Participate in an upcoming UrbanPlan volunteer training and join the ranks of ULI UrbanPlan volunteers that have reached over 25,000 high school and university students across the country since 2003. Make an impact in the future of land use by attending this one-day training. The training will prepare you to assist students who are learning the essence of development: how the forces of our market economy clash and collaborate with the non-market forces of our representative democracy to create the built environment – providing the foundation required for any informed land used discussion.

Volunteering with UrbanPlan is a great way to interact with students, share your subject matter expertise, and connect with fellow ULI members and land use experts. More ULI members volunteer through UrbanPlan than any other ULI program. Volunteers make a huge impact in the classroom and have the flexibility to work around demands on their schedule.

If you have land use experience, the patience to question rather than advise, the time and willingness to learn the details of the UrbanPlan “case,” and are familiar with city council and/or planning commission meetings, we encourage you to apply! After the one day training, you can volunteer for as little as one class period per school year or as many as you’d like.

“UrbanPlan is an amazing program that engages and inspires young people in the intricacies of urban planning and development. I was lucky enough to do UrbanPlan as a junior in high school, and it was my favorite ever academic project. I was inspired by complexities of creating an Elmwood development, by the skillsets of the professionals that volunteered, and by how it changed my perceptions of the built environment around me. When I went on to college, I kept UrbanPlan in mind, and the memory of it steered me to pursuing a career in mixed-use real estate. It has been thrilling to join UrbanPlan once more – this time as a volunteer.”

– Madeleine Roberts, Former UrbanPlan Student and Current UrbanPlan Volunteer

Volunteer Training Requirement

Before serving as a classroom volunteer, members first participate in a required day long training session, where they are assigned roles on a development team and engage in a “lightning-round” version of the exercise. Once trained, you are encouraged to sign-up for opportunities to volunteer in the classroom, which range from 1 to 3 hours.

UrbanPlan volunteer training sessions occur a couple times per year and are typically scheduled at the start of each new semester.

Interested in Volunteering?

To be considered for upcoming training opportunities, please submit an application using the form linked here: Volunteer Application. You can submit an application at any time and we’ll get back to you once a training is scheduled.

We hold volunteer trainings twice a year – one before the fall semester (September or October) and one before the spring semester (January or February). Trainings take place in Downtown San Francisco, in the Silicon Valley/Peninsula, or online via Zoom Meeting.

Volunteer Resources

Current UrbanPlan Volunteers – find the latest UP curriculum and resources here.