School of Planning, Design and Construction

Benefits of Participation

The Urban & Regional Planning Practicum is built on the principle of reciprocal partnership, creating meaningful benefits for both community partners and students. By bringing together academic expertise, applied research, and community knowledge, the practicum creates a collaborative learning environment where communities receive high-quality planning assistance while students gain invaluable professional experience. Throughout the semester, student teams collaborate closely with clients to investigate local issues, engage stakeholders, develop planning strategies, and produce practical, implementation-oriented recommendations that respond to community priorities.

For community partners, the practicum expands local planning capacity by providing dedicated research, technical analysis, community engagement, and innovative planning ideas that complement ongoing initiatives. For students, the experience serves as a bridge between classroom learning and professional practice, allowing them to apply planning theories, technical skills, and ethical decision-making in real-world settings while collaborating directly with clients and community stakeholders. This collaborative approach strengthens communities, enriches student learning, and advances Michigan State University's commitment to community-engaged scholarship and public service.

For Community Partners

• Focused research and analysis on a locally identified issue
• Additional capacity for community outreach and data collection
• New perspectives and creative planning ideas
• Opportunities to engage residents and stakeholders
• Visual materials that communicate community priorities
• Action-oriented recommendations and implementation strategies
• A documented foundation for future planning and funding efforts

The Practicum is most effective when it supports an active community initiative and complements, rather than replaces, the work of municipal staff or professional consultants.

For Students

• Manage a professional planning project
• Conduct fieldwork, interviews, and community research
• Analyze qualitative, quantitative, and spatial information
• Facilitate public and stakeholder engagement
• Develop evidence-based recommendations
• Prepare professional maps, graphics, reports, and presentations
• Work collaboratively in teams and assume leadership roles
• Communicate with clients, community partners, and the public
• Apply principles of equity, inclusion, sustainability, resilience, and professional ethics

The Practicum serves as a critical bridge between academic study and professional planning practice.

What Community Partners Receive

The Urban & Regional Planning Practicum is committed to providing community partners with high-quality, professionally prepared planning products that support local decision-making and long-term community development. Throughout the semester, student teams collaborate closely with clients to produce research-informed, implementation-oriented deliverables tailored to each project's goals, priorities, and context. These products are developed through an iterative process of data collection, analysis, community engagement, and client feedback, ensuring that the final recommendations are both practical and responsive to community needs.

While the scope of each project varies, community partners typically receive a comprehensive package of planning materials that can be used to inform future initiatives, guide public discussions, support grant and funding applications, assist with policy and capital improvement decisions, and provide a solid foundation for future planning and implementation efforts.

Each client receives a set of professional planning products tailored to the project. Deliverables generally include:

• A comprehensive final planning report
• An executive summary
• Maps, diagrams, photographs, and data visualizations
• Community-engagement findings
• Planning, policy, design, or program recommendations
• An implementation strategy or action plan
• A professional presentation
• A project poster or other visual summary
• Digital copies of final project materials

The final report is intended to serve as a practical community resource. Depending on the project, it may help support future planning initiatives, community discussions, policy development, funding applications, capital improvements, or subsequent professional studies.

Is Your Project a Good Fit?

The following sections bring together the information prospective community partners need to evaluate a project idea, understand the collaboration required, review the annual schedule, and prepare a proposal.

What Makes a Strong Practicum Project?

The success of the Urban & Regional Planning Practicum depends on selecting projects that provide meaningful learning opportunities for students while addressing important planning needs identified by community partners. Each year, project proposals are carefully reviewed by faculty to ensure they align with the educational objectives of the Urban & Regional Planning Program, can be completed within the period of a single academic semester, and have the potential to produce practical, high-quality planning outcomes. The most successful projects are those that foster close collaboration between students, faculty, and community partners, provide opportunities for applied research and public engagement, and contribute to ongoing planning, policy, or community development initiatives. By carefully matching community needs with student learning objectives, the practicum creates partnerships that generate lasting value for both students and the communities they serve.

Projects are evaluated based on educational value, community benefit, feasibility, and fit with the Urban and Regional Planning Program. Strong proposals generally:

• Address a clearly defined and significant planning need
• Can be completed within one academic semester
• Have an identified client representative who can participate throughout the project
• Provide opportunities for data collection, analysis, community engagement, and implementation planning
• Have access to relevant background information and community contacts
• Allow students to produce professional-quality reports, maps, graphics, and presentations
• Support an active community initiative or decision-making process
• Have a realistic geographic and substantive scope

The program seeks a range of projects representing urban, suburban, small-town, metropolitan, and rural contexts.

Community Partner Responsibilities

The success of every practicum project depends on an active and collaborative partnership between the client, faculty, and student team. Community partners play a vital role in guiding the project by sharing local knowledge, identifying priorities, providing access to information, and offering feedback throughout the planning process. While students are responsible for conducting research, analysis, and developing recommendations, meaningful client engagement helps ensure that the project remains relevant, responsive, and aligned with community goals. Regular communication and collaboration throughout the semester contribute to a productive partnership and result in planning products that are both academically rigorous and practically useful for the community.

The Practicum is a collaborative process. Participating clients are expected to:

• Designate a primary project contact
• Participate in developing and confirming the scope of work
• Provide relevant plans, datasets, studies, maps, and background materials
• Assist students in identifying stakeholders and community contacts
• Help coordinate site visits, meetings, and engagement activities
• Attend key project reviews and presentations
• Provide timely and constructive feedback on draft materials
• Help ensure that the project remains responsive to community needs
• Provide an agreed-upon project contribution to support travel, printing, engagement, and production expenses

Project Timeline

The Urban & Regional Planning Practicum follows a structured annual schedule that guides projects from initial proposal through final presentation and delivery. This timeline provides community partners with multiple opportunities to collaborate with faculty and student teams throughout the academic year, ensuring that projects are well-defined, responsive to community priorities, and completed within a single semester. From the initial call for proposals to the presentation of final recommendations, the practicum emphasizes ongoing communication, iterative feedback, and close collaboration between students, faculty, and clients. This structured process enables student teams to produce high-quality, professional planning products while providing community partners with meaningful opportunities to shape the project's direction and outcomes.

Submit a Project Proposal

The Urban & Regional Planning Practicum welcomes partnerships with municipalities, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, neighborhood associations, community development organizations, and other groups seeking planning assistance for projects that advance community well-being. As a land-grant university, Michigan State University is committed to collaborating with communities to address real planning challenges while providing students with meaningful, practice-based learning experiences. Through the practicum, community partners gain access to faculty-guided student teams that bring fresh perspectives, research expertise, technical skills, and a commitment to developing practical, evidence-based planning solutions.

We encourage organizations to submit project proposals that address current planning issues, emerging opportunities, or long-term community goals. The strongest projects are those that promote collaboration between students and community partners, provide opportunities for research and public engagement, and produce planning recommendations that can inform future decision-making and implementation. While each project is unique, all proposals are carefully reviewed to ensure they provide both educational value for students and meaningful benefits for the partnering community.

A proposal should briefly describe:

• The community or organization
• The planning issue or opportunity
• The geographic study area
• The desired project outcomes
• Available data and background materials
• Opportunities for community participation
• The primary client contact
• How the final work may be used after the Practicum

Submitting a proposal does not guarantee project selection. Faculty evaluate each proposal’s scope, educational value, feasibility, available program capacity, and alignment with the mission of the Urban and Regional Planning Program.

"Download Project Request Form" "Submit A Project Proposal"

Proposal Deadline:

Project Selection Notification:

Project Period: January through April