Halloween Costumes for Urban Planners — 5th Edition

Looking for fun halloween costume ideas? Look no further than Planetizen for the latest halloween costumes.

3 minute read

October 31, 2016, 10:00 AM PDT

By Jennifer Evans-Cowley @EvansCowley


Halloween

lev radin / Shutterstock

Halloween is almost here. Do you have a costume? Planetizen has a tradition of sharing costume ideas—see the 4th edition, 3rd edition, 2nd edition, and the 1st edition for more ideas. Here are a few fun ideas for city planning themed halloween costumes. 

Mixed Use Development: How about getting everyone in the family or your office to dress up as a different land use? Get your pet involved and the next thing you know you could have your own mixed use development.

Cards Against Urbanity: Planners loved the cards against urbanity game. Why not turn that into a costume? Make a sign board and write your favorite card onto your costume, such as: "Architects should really pay more attention to _______", filling in the blank with "a blue-haired amateur historian," "Mr. Monorail," or "Peak Beard."

Pedestrian Crossing Costume

Pedestrian Crossing: Amelia Costanzo, shown above, won the office costume contest at the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Council last year for her pedestrian crossing costume. This is a simple costume. Wear a black outfit. Create a large cardboard square painted yellow. Add black tape and create some straps. Next thing you know you can be your very own pedestrian crossing.

Crosswalk Signal: Okay, so if the pedestrian cross is just too pedestrian, step it up a notch for a night time party by creating a lit crossing signal. Using LED christmas lights, simply attach them to the edge of your clothing to create a human outline and pose in the walk and stop symbols. 

Green Energy: The U.S. Department of Energy proposed five options for green energy costumes. To be a solar panel just take some cardboard and coat it in cellophane. Use a silver permanent marker and some duct tape and you will be ready to create energy. 

Row Houses: Why not go as a set of row houses with a friend? Take a cardboard box large enough to fit in plus an extra piece of cardboard to make the roof. Paint the cardboard to your preferred row house style. Cut, glue, and tape the roof on and you are all set in your row house costume.

Metro System and the Rail Line: This is a fun costume if you want to dress up with a friend. One person can put tape and write on their shirt with the transit system and another can dress up as a bus or train. This pair of friends opted to go as the D.C. Metro system

Google Map: Love maps? Why not wear a Google Map costume? A simple cardboard cutout of the Google location pin and then decorate your shirt with a map. 

Car-I-Cature: Turn your bike into a car by creating a car-i-cature. This costume is sure to capture attention with a little paint and cardboard, plus your own bicycle. 

And don't forget that city planning costumes can be a family affair. The Central Ohio Transit Authority highlighted their favorite costume of last year, a child dressed up as a bus stop with a bus, shown below.

COTA Bus Stop Costume

Of course, why stop with your personal costume. Centre County Pennsylvania took it to the next level, creating costumes for five of its busses. Students at Pennsylvania State University created a taco, bunny, spaceship, witch, and shark costume for the busses, as reported by the Centre Daily News.

Do you have a great city planning themed halloween costume sure to win the office costume party? Share your pictures and ideas in the comments below.


Jennifer Evans-Cowley

Jennifer Evans-Cowley, PhD, FAICP, is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at th eUniversity of North Texas. Dr. Evans-Cowley regularly teaches courses to prepare candidates to take the AICP exam. In 2011, Planetizen named Cowley as one of the leading thinkers in planning and technology. Her research regularly appears in planning journals, she is the author of four Planning Advisory Service Reports for the American Planning Association, and regularly blogs for Planetizen.

View form second story inside Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota with escalators and model cars parked on downstairs floor.

The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall

The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.

March 21, 2024 - Governing

View of Austin, Texas skyline with river in foreground during morning golden hour.

The Paradox of American Housing

How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.

March 26, 2024 - The Atlantic

Houston, Texas skyline.

Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities

The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.

March 22, 2024 - Urban Edge

Aerial view of Anchorage, Alaska downtown with mountains in background at golden hour.

Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan

Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.

March 28 - Anchorage Daily News

Young man in wheelchair crossing zebra crosswalk.

How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities

Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.

March 28 - Governing

Aerial view of mountain town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado in the winter with snow at dusk.

Colorado Town Fills Workforce Housing Need With ‘Dorm-Style’ Housing

Median rent in Steamboat Springs is $4,000 per month.

March 28 - CBS News

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Write for Planetizen

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.