About the Program

UrbanPlan is an engaging project-based learning exercise in which participants—high school students, university students, public officials, or community members—learn the forces and risks that affect development in our communities. Participants make challenging development decisions, shaping the future of a fictional community. In the process, participants learn about private and public sector goals, complex trade-offs, and economics in play in redevelopment.

Teams step into the shoes of a developer and respond to a Request for Proposals (RFP) where they grapple with city goals, community requests, design, and making sure the project is financially viable. Participants work collaboratively on a team to create a team vision and design a plan using buildings made out of LEGO blocks. Each team member plays a specific role, resulting in a series of trade-offs and compromises.

UrbanPlan is practical, realistic, dynamic, and challenging-and that’s on purpose. By simulating the emotional experience of caring about the impact of a development on a community, participants learn to think critically about the fundamentals of real estate. If you’d like to learn more about the history of the program, click here.

Trained volunteers serve in classrooms and workshops as Facilitators as the teams build their proposals or as members of a mock City Council for final presentations. They are tasked with challenging participants to think more critically about the UrbanPlan issues and the specific responsibilities of their “roles.”