Sustainability planning involves strategies and practices that reduce carbon emissions and the reliance on fossil fuels, conserve natural resources, promote infill development and density, and support renewable energy. Sustainable urban planning ensures the long-term ecological, economic, and social health of cities through policies and regulatory mechanisms that focus on energy efficiency and smart growth.

Sustainability Courses

cars in traffic emitting pollution
Transportation Planning: Effects on the Environment, Health, and Social Justice
Richard Willson
57 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
Philadelphia Neighborhood
Green Infrastructure
David Rouse
56 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
bike lane
Bicycle-Friendly Streets: Design Standards
Michelle DeRobertis
41 Mins
  • SACPLAN CPD
people working in a warehouse surrounded with boxes
Sustainable Supply Chains
Carlos Zapata
59 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM
neighborhood with buildings and metro train
Introduction to Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tools
Eliot Allen
69 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
mixed-use development with people walking, retail stores
Walkable Density: Building Livable, Equitable, and Resilient Communities
David Dixon
60 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
metro train with buildings in background
Transportation Planning: Land Use and Transportation Systems
Richard Willson
62 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
Waves impact breakwater
Resilience Planning for Coastal Hazards
Chris Holtkamp
81 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM
vegetables at farmers market
Healthy Urban Food Systems: Planning Retail Facilities
Lauren Dunning
55 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
variety of products such as household cleaners and cigarettes with green labels
Sustainability Marketing and Greenwashing
Carlos Zapata
46 Mins
  • AICP CM
water dock with buildings in background
Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tools for Communities and Existing Neighborhoods
Eliot Allen
108 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
tall trees and mountains with a night sky of stars
Lighting Regulations and Dark Sky Places
Lindsay Malbon
66 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
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
A dry, cracked river bed baking in the sun.
Resilience Planning for Heat and Drought Events
Chris Holtkamp
85 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
garden of plants and vegetables in raised plots
Healthy Urban Food Systems: Planning Production Facilities
Lauren Dunning
43 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
sandbags aligned horizontally with a flooded street and houses in the background
Introduction to Resilience Planning
Chris Holtkamp
69 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
variety of housing units
Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tools for Planned Neighborhoods and Landscapes
Eliot Allen
85 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
A modern skyscraper twisting towards the sky
Building Bad, Part 2: How Architectural Utility is Damaged by Expression
Jonathan Ochshorn
59 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
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
pedestrian on path next to bikeshare
Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
Jeff Speck
79 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
bicyclists cross bridge in park with houston skyline in background
Greening the Neighborhood: An Introduction to LEED-ND
Eliot Allen
51 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
wildfire on a hill behind a row of suburban homes
Resilience Planning for Wildfires
Chris Holtkamp
58 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
solar panels
More Sustainability Appraisal Tools and Future Prospects
Eliot Allen
69 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
A group of workers sorts through electronic waste.
E-Waste: A Growing Concern in Waste Management
Seema Thomas
51 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM

Top Sustainability Instructors

Eliot Allen

Eliot Allen, certified, LEED AP-ND, is an urban planner and Principal with Criterion Planners of Portland...

VIEW COURSES
Chris Holtkamp

Chris Holtkamp is a certified planner and is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Planning at the...

VIEW COURSES
Carlos Zapata

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

VIEW COURSES
Kristin Faurest

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

VIEW COURSES
Seema Thomas

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

VIEW COURSES
Michael R. Boswell

Michael R. Boswell is a Professor of City & Regional Planning at California Polytechnic State University...

VIEW COURSES
Richard Willson

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

VIEW COURSES
Tammy Seale

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

VIEW COURSES
Jeff Speck

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

VIEW COURSES
David Rouse

David is a consultant, educator, and author with over 40 years of experience in urban and...

VIEW COURSES
David Dixon

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

VIEW COURSES
John Hersey

John is a planner with two decades of experience critically evaluating and advancing transit-oriented development as...

VIEW COURSES
Matt Raimi

Matt Raimi is the president and founder of Raimi + Associates, a Berkeley-based planning, design and...

VIEW COURSES
Lauren Dunning

Lauren Dunning is a lawyer and public health practitioner whose work has focused on developing strategies...

VIEW COURSES
Jonathan Ochshorn

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

VIEW COURSES
Lindsay Malbon

Lindsay is an urban lighting and dark sky educator. Her lighting research has been featured in...

VIEW COURSES
Jenny Schuetz

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

VIEW COURSES
Jason Neville

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

VIEW COURSES
Donald Shoup

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

VIEW COURSES
James Brasuell

James Brasuell is the managing editor of Planetizen.

VIEW COURSES
William Fulton

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

VIEW COURSES
Scott Frazier

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

VIEW COURSES
Mariela Alfonzo

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

VIEW COURSES
Allison Arieff

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

VIEW COURSES

Related Topics

SEARCH MORE TOPICS BELOW

Master Urban Planning Skills With A Planetizen Courses Subscription.

Sign up
Computer

High quality video lessons developed by experts.

Analytics

Complete course work to receive a certificate from Planetizen.

Certificate

Test your comprehension with course quizzes.

Cloud

Access reading lists, articles, and other materials prepared by instructors.

All Sustainability Courses

Principles of Materiality, Responsiveness, Inclusivity, and Impact Sign Up

Principles of Materiality, Responsiveness, Inclusivity, and Impact

Instructor: Carlos Zapata

In this course, students will take a deep dive into the AA1000 AccountAbility standard and its four Principles: Inclusivity, Materiality, Responsiveness and Impact and how they integrate to develop a very well thought out framework.

4.32
61 Mins
CIP
AICP CM
Measuring Neighborhood Segregation and Diversity Sign Up

Measuring Neighborhood Segregation and Diversity

Instructor: Emily Talen

This course reviews the various ways to measure both segregation and diversity at the neighborhood scale.

4.17
56 Mins
AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting for Cities Sign Up

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting for Cities

Instructor: Michael R. Boswell

Greenhouse gas emissions accounting is a core tool for developing, implementing, and monitoring climate actions and strategies. This course provides a basic overview of concepts that can be supplemented with training in specific software.

4.31
60 Mins
AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

Topic

Credit

Closed Caption

English (2) ‌