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.

---

city planning British  

noun

1. the US term for town planning

---

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

Costco’s Southern California stand-alone station was built at the site of a former Bed Bath & Beyond, according to local city planning documents filed to propose the redevelopment last year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

"Voronoi diagrams have been used for centuries in a variety of applications ranging from city planning to network design," Navlakha says.

From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026

To be back on Temple Street talking about cities was exciting, and I wanted to see how urbanists from across the country would perceive this place that had so shaped my sense of city planning.

From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2025

An expert in such work has said that "city planning has few functions more important than the restoration of impaired property values."

From Abroad at Home American Ramblings, Observations, and Adventures of Julian Street by Julian Street