Case Studies: How Planning Students Can Find Interesting Projects Online

Ann Forsyth | December 21, 2011, 3pm PST

Planning students are often interested in finding examples of planning practice, particularly good examples. Several free online sources list projects that have won awards or been the subject of magazine articles. While winning an award doesn't mean a project is perfect, such projects are typically m some of the more interesting examples of planning.

The World Habitat Awards database includes projects from around the world http://www.worldhabitatawards.org/. Projects must include housing but are typically multifaceted. Nicely written case studies of winners are accessible through the online database http://www.worldhabitatawards.org/winners-and-finalists/?lang=00. This really is a terrific source.

The Great Places Awards sponsored by EDRA, Places magazine, and more recently Metropolis magazine, include categories for design, planning, research (in this case very applied), and books. Winners in the planning and research categories are most likely to be relevant. All are listed at http://www.edra.org/awards-mainmenu-31/great-places-awards-mainmenu-187. The cases are not very detailed but they provide a starting point for more investigation.

The APA awards are also a useful resource with past award winners listed online: http://www.planning.org/awards/#previous. Case studies are short but more recent award winners often have additional information available on web sites.

Finally, Progressive Planning, the magazine of Planners Network, is free to non-members after a year and even recent issues have some articles free http://plannersnetwork.org/publications/magazine.html Archives are at http://plannersnetwork.org/publications/mag_archives.html A good issue for cases is one on Progressive Community Design at http://plannersnetwork.org/publications/mag_2006_1_winter.html. To find the PDF scroll to the bottom of the page.

My earlier blogs on famous plans (http://www.planetizen.com/node/45168), and famous places (http://www.planetizen.com/node/44923) also list relevant links.

Ann Forsyth

Trained in planning and architecture, Ann Forsyth is a professor of urban planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. From 2007-2012 she was a professor of city and regional planning at Cornell.