city planning

American  

noun

1. the activity or profession of determining the future physical arrangement and condition of a community, involving an appraisal of the present condition, a forecast of future requirements, a plan for the fulfillment of these requirements, and proposals for constructional, legal, and financial programs to implement the plan.

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city planning British  

noun

1. the US term for town planning

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Other Word Forms

• city planner
  noun

Etymology

Origin of city planning

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

city planning

Marie Pichay, city planning associate with the City Planning Department, said the case is under advisement and a decision has not been reached.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

There’s also the question of civic urbanism—an approach to city planning that puts citizenship and community at the center.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026

"This discovery gives us a rare look at how the early Romans experimented with city planning," he said.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2025

Shade-first city planning would upend more than a century of conventional wisdom about zoning.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2025

She said that the mayor did not consult her, that she had not even known there was a city planning board, and that she would not think of serving on it in any case.

From Anti-Suffrage Essays by Various