History | Planetizen Courses

Planetizen Courses offers historical perspective through courses designed to help planners understand the history of the profession and how essential concepts and ideas in the field were developed and popularized. Learn about the triumphs and failures of past planners and how past decisions continue to shape urban form today.

History Courses

buildings, cars, people on Halsted Street in Chicago in 1900

History of City Planning 2: Modern Ideas of City Planning (1900-1939)

49 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

still from the movie of two people walking on sidewalk with trees and buildings in the background

Lewis Mumford on the City 4: The Heart of the City

29 Mins

AICP CM

kansas city missori buildings

Introduction to Culture and Placemaking

63 Mins

CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM

A B-29 over Osaka, Japan on 1 June 1945

History of City Planning 3: Midcentury Modern (1940-1979)

64 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

cars on highway with suburb in background

Lewis Mumford on the City 5: The City as Man's Home

31 Mins

AICP CM

people sitting on a bench overlooking new york skyline

The Theory and Practice of Culture and Placemaking

71 Mins

CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM

view of Shanghai, China skyline

History of City Planning 4: Planning in the Postmodern Age (1980-Today)

74 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

large city fountain surrounded by people

Lewis Mumford on the City 6: The City and the Future

29 Mins

AICP CM

emergency call box on public street

Crime and Urban Planning in the United States

51 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD

A collage of four megacities

History of City Planning 5: The City of Tomorrow

56 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

historic buildings in Charleston South Carolina

Introduction to Historic Preservation

Meredith Johnson

38 Mins

AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD

skyline of LInkcoln Park Chicago

Economic Thinking for Planners: Cities, Externalities, and Governance

56 Mins

AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD

person standing in front of a colorful mural

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

59 Mins

CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM

portrait of Daniel Burnham

Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City

58 Mins

AICP CM

three images of New York buildings, Central Park and a man riding a bike

U.S. City Planning 101

46 Mins

aerial view of ancient city grid

The American City, Part 1: A Brief History of the Regular Grid

Mark David Major

47 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

History of U.S. Landscape Architecture, Part 1

Kristin Faurest

64 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

Exterior of Pruitt Igoe housing complex

The Pruitt-Igoe Myth

84 Mins

AICP CM

Panel of five speakers on webcams

Housing and Racial Justice: Current Events Urban Resilience

59 Mins

CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD

aerial view of los angeles at night

The American City, Part 2: The Invention of a New Scale

Mark David Major

50 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

Sprawling residential neighborhoods with many single family houses.

Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix it

67 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

City Dreamers film ad

81 Mins

aerial of Houston with houses and buildings

Planning for Racial Equity

55 Mins

CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM

aerial image of portland oregon

The American City, Part 3: Learning from the Grid

Mark David Major

53 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

Top History Instructors

Jason Luger

Jason Luger is a lecturer in City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley, College of Environmental...

Mark David Major

Dr. Mark David Major, AICP, CNU-A is a Professor of Urban Design at the Savannah College...

Kristin Faurest

Kristin Faurest is a public garden education and outreach professional, author, and landscape architecture educator, committed...

Annalise Fonza

Dr. Annalise Fonza is a Lecturer in the Department of Urban & Regional Planning at the...

Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman

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

Álvaro Huerta

Dr. Álvaro Huerta is a Religion and Public Life Organizing Fellow at Harvard Divinity School and...

Peter Gordon

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

Thomas Hamed

Thomas Hamed, AICP is a transportation planner who specializes in commuter transportation and mobility for all...

Jonathan Katz-Ouziel

Jonathan Katz-Ouziel is an autistic planner, an independent accessibility consultant, and the founder of Opossum House...

Elizabeth Doerr

Elizabeth Doerr is a writer with expertise and awareness around social and racial justice issues and...

Lynn Peterson

Lynn Peterson is a nationally recognized transportation and land use integration expert.

Nolan Gray

M. Nolan Fray is the Research Director for California YIMBY, an expert in urban land-use regulation...

Qian He

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

Kayla Hunter

Kayla is an experienced non-profit professional who works with at-risk youth to reimagine unused, neglected spaces...

Lance Freeman

Lance Freeman is a Professor in the Urban Planning Program at Columbia University in New York...

Dave Amos

Dave is an Assistant Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cal Poly...

Meredith Johnson

Meredith is the owner of Johnson Planning and Preservation LLC, a boutique firm that works to...

Kevin Credit

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

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All History Courses

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

The Ethics of Disruptive Transportation Technologies

Instructor: Carol D. Barrett

This course discusses the process for making ethical decisions as part of planning for disruptive technologies.

4.38

83 Mins

AICP CM

CNU-A

SACPLAN CPD