and monuments. This plan is sometimes considered one of the first examples of the US City Beautiful movement, which encouraged grandeur and beautification in city planning