All Talk No Walk: Student Perceptions on Integration of Diversity and Practice in Planning Programs

This paper summarizes findings from a nationwide survey of degree-seeking urban planning students regarding the climate for diversity within their degree programs. This study examines urban planning student experiences in the classroom, with communities, and with professionals as they are trained to become planning practitioners. From May to October 2016, we surveyed 451 students and conducted in-depth interviews with 27 students. Our results show planning students are concerned that ‘the talk that we talk’ does not always match ‘the way that we walk’–the values that we espouse in the classroom do not always translate into connecting these values to planning practice, particularly when engaging in diverse communities. These accounts reflect a pedagogical gap in planning education, which continues to be an area in need of improvement as the communities served by planners continue to become more diverse. Our findings offer implications and recommendations to reconcile these barriers for urban planning institutions.