The Current Issues Paper (CIP) is intended to help you make the transition from the academic world to the professional world of planning. It should demonstrate that you understand and can explain the complexities of a specific planning issue; that you can identify, analyze, and present relevant context and facts; and that you can take a position on the issue and argue for it effectively. The CIP is also intended to help you bring together theories, ideas, and skills acquired over the course of the planning program. You are encouraged to apply them to real-world contexts for planning to bridge (imagined) gaps between theory and practice. Your project should also consider the key aims of the planning program which include a "commitment to humane city-regions, healthy environments, and social well-being for everyone (especially, for those who have been historically marginalized through traditional development practices)" as detailed in the program mission. In particular, the course emphasizes addressing issues of anti-BIPOC racism and is committed to pursuing equity and racial justice in planning.