Website
Other

City of Vancouver: Urban Planning Department

For Students 9th - 10th
The Planning Department of Vancouver is responsible for advising the municipal government on present and future development plans. There is information here about zoning, urban planning, heritage buildings, livability issues, etc.
Handout
Other

Energy Cities: Local Energy and Climate Roadmaps: 5 City Visions for 2050 [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Five exemplary European cities have succeeded in the design and implementation of their 2050 roadmap with all local actors on board. Embark on the inspiring journeys taken by Grenoble (France), Manchester (UK), Munster (Germany),...
Article
Tufts University

Tufts University: Tufts Now: Five Big Ideas for Designing Today's Cities

For Students 9th - 10th
This article summarizes some key takeaways from a conference on urban design that was hosted by Tufts University. The author describes five innovative ideas for changing cities to make them more interesting and appealing. These include...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Plan a City of the Future With Sim City

For Students 9th - 10th
In this video and computer games science fair project, design and build a city of the future using SimCity. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction, followed by a...
Handout
US Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Urban and Regional Planners

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides a complete description of the career of urban planner. It includes the nature of the work, training and education, employment outlook and wages.
Unit Plan
Department of Defense

Do Dea: Art Appreciation: Unit 6: Architecture and Design

For Students 9th - 10th
In this sixth unit of a course on Art Appreciation, students learn about the history of architecture, including ancient Greek and Roman works. They will learn about Frank Lloyd Wright and about Islamic architecture. They will also look...
Article
Other

City Journal: Let's Break Up the Big Cities

For Students 9th - 10th
This lengthy article offers many examples in its claim that smaller municipalities do a better job of governing and providing services than huge megacities.
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
"Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan" is a one page, nonfiction passage about Daniel Burnham, an architect and city planner for Chicago. He planned the layout of the city including Navy Pier, railroads, streets, and public buildings. It is...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Engineers Speak for the Trees

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students begin by reading Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" as an example of how overdevelopment can cause long-lasting environmental destruction. Students discuss how to balance the needs of the environment with the needs of human industry....
Article
Other

Planum, the European Journal of Planning: Archive

For Students 9th - 10th
An extensive site for anyone interested in urban issues. This virtual library offers documents, maps, video, reference links, and other research sources about urban life and the culture that surrounds the world's cities.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Learning Sustainability With Sim City

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Helps educators develop SimCity-based lesson plans that will encourage students to think critically about the challenges facing modern cities. SimCity is a city-building simulation computer game where players become the mayor and design...
Website
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Texas in Transition: Railroads, Oil, and the Rise of Urban Texas

For Teachers 6th - 8th
A collection of lesson plans that explore the changes that have taken place in Texas as a result of the railroad and oil industries. There are case studies of the impact of urbanization on six Texas cities, as well as online exhibits on...
Lesson Plan
University of Arizona

Pulse: From Global to City Air: Air Quality, City Design and Disease

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students are challenged to design a healthy city in this unit plan. The cross-curricular unit covers content standards for ninth grade in science, language arts, world geography, and math. Students explore air quality and the impact it...
Website
Other

City of Vancouver: Engineering Services: Traffic and Transportation Plan

For Students 9th - 10th
The City of Vancouver's transportation plans can be found here. These involve cycling, public transit, pedestrian traffic, traffic management, etc.
Lesson Plan
Texas State Historical Association

Texas State Historical Association: Cities and Towns in Texas [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 8th
An activity guide where students refer to the Texas Almanac, which is free to download, for information needed to complete assigned tasks. In this instructional activity, they investigate changes in population for different Texas...
Lesson Plan
New York Public Library

The Great Migration: Two American Tales Lesson Plan: The Immigrants' Experiences

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Part of an online exhibit that describes the experiences of migrants to the cities of the United States. Two American Tales asks students to compare and contrast the nearly contemporaneous experiences of European immigrants and...
Website
Other

City of Athens: Athens

For Students 9th - 10th
Official site for Athens, Greece, published by the city administration. With links to all aspects of living in this modern-day Greek capital: current events, maps, weather, education, health, environment, urban planning, and migration.
Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Wild Tv: City Horses Part Ii

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Wild TV short video in which riders discuss the benefits of coming to the Cedar Lane Stables in New York City. [2:59]
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Bold Plans, Big Dreams, City Progress [Pdf]

For Teachers 8th
"Bold Plans, Big Dreams, City Progress" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage celebrating the 100th anniversary of Daniel Burnham's plan for Chicago. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the...
Lesson Plan
National Association of Geoscience Teachers

Nagt: Urban Planning 101: Map Appreciation

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
In this lesson plan students will begin by looking at a series of maps and they will brainstorm ways the natural world may interact with humans and vice-versa. Students will then come up with a list of features of a city or town, make...
Website
Other

Center for Understanding the Built Environment (Cube)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The purpose of this community-based organization is to provide information for educators to teach students about design, preservation, and planning. The goal of the program is to learn from what's around you and translate that...
Interactive
Burke Museum

Burke Museum: Waterlines: Discover & Explore Seattle's Past Landscapes

For Students 9th - 10th
Seattle is one of the most dramatically engineered cities in the USA. This rich interactive website enables people to see how Seattle's various landscapes have changed over time. The site starts out with an interactive map of the Puget...
Website
US Environmental Protection Agency

Epa: Learn About Green Infrastructure

For Students 9th - 10th
The EPA provides many ideas for integrating green infrastructures into communities. This site also discusses how this can build climate resilience and offers resources for doing a cost-benefit analysis, for addressing government...
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 15: The Changing American Landscape

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The rise of American cities between 1865 and 1900 was spawned by the industrial revolution. Technological advancements in industry and transportation fathered the enormous growth of large cities across the United States. This led to the...