School of Planning, Design and Construction

How the Practicum Works

Our Seven-Phase Planning Process

The Urban & Regional Planning Practicum follows a structured, client-centered planning process that mirrors professional planning practice. Throughout the semester, students work collaboratively with faculty, community partners, and stakeholders to investigate local challenges, engage residents, analyze existing conditions, and develop practical, implementation-oriented planning recommendations.

Each phase builds upon the previous one, allowing students to move from understanding a community's context to creating innovative, evidence-based solutions grounded in community input and professional planning principles. This iterative process ensures that every final plan is informed by research, stakeholder engagement, spatial analysis, and best practices while responding to the unique needs and priorities of each client and community.

The result is a comprehensive planning document that not only demonstrates students' technical and professional competencies but also provides community partners with actionable recommendations that can support future planning, policy development, and implementation.

1. Project Orientation and Scoping

Students meet with the client, review existing plans and background materials, clarify project goals, and develop a work plan.

2. Community and Qualitative Analysis

Teams conduct site visits, field observations, interviews, and other forms of qualitative research to understand community experiences, priorities, assets, and concerns.

3. Quantitative and Spatial Analysis

Students analyze demographic, economic, housing, land-use, transportation, environmental, and infrastructure conditions. This work may include GIS mapping, data visualization, parcel analysis, and review of relevant policies and plans.

4. Community Outreach and Engagement

Teams collaborate with the client to gather input through surveys, interviews, workshops, meetings, focus groups, or other engagement activities appropriate to the project.

5. Concept Planning and Strategic Direction

Students translate their research and community input into preliminary concepts, planning scenarios, strategic priorities, or alternative approaches for review by the client and community partners.

6. Precedent Research and Implementation Planning

Teams examine comparable projects and best practices, then identify programs, policies, partnerships, funding opportunities, and implementation steps that can move recommendations forward.

7. Final Integration and Presentation

Students synthesize their work into a cohesive planning document and present final recommendations to the client, community partners, and invited stakeholders.