Social workers and community planners in the U.S.: Connecting in the academy and in the field

The professions of social work and regional planning, as practiced in the U.S., have overlapping and intertwining professional interests and shared goals. And yet, there are few examples of U.S. academic programs formally linking students preparing for careers in social work and planning. These two service-oriented fields use different tools and strategies, but have common aspirations to promote healthy, lively, and just communities. In particular, professional planners and community practice social workers in the U.S. cross paths relatively infrequently and may fail to recognize their own shared interests in domains such as dignified affordable housing, healthy safe environments, transportation equity, and more. We argue for greater exposure to and integration of the work of students and practitioners in these two professions.