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

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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

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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

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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

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pedestrian on path next to bikeshare
Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
Jeff Speck
79 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

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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

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wildfire on a hill behind a row of suburban homes
Resilience Planning for Wildfires
Chris Holtkamp
58 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

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solar panels
More Sustainability Appraisal Tools and Future Prospects
Eliot Allen
69 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD

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A group of workers sorts through electronic waste.
E-Waste: A Growing Concern in Waste Management
Seema Thomas
51 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM

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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

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Construction inside a large two-story mall.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
David Dixon
48 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM

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park with city skyline in background
Greening the Neighborhood: Accelerating Sustainability with LEED-ND
Eliot Allen
52 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD

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sanitation worker on the back of a garbage truck
Understanding Sanitation Work
Seema Thomas
46 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD

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person installing solar panels on building roof
Introduction to Climate Action Planning
Michael R. Boswell, Tammy Seale
66 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD

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Aerial shot of a sewage water treatment plant.
Connecting Households to Sewer Systems
Seema Thomas
55 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

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rooftop urban garden with buildings in backgorund
Urban Agriculture
47 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD

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black and white image of a crosswalk light with a green walking man and a red hanging man
Walkable City 2: The Useful Walk
Jeff Speck
82 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

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exterior of leed building
Greening the Neighborhood: LEED-ND Core Concepts
Eliot Allen
29 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD

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large landfill with electronics and computers
Wasted Urban Opportunities
Seema Thomas
53 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM

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cars in traffic
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting for Cities
Michael R. Boswell, Tammy Seale
60 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD

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The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.
History of U.S. Landscape Architecture, Part 1
Kristin Faurest
64 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

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graphic of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
UN Sustainable Development Goals: The Role of Cities in Implementation
Chris Holtkamp
75 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD

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view of downtown minneapolis from bridge
Greening the Neighborhood: LEED-ND Metrics
Eliot Allen
65 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD

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detached accessory dwelling unit ADU in backyard
Accessory Dwelling Units: Understanding America’s Newest Housing Typology
Jason Neville
57 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD

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beach houses on coastline
Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Cities
Michael R. Boswell
59 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD

Top Sustainability Instructors

Eliot Allen

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

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Chris Holtkamp

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

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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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Kristin Faurest

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

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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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Michael R. Boswell

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

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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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Tammy Seale

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

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Jeff Speck

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

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David Rouse

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

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

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Matt Raimi

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

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Lauren Dunning

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

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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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Lindsay Malbon

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

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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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Donald Shoup

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

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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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All Sustainability Courses

Introduction to Historic Preservation Sign Up

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Introduction to Historic Preservation

Instructor: Meredith Johnson

This course will introduce planners to the basics of historic preservation including the beginning of the historic preservation movement, the legal precedent for preservation, and the theories that determine how preservation occurs. This course will use case studies to further illustrate the topics discussed.

4.57
38 Mins
AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools Sign Up

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

Instructor: Emily Talen

Urban planners and urban designers are interested in building places that embody beauty and hope. In this course, Emily Talen, PhD, FAICP, presents free urban design software tools that can help urban planners and urban designers visualize changes in the built environment to support the overarching goal of creating better places.

4.28
59 Mins
AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD
Introduction to the UrbanSim Cloud Platform

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Introduction to the UrbanSim Cloud Platform

Instructor: Sam Blanchard

At the end of this course, participants will be acquainted with the UrbanSim forecasting methodology, understanding the features available in the UrbanSim Cloud Platform and the basics of an UrbanSim model at the Census block level.

4.05
51 Mins
SACPLAN CPD
Free

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