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

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

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

From Slate • Jul. 23, 2025

The city approved these two projects in 2022, but their developers have not applied for permits, according to the city planning department.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2024

The team are now conducting in-depth interviews with city planning and administration officials in a selection of the cities.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2024

It believes that Conservation deals with two great departments closely related in human endeavor, and that you cannot divorce the necessity of city planning from the development of the resources of nations.

From Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress at Saint Paul, September 5-8, 1910 by United States. National Conservation Congress