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

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

Mr. Angel is a professor of city planning at New York University.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025

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

Following graduation, he worked in city planning for 10 years while moonlighting as a critic of theatre, dance, films and music.

From 100 New Yorkers of the 1970s by Millard, Max