Founded in 1986, the Society for American City and Regional Planning History (SACRPH) promotes scholarship on the planning of cities and metropolitan regions and bridges the gap between the study of cities and the practice of urban planning.
SACRPH 2026 in Cincinnati –
The 21st National Conference on Planning History:
Registration is now open for SACRPH’s next biennial conference, to be held at the University of Cincinnati on October 15 to 18, 2026!
- The conference will commence on Thursday with the inaugural Alison Isenberg Dissertation Colloquium (invite only), optional Community Service Day, and an evening keynote on “Colonial Urbanism and Racial Imagination.”
- Friday will include daytime tours in the Cincinnati region, an evening roundtable on the history of SACRPH to mark its 40th anniversary, and a Cincinnati Night reception at the American Sign Museum.
- Saturday features paper panels, roundtables, workshops, and a poster session; a lunchtime presidential address; and an evening awards reception.
- The conference will conclude on Sunday with additional paper panels, roundtables, and workshops, and a memorial session to honor Alison Isenberg.
Graduate Student Paper Prize – Nominations due Sept 15
SACRPH invites self-nominations for the Graduate Student Paper Prize ($100) to be awarded to a full-time student whose paper has been accepted for presentation at the biennial conference in October. For consideration, students should email the text of their planned presentation as a PDF (no longer than 15 pages, double-spaced), plus evidence of current full-time student status, to the prize committee chair, Ella Howard (howarde@wit.edu).
Submission emails should have the subject “SACRPH Graduate Student Prize Submission” and must be received on or before September 15.
Highlight from the Journal of Planning History
In “Government Policies on Urban Public Spaces in Kabul During the Reign of Mohammad Zahir Shah (1933–1973),” Ali Yaser Jafari examines how a distinct transformation occurred under Mohammad Zahir Shah (1933–1973) in Afghanistan. This study examines Kabul’s urban policies during Zahir Shah’s rule, focusing on modernization processes influenced by Western and Soviet planning models. The establishment of a modern municipality, collaboration with foreign experts, and the adoption of the Soviet-inspired Macrorayon housing system marked a shift toward state-led, technocratic urbanism. Although these transformations modernized Kabul’s spatial structure, they also erased many historical and cultural layers, producing a hybrid cityscape where socialist rationalism and Western aesthetics coexisted in tension with traditional urban identity.
Member Spotlight: Carolyn Loeb
Carolyn Loeb
Associate Professor Emerita, Art and Architectural History, School of Residential Community-Engaged Arts and Humanities (formerly Residential College in the Arts and Humanities), Michigan State University
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