AICP Exam Information and Guideline
American Institute of Certified Planners 2025
Below are complete topics detail with latest syllabus and course outline, that will help you good knowledge about exam objectives and topics that you have to prepare. These contents are covered in questions and answers pool of exam.
Exam Name: APA American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
Exam Type: Computer-based test (CBT)
Number of Questions: 170 multiple-choice questions (150 scored, 20 unscored pretest questions).
Duration: 3.5 hours (210 minutes).
Content Areas:
- Plan Making (30%) – Visioning, data analysis, public participation.
- Plan Implementation (30%) – Regulations, partnerships, budgeting.
- Leadership & Ethics (20%) – Professional ethics, communication, facilitation.
- Areas of Practice (20%) – Land use, transportation, environmental planning, etc.
- Fundamental Planning Knowledge
- History and theory of urban planning
- Key planning movements (e.g., City Beautiful, Garden City, New Urbanism)
- Land use planning and zoning principles
- Growth management and smart growth
- Environmental planning and sustainability
- Transportation planning and infrastructure
- Economic development and housing
- Urban design and placemaking
- Social equity and community engagement
- Zoning: Legal regulations governing land use (Euclidean, Form-Based, Performance Zoning)
- Comprehensive Plan: A long-term guide for community development
- Smart Growth: Sustainable development strategies to curb sprawl
- NIMBY (Not In My Backyard): Opposition to local development projects
- TOD (Transit-Oriented Development): High-density development near transit hubs
- Inclusionary Zoning: Policies to promote affordable housing
- LULU (Locally Unwanted Land Use): Controversial land uses (e.g., landfills, factories)
- Plan Making and Implementation
- Data collection and analysis (GIS, census data, surveys)
- Scenario planning and forecasting
- Stakeholder engagement and public participation
- Legal foundations of planning (police power, eminent domain)
- Subdivision regulations and site plan review
- Capital improvement programming (CIP)
- Development impact assessments
- GIS (Geographic Information Systems): Mapping and spatial analysis tool
- EIS (Environmental Impact Statement): Assessment of project environmental effects
- NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act): Federal law requiring environmental review
- Police Power: Government authority to regulate land use for public welfare
- PUD (Planned Unit Development): Flexible zoning for mixed-use projects
- Form-Based Code: Zoning focused on urban form rather than use
- Planning Law and Ethics
- Constitutional law (Due Process, Equal Protection, Takings Clause)
- Federal, state, and local planning laws
- AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
- Ethical dilemmas in planning (conflicts of interest, public vs. private interests)
- Case law (e.g., Penn Central, Euclid v. Ambler, Kelo v. New London)
- Eminent Domain: Government power to take private land for public use (with compensation)
- Takings Clause (5th Amendment): Limits on government seizure of private property
- Vested Rights: Developer’s legal right to complete a project under existing laws
- Exaction: Developer requirements (e.g., impact fees, infrastructure contributions)
- Spot Zoning: Illegal zoning change benefiting a single property
- Functional Areas of Planning
- Housing & Community Development (Fair Housing Act, CDBG grants)
- Transportation Planning (MPOs, Complete Streets, traffic impact studies)
- Environmental & Resilience Planning (climate adaptation, floodplain management)
- Economic Development (TIF districts, enterprise zones)
- Urban Revitalization (Brownfields, gentrification, historic preservation)
- MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization): Regional transportation planning agency
- TIF (Tax Increment Financing): Funding tool for redevelopment
- LEED Certification: Green building standards
- Brownfield: Contaminated land eligible for redevelopment
- Complete Streets: Road designs accommodating all users (pedestrians, cyclists)
- AICP Ethics & Professional Practice
- AICP Code of Ethics (aspirational vs. mandatory principles)
- Public interest advocacy
- Conflicts of interest and disclosure
- Professional responsibility in decision-making
- Whistleblowing: Reporting unethical behavior
- Ex Parte Communication: Private discussions with decision-makers outside formal hearings
- Sunshine Laws: Open meeting and public records requirements