Case Studies: How Planning Students Can Find Interesting Projects Online

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. 

2 minute read

December 21, 2011, 3:41 PM PST

By Ann Forsyth



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. She taught previously at at the University of Minnesota, directing the Metropolitan Design Center (2002-2007), Harvard (1999-2002), and the University of Massachusetts (1993-1999) where she was co-director of a small community design center, the Urban Places Project. She has held short-term positions at Columbia, Macquarie, and Sydney Universities.

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1 - Honolulu Civil Beat

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1 - KQED

Tents inhabited by unhoused people lined up on sidewalk in Los Angeles, California in front of industrial building.

California Homeless Arrests, Citations Spike After Ruling

An investigation reveals that anti-homeless actions increased up to 500% after Grants Pass v. Johnson — even in cities claiming no policy change.

July 1 - Times of San Diego

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.

Write for Planetizen