It’s a question that comes up more often than you’d think, especially when people are frustrated: Can good planning actually fix a bad city?

The short answer: Not alone. But it can be a huge part of the solution.

Good planning can’t instantly undo decades of disinvestment, inequality, political dysfunction, or broken systems. But it can set a city on a better path, one that’s more equitable, more connected, more sustainable, and more livable.

Here’s what good planning can do:

1. It can align vision with action.
A well-crafted comprehensive plan can guide decisions across departments, ensure consistency, and turn long-term goals into everyday choices.

2. It can give communities a voice.
When done right, planning creates space for people to be heard especially those often left out of decision-making.

3. It can remove systemic barriers.
Zoning reform, better housing policies, and updated land use codes can chip away at patterns of exclusion and open up new opportunities.

4. It can build trust — slowly.
Consistent, transparent planning efforts show residents that the city isn’t just reacting it’s thinking, listening, and evolving.

But planning isn’t magic. It needs political will. It needs resources. It needs follow-through. And it needs planners who are honest about what it can and can’t do.

So no, good planning can’t fix a bad city all by itself. But it can start the work of repair. It can set the tone for change. It can push the system, and the people in it, toward something better.

Planning is not a fix-all, rather it's a powerful tool in the toolkit for city healing, equity, and transformation.

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