Human-Centered Planning Through Design Thinking: Patterns, Possibilities, and Perceptions

Problem, research strategy, and findings Among planning practitioners, there is growing interest in design thinking, a human-centered approach to problem solving. However, research on its application in planning is limited, particularly in the United States. To our knowledge, this study is the first national-level investigation of U.S. planning practitioners’ use of design thinking. Our online survey, co-created with the American Planning Association’s Design Thinking in Planning Interest Group and design thinking experts, was distributed to planners through the interest group’s outreach channels. The survey collected quantitative and qualitative data, which our team analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis, respectively. Most of our respondents (N = 86) worked for public-sector agencies or private firms, and 87% reported applying design thinking in their work. Our findings captured practitioners’ experiences and perspectives on design thinking’s role in planning and identified the planning specializations and types of projects where the approach has been applied. Our results include two notable findings. First, respondents reported considerable use of prototyping and testing, in contrast to prior research suggesting that planning practitioners gave minimal attention to these aspects of design thinking. Second, the responses demonstrated that design thinking has been applied to a range of contexts, including large-scale efforts (e.g., comprehensive plans), which contradicts assertions that the approach could be constrained when addressing more complex, long-range endeavors.Takeaway for practice Design thinking has become a part of U.S. planning practice. The approach has been applied across planning specializations and project contexts, involving a wide range of stakeholders. Our study offers preliminary insights into this emerging area of practice and provides planners with a functional definition of design thinking specific to the field.