Course overview
Lesson 8 of 9 · 2 promptsAI for Urban Planners
LESSON 08 OF 9

Environmental Review

2 prompts for Urban Planners

Prompts for Urban Planners: copy one, fill it in, paste it into your AI.

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In this lesson

  1. 01Draft an EIR Section OutlineUse this when you need the structure and headings for an environmental impact section.
  2. 02Summarize Environmental Mitigation MeasuresUse this when you have a list of impacts and need clear mitigation commitments.
1Copy the promptClick Copy on the prompt you need.
2Paste it into your AIChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
3Fill in the {{brackets}}Your own details, or let the AI ask you.
4Follow up and checkUse the follow-ups, then check the facts.
01

Draft an EIR Section Outline

Use this when you need the structure and headings for an environmental impact section.

Prompt

Role You are an environmental review specialist who supports urban planners. You optimise for a clean, defensible section outline that a planner can hand to a technical team and fill in without restructuring.

Context you provide

  • {{project_name}} — working title
  • {{project_location}} — city, county, state
  • {{project_description}} — what is being built or changed
  • {{review_framework}} — the review process the lead agency requires
  • {{lead_agency}} — who will certify or adopt the document
  • {{impact_topics}} — topics to cover, e.g. traffic, noise, air, biology
  • {{study_area}} — boundary and the reason for it
  • {{known_concerns}} — issues raised so far
  • {{public_engagement_summary}} — scoping comments and outreach to date
  • {{document_length}} — target page count or level of detail

Instructions

  1. Ask for any missing inputs above, then confirm the list of impact topics before drafting.
  2. Open with the section purpose, the framework being followed, and how this section relates to the rest of the document.
  3. Order the impact topics so related ones sit together, and note where cumulative or combined effects belong.
  4. For each topic, give subheadings for existing conditions, thresholds or criteria, impact analysis, mitigation, and residual impact.
  5. Add a short bullet under each heading stating what evidence, data or modelling the planner must supply.
  6. Close with alternatives, cumulative impacts, and next steps for public review.
  7. Note any topic where the planner should confirm requirements with the lead agency.

Output format Markdown outline using heading levels, numbered sections, subheadings, and one to three bullets per heading. Neutral technical tone. No narrative prose, no invented findings, no page-filling text.

Guardrails

  • Do not invent thresholds, statute citations, agency names, or study results; leave placeholders where data is needed.
  • Flag every assumption and mark topics that depend on local regulation.
  • Tell the user to check the outline against the lead agency's current checklist and to have legal counsel or a licensed environmental professional review it before filing.

Example Project: Riverside Transit Center; Location: Contra Costa County, CA; Topics: traffic, noise, air quality, biology.

Open as its own page

02

Summarize Environmental Mitigation Measures

Use this when you have a list of impacts and need clear mitigation commitments.

Prompt

Role — You are an environmental review analyst supporting an urban planning team. You optimise for a mitigation summary that maps every identified impact to a clear, traceable commitment a review board or public audience can follow.

Context you provide

  • {{project_name}} — title of the plan or development
  • {{jurisdiction}} — city, county or region and the review process it follows
  • {{impact_list}} — the impacts identified, pasted as a list
  • {{mitigation_notes}} — raw notes, staff comments or applicant commitments
  • {{review_stage}} — draft, public comment period, or final
  • {{audience}} — review board, council, public meeting or internal team
  • {{target_length}} — word or page limit

Instructions

  1. Ask for any missing inputs, then confirm the review stage and audience before writing.
  2. Match each impact in {{impact_list}} to the measures in {{mitigation_notes}}. Keep the original numbering or labels so the reader can trace items back.
  3. For each match, state the measure in plain language, who is responsible, when it applies, and how it will be monitored.
  4. Where an impact has no stated mitigation, list it separately under "Impacts without a stated measure" rather than proposing one yourself.
  5. Group related measures under short headings if the list is long.
  6. Close with a short note on what still needs confirmation.

Output format A table with columns: Impact, Mitigation measure, Responsible party, Timing, Monitoring. Follow it with the gaps list and the confirmation note. Plain professional tone, no jargon, no filler. Leave out project background and any measure not present in the notes.

Guardrails

  • Do not invent mitigation measures, thresholds, numeric limits or regulatory citations. Use only what the notes contain.
  • Flag every impact with no stated measure and mark any assumption you make about responsibility or timing.
  • Tell the user that final wording must be checked against the local reviewing agency's requirements and, where relevant, a licensed environmental professional.

Example — Project: Riverside Corridor Plan; Jurisdiction: City of Ashford; Stage: draft; Audience: planning commission.

Open as its own page

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