Sustainable Urban Planning Education: Examining Curricular Emphases in Climate and Environmental Change for Future Practitioners

This study examines how climate and environmental change are integrated into the required core curricula of 16 Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)-accredited undergraduate planning programs in the U.S., encompassing 232 core courses through a systematic review. It asks: How, and to what extent, are climate and environmental change integrated and covered in planning programs and curricula? Using content analysis of course titles and descriptions, along with an alignment with PAB’s Required Knowledge and Skills of the Profession, the study identifies uneven coverage across knowledge domains, with five programs integrating sustainability and environmental content across five or six of the six PAB’s competency areas, while seven do so in only one or two areas. Based on the analysis, the study develops a typology of curricular approaches. Building on these findings, the study proposes three strategies to strengthen the integration and coverage of climate and environmental change across planning curricula for undergraduate programs.