The study of the production and consumption of goods and services, economics plays an important role in urban planning decisions and the development of cities. Planetizen Courses zero in on the economic issues that most affect urban development, from travel behavior and pricing in transportation planning to fiscal impact analysis, real estate valuation, and how urban development impacts supply chains and resource distribution.

Economics Courses

aerial view of mulitple freeways intersecting
Transportation Planning: Travel Behavior Regulations, Pricing, and Programs
Richard Willson
65 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
aerial of freeways connecting
Economic Thinking for Planners: Overview
Peter Gordon
56 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
aerial of los angeles apartments and housing
Controlling Rents
Michael Manville
76 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
exterior of apartment building
Multi-Family Property Valuation Case Study for Planners
Menka Sethi
67 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
aerial view of houston freeways
Transportation Planning: Making Transportation Plans—Rationality and Politics
Richard Willson
60 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
cargo ship with freights
Economic Thinking for Planners: Gains from Trade, Labor, and Immigration
Peter Gordon
47 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
parking meter on sidewalk
The Right Price for Curb Parking
Donald Shoup
51 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
park with buildings in background
Calculating the Benefits of Parks, Trails, and Open Space
Todd J. Poole
34 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
freeway with Dallas skyline in background
Transportation Planning: Principles and Practices of Transportation Finance
Richard Willson
62 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
semi truck on highway
Economic Thinking for Planners: Supply and Demand
Peter Gordon
78 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
aerial of los angeles with apartment buildings
Prospects for Zoning Reform
Jenny Schuetz
96 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
cars in traffic
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting for Cities
Michael R. Boswell, Tammy Seale
60 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
screen capture of the four panelists
The Future of Cities After COVID-19
James Brasuell, Allison Arieff, Mariela Alfonzo, Scott Frazier, William Fulton
57 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
smoke and air pollution from smokestack
Economic Thinking for Planners: Economics of the Environment
Peter Gordon
56 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
city skyline
A New Era of Downtown Opportunity: The Intersection of Housing and Innovation
David Dixon
65 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
building development
Understanding Fiscal Impact Analyses
Todd J. Poole
46 Mins
cleveland ohio skyline with industrial buildings
Classical Location Theory
Kevin Credit
169 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
skyline of LInkcoln Park Chicago
Economic Thinking for Planners: Cities, Externalities, and Governance
Peter Gordon
56 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
emergency call box on public street
Crime and Urban Planning in the United States
Qian He
51 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
crane with building construction in background
Economic Impact Analysis in Land Use Planning
Todd J. Poole
54 Mins
  • SACPLAN CPD
busy street with pedestrians, cars, and streetlights in New York
Designing the Megaregion
Jonathan Barnett
65 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
government building
Economic Thinking for Planners: Local Government and Governance
Peter Gordon
53 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
A crumbling residential building with collapsed floors
Building Bad, Part 1: How Architectural Utility is Constrained by Politics
Jonathan Ochshorn
57 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
abandoned houses during great recession
Understanding the Great Recession
Peter Gordon
74 Mins

Top Economics Instructors

Peter Gordon

Peter Gordon is Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California Price School of Public Policy...

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Richard Willson

Richard Willson is a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at California State...

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Menka Sethi

Menka Sethi is an accomplished consultant and professor in the field of real estate development and...

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Todd J. Poole

Todd Poole is president, founder, and managing principal of 4ward Planning Inc., with more than 24...

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Michael Manville

Michael Manville is Associate Professor of Urban Planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

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Seema Thomas

Seema is an urban development professional focused on developing and expanding innovative and inclusive initiatives to...

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Carlos Zapata

Carlos Zapata is a Sustainability and ESG professional who is a graduate of Yale's MBA in...

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William Riggs

William (Billy) Riggs, Ph.D., AICP, LEED AP is a nationally recognized professor, consultant, and strategist.

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Jeff Speck

Jeff Speck is a city planner who advocates internationally for more walkable cities.

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Jonathan Ochshorn

Jonathan is a registered architect with an academic background in structural engineering and urban design as...

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Qian He

Dr. Qian He is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Maryland, College Park and...

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David Dixon

David is well known for helping create new, mixed-use urban districts (in both cities and suburbs)...

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Jenny Schuetz

Jenny is a Senior Fellow at Brookings Metro and an expert in housing policy.

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Jason Neville

Jason is an experienced urban planner, redevelopment professional, and affordable housing developer.

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Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman

Katrina is a lecturer, researcher, and advocate for heart-centered cities. Her work focuses on human behavior...

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Jonathan Barnett

Jonathan Barnett is Fellow of the Penn Institute for Urban Research and an Emeritus Professor of...

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Donald Shoup

Donald Shoup is Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA. His research...

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Kevin Credit

Kevin is the Assistant Director for Urban Informatics at the Center for Spatial Data Science at...

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James Brasuell

James Brasuell is the managing editor of Planetizen.

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William Fulton

William Fulton is the director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and the former mayor...

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Scott Frazier

Scott Frazier is one of the hosts of the L.A. Podcast. Scott is also Director of...

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Mariela Alfonzo

Mariela Alfonzo is the founder and CEO of State of Place. Mariela also has a PhD...

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Allison Arieff

Allison Arieff is the editorial director of SPUR and a columnist for The New York Times.

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Tammy Seale

Tammy Seale is a principal with Michael Baker International and director of the Sustainability and Climate...

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All Economics Courses

Generative AI, Ethics, and the Future of Urban Planning Sign Up

Generative AI, Ethics, and the Future of Urban Planning

Instructor: Tom Sanchez

Explore the ethical and equity implications of using generative AI in urban planning. This course addresses bias, transparency, public trust, emerging tools like digital twins, and offers practical guidance for responsible adoption.

4.30
66 Mins
CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM
Enhancing Public Participation with Generative AI Sign Up

Enhancing Public Participation with Generative AI

Instructor: Tom Sanchez

This tutorial shows how generative AI can enhance inclusive and responsive public participation in urban planning by summarizing feedback, tailoring outreach, and visualizing scenarios using real-world tools and examples.

4.37
77 Mins
CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM
What Is Generative AI and Why It Matters for Urban Planning

What Is Generative AI and Why It Matters for Urban Planning

Instructor: Tom Sanchez

This course introduces urban planners to Generative AI (GenAI), covering its fundamentals and demonstrating how it can create text, images, videos, and designs to enhance planning practices.

4.37
61 Mins
CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM
Free
Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

Instructor: Jeff Speck

Jeff Speck explains his five principal reasons for building more walkable places — Economics, the Environment, Public Health, Equity, and Social Cohesiveness — arming practitioners with a full range of arguments in favor of pro-walkability planning.

4.53
79 Mins
CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM
Free

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