The Urban Land Institute's UrbanPlan is one of the best resources available for teaching high school students about planning. It engages them directly in the planning process as they take on the role of a developer with the charge of revitalizing the fictional neighborhood of Elmwood.

This advanced and interactive classroom-based program has, at the time of this writing, reached more than 3,000 students nationwide in over 40 schools. Developed in collaboration with the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and high school teachers, UrbanPlan enhances students' understanding of real-world urban issues by acclimating them to the tradeoffs, challenges, and roles developing land.

Within the program, these roles include site planner, neighborhood liaison, city liaison, finance director, and marketing director, as classes break up into small development teams. While the students form their development ideas, professionals advise them on a volunteer basis. After three weeks, teams submit competing proposals to a "City Council" of ULI representatives. The City Council examines how each team's project addresses financial, social, political, and design issues, and it awards the development contract to the best proposal.

UrbanPlan has been tested and refined over time. It has received rave reviews from professionals, teachers, and parents, and has garnered significant press coverage. If you are interested, there is a lot of information on the UrbanPlan website about this dynamic program.