Among other traits, science-minded planners must seriously reflect on what it is they know about their field, seeking good reasons and solid evidence for why they accept those things, writes Jodie Sackett, a Los Angeles County urban planner.
A planner who develops new theories and tests them, can find hypotheses hidden within typical planning-related statements (such as objectives, principles, and policies); comprehends the difference between a statement that is self-evident and one that is not; and understands that there are no absolute proofs in science "just might be an urban scientist" according to L.A. County urban planner Jodie Sackett.
Sackett goes on to share several (sometimes fun) "markers" that planners can use to help determine if they are science-oriented thinkers, from "progressivism" to the "fountain of rational inquiry" to the ability to see "failure as victory."
FULL STORY: Are You an Urban Scientist?
Can Science Save Planning from Extinction?
In a recent paper, urban theorist Stephen Marshall rehashes Jane Jacobs's criticism of city planning as a pseudoscience built "on a foundation of nonsense." Can science and design be reconciled to provide planning a more stable foundation?
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.
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.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access
A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.
Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills
Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.
Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units
Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service