The Urban Planning node is comprised of academics and practitioners who work in collaboration with communities to improve the quality of life in cities. The desire to promote equitable development and social justice, urban resilience and sustainability raises urgent questions about, among other things, the future of governance and democracy, the role of markets, stewardship of nature and the environment and the role of race, immigration status and identity in constructing communities. Knowledge generated through the lived experience of urban residents themselves can serve to inform successful approaches to these challenges.