DOP Launches Additional Opportunities for Planning Academy Alumni

Planning Academy alumna, Regina Hammond, leads a tour of Johnston Square for the Spring 2026 Planning Academy cohort.

From 2018 to 2025, nearly 500 Baltimore residents deepened their understanding of city processes, planning tools, and community resources to help transform their neighborhoods. Today, Planning Academy alumni are serving on the Planning Commission (Eric Stephenson), Baltimore City Council (Paris Gray), and leading affordable housing development efforts (Regina Hammond). BPA alumni are making meaningful contributions and helping shape community-led redevelopment across Baltimore.

Through multiple surveys, Planning Academy alumni consistently asked for two things:

1) More focused training and refresher opportunities, and 2) more opportunities to connect and network with fellow alumni. So in January 2026, the Department of Planning launched Planning Academy 2.0 to meet that need.

Planning Academy 2.0 offers exclusive learning and networking opportunities for BPA alumni to strengthen their technical skills, expand their knowledge, and build relationships with other community leaders. Sessions held from January through March focused on navigating the development process and providing effective public testimony. In April and May, alumni learned about Baltimore City's greening initiatives and Transit-Oriented Development from Department of Planning Community Planners. This summer, the monthly series will continue with in-depth sessions on community-managed plans and food policy initiatives across the city.

In addition to joining a network of hundreds of neighbors and changemakers, Baltimore Planning Academy alumni gain access to ongoing educational opportunities offered directly through the Department of Planning.

If you or someone you know has been considering joining the Baltimore Planning Academy, now is the time. Applications for the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 cohorts will open on June 29, 2026, and close on July 17, 2026. Apply here, and be sure to subscribe to The Compass newsletter to receive application updates when they become available.