Young Planners Network 

Young people possess an innate curiosity to explore the city, ask important questions, and to imagine possibilities.   

Just by traveling from home to school, biking to the park, or hanging with friends on the block, they become expert evaluators of neighborhood spaces.  Still, they are often left out of public processes where decisions are made about the future of the spaces they use. 

We think that engaging youth in the practice of planning not only helps to create better places, but also deepens young people’s understanding of the power and importance of civic involvement. 

The Young Planners Network (YPN) consists of Young Planners and Adult Allies all over the U.S., working to ‘create a place at the table’ for youth in planning processes, by both incorporating planning content into K-12 education and by advocating for change in planning practice. YPN:

• Connects adults and youth engaged in this work, 
• Supports efforts to increase authentic youth participation in the field of urban planning, and 
• Celebrates contributions youth have made to successful planning in their communities.