Urban Planners

Two professionals sitting at desk with three-monitor computer showing zoning and other maps.

5 ways to hallucination-proof your AI output

With public trust on the line, the stakes are high for urban planners to ensure accuracy in our AI work. Here’s how to do it.

July 30, 2026 - Tom Sanchez

Close-up on :City Hall" carved into stone arch with gargoyle face in middle on Pasadena City hall entrance arch.

The unsung bureaucrat: Planners in film and TV

Is there anything sexy about urban planning?

July 17, 2026 - Jake Pitre

Spherical sculpture lit from underneath in front of convention center in downtown Detroit, Michigan.

APA conference draws 4,000 urban planners to Detroit this weekend

The annual conference brings together planners for a weekend of panels, discussions and tours.

April 26, 2026 - DBusiness

Cover of 2026 American Planning Association Trend Report for Planners.

Everything you Need to Know from the APA’s 2026 Trend Report for Planners

Plus, a conversation with the APA’s Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer, Petra Hurtado.

March 30, 2026 - Jennifer Hiatt

Man and woman in business meeting looking at laptop with another man leaning over desk.

Getting Started with AI: A Practical Guide for Urban Planners

Planetizen’s resident AI and planning expert answers the number one question he gets asked: where do I begin?

March 26, 2026 - Tom Sanchez

People gathered around presentation board at IBX open house event.

Will Urban Planners Lose Their Jobs to AI?

Let’s see what the data says.

September 25, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Orange Planetizen Courses 25 for 25 anniversary banner.

25 Years of Impact: Planetizen’s Top Courses Shaping Planners Today

As the planning industry continues to evolve, Planetizen remains committed to helping planners through those changes.

May 8, 2025 - Planetizen Team

Computer screen with map, numbers, and lines.

How Data-Driven Research Is Shaping Sustainable Urban Development

Explore how data-driven research is revolutionizing sustainable urban development, creating smarter, greener, and more resilient cities for the future.

April 17, 2025 - Devin Partida

View from back of group of college students in caps and gowns at graduation with bright sunlight in front of them.

The Current Turmoil and Planning Education

It is undeniably a challenging time in higher education and an object lesson in the power of uncertainty. However, a planning education is all the more needed in times of turmoil.

April 16, 2025 - Ann Forsyth

The Seat of Government

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership

Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

February 3, 2025 - Todd Litman

College Students

Applying to Graduate School in Planning: A Second Update

In 2008 and 2018, I wrote some much-read blogs about how to get into planning school. As deadlines near, I revisit that advice. I look first at the big picture of the case you need to make for the admissions committee and then the logistics.

December 9, 2024 - Ann Forsyth

"Vote Here Today" yard sign in front of brick building.

November Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month

The future of planning in the second Trump administration, housing policy, and highway removal — here are Planetizen’s most popular headlines from November 2024.

December 3, 2024 - Diana Ionescu

Busy plaza in Siena, Italy with prominent clock tower.

Commentary: A World Planning Congress That Was Out of This World

This year’s gathering was full of promise, hope — and tension.

November 26, 2024 - Emilie K. Adin

Happy students walking together on university campus, chatting and laughing outdoors after classes.

Planning Your Planning Degree

In the Northern Hemisphere, many students are starting urban planning degree programs. How can students position themselves for a productive and meaningful education in planning.

September 9, 2024 - Ann Forsyth

Bird's eye view of city skyscrapers at twilight with blurred lights on streets.

Building Bridges to the Future: Preparing the Next Generation of Planners

Discover the importance of preparing the next generation of urban planners to build a sustainable and thriving future.

October 17, 2023 - Devin Partida

View of pedestrian plaza in Swiss village with Alps in background.

Opinion: The Arrogance of Social Media Urbanists

Criticism of ‘bad’ urban design and development policies leveled at ‘planners’ often obscures the complex nature of urban politics and land use regulations.

October 17, 2023 - Christopher Holtkamp

Neoclassical city hall building with dome, columns, and American flags flying in front

The Good, the Bad, and Urban Planning Politics

Urban planning and politics are two sides of the same coin.

June 27, 2023 - Marcelo Remond

BLM Plaza, Washington, D.C.

The Planning Profession Needs More Black Women

If planners want to address the impacts of exclusionary planning, historical inequities, and policies that ignore the needs of women and minorities, they must address systemic inequities within the field itself.

December 28, 2020 - LSE Progressing Planning

Coronavirus COVID-19

Pandemic a Call to Arms for Planners

The pandemic has raised alarms about density. Post-pandemic, urban planners should fight more passionately than ever for progressive principles that make cities more equitable, pleasant, and, yes, healthy.

May 17, 2020 - California Planning & Development Report

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.