News Updates

High schoolers introduced to urban planning through Future Leaders in Planning program

The 2025 Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) program has just come to an end. We had a great time exploring our region and the world of planning with so many talented students.

FLIP is a leadership development program for high school students who are interested in the field of urban planning. For five days over the course of two weeks, 34 high school students joined the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to immerse themselves in the world of planning. Through discussions with experts and site visits throughout northeastern Illinois, students explored urban planning in an encouraging, fun, and hands-on environment. Their passion, curiosity, and desire to learn are an exciting sign of what’s to come for the future of planning.

We kicked off FLIP 2025 by hearing from CMAP team members, who set the stage for what CMAP does and who the agency does it for.

In the afternoon, students traveled to the Chicago Architecture Center for a walking tour. While they navigated the streets beneath Chicago’s iconic skyline, students explored topics like architecture, design, zoning, and more, expanding on the planning-related topics discussed that morning.

As students returned to the Old Post Office, they completed an on-the-go accessibility activity. By paying close attention to how accessible Chicago’s streets and modes of transportation are, they analyzed the barriers some individuals face in Chicago and beyond.

Students explored Horner Park and learned how it was designed with and for the community.

On the second day of the program, we dedicated our time to exploring sites throughout the region. We began at Horner Park, where students were guided through the park’s land and history by Nilay Mistry, a landscape architect, and Stephanie Strickland, the director of operations for the Chicago Public Art Group.

Afterwards, students headed to O’Hare International Airport where experts from the Chicago Department of Aviation led a tour of the airfield. As planes landed around them, students learned more about the many complexities of an airfield and the importance of planning in every industry.

On day three, students dove even deeper into the world of planning. CMAP Executive Director Erin Aleman began the day talking to the students, encouraging them to take advantage of their time in FLIP and sharing a bit about her own journey at the agency.

Students then heard from CMAP’s housing team, who introduced the topic of coordinated land use. The team also shared its recently developed board game, “Home Stretch,” which helped students understand what factors can affect someone’s ability to secure employment, transportation, and housing.

The group then hopped on the Chicago Water Taxi and ventured to Chinatown’s Ping Tom Memorial Park. We visited the Chinese American Service League for lunch, then explored Chinatown on a walking tour with Debbie Liu, manager at the Metropolitan Planning Council.

With delicious treats from Chinatown in hand, students headed to Bronzeville. We met Bernard Turner — author, tour guide, and executive director of the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area — who led us on a walking tour through the historic community.

Students hear from Debbie Liu about the history of Chinatown. They learned about many historic landmarks in Bronzeville from Bernard Turner, including the Chicago Defender and Chicago Bee buildings.

On the fourth day of the program, geographic information systems (GIS) team members invited students to explore the world of GIS by acting as developers and proposing potential buildings for vacant lots in Chicago. This exercise transformed the data and allowed students to explore GIS in a new, impactful way.

We then traveled to East Garfield Park to visit The Hatchery, a non-profit food and beverage incubator. Mary Fran Riley, director of community relations at Allies for Community Business, provided a facilities tour and a delicious lunch from one of The Hatchery’s startups, Honeydoe.

We continued our journey in East Garfield Park by taking a walking tour with Vitaliy Vladimirov — an artist, advocate, an urban planner — who shared details about the history and heritage of the community. We explored the causes and effects of disinvestment and considered how planning can benefit a community when planners seek to understand its past.

FLIP student shares their final project, reflecting on all they’ve learned throughout the program.

On the final day of the program, students heard from a panel of CMAP team members, learning about their journeys the agency, their work, and their advice for young planners

We were then joined by the DEI committee of the Illinois chapter of the American Planning Association. Dominick Argumedo, Edith Portales, and Alicia Maria Ruiz led students through an exercise where they examined different paths that can lead to a career in planning, noting that there are many opportunities to become involved in the field.

To round out FLIP 2025, students hosted an open house to showcase their final projects. Here, they demonstrated what they learned during FLIP in a real-world scenario. Their projects ranged from proposals for vacant lots to movie trailers about planning superheroes. The students’ creativity and passion radiated through their projects, and their work was remarkably impressive.

Helping end FLIP on a great note, Vitaliy Vladimirov returned to lead students through a practice in gratitude. They reflected on the program, what they learned, and how they could use it to continue to better their communities.

Thank you to everyone who helped make FLIP 2025 a success. We are so excited to see what these future leaders in planning do next!