The Department of City and Regional Planning at the Weitzman School earned the 7th spot in the Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs in the U.S. (6th edition), the most trusted yardstick of excellence in planning education.The program rose from the 11th spot in the previous edition.
The Weitzman program ranked even higher, at 5th in the nation, in opinion data gathered from planning educators. It also ranked 5th among programs in the Northeast.
“We’re thrilled about this new ranking,” said Lisa Servon, Kevin and Erica Penn Presidential Professor and chair of city and regional planning. “It’s really gratifying to have our peers recognize the cutting-edge work our students and faculty are doing.”
Planetizen surveyed 1,160 educators as well as current and recently graduated planning students. Rankings criteria included student employment rates after graduation, median course enrollment, financial aid, student/faculty ratio, student retention, faculty publications, and gender/diversity of faculty and the student body. Throughout the process, Planetizen consulted with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning's Institutional Data Task Force to ensure that the Guide met rigorous standards of data collection and analysis.
In the introduction, the Guide's authors note, “Planners and future planners who care deeply about their communities are looking for new ways to help residents of these communities live healthy, prosperous lives. The vision for the future expressed in the Guide clearly responds to the ongoing challenges of the world produced by the 20th century history of planning, and intends to innovate beyond the status quo in the United States.”
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