Analysis of Strategic Plans from Accredited Graduate Planning Programs: A Rubric for Manifesting Equity and Justice Values

Abstract

In a time of heightened politicization of equity, this research examines how equity, a long-standing value of planning, guides planning education priorities. Using equity-related language in planning education and research as a guide, we assess how these issues manifest today in the missions and strategic plans of fifty graduate planning programs accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. We find that more recent plans have stronger equity orientations but that overall plans are limited in their claims and priorities. These findings animate opportunities for discussion and collective revisiting of the roles that equity plays in planning education and accreditation and the rigor and intentionality of our strategic plans.