Planning was a theme that ran through all cases of the progressive city, in part because progressive city activists knew that they could not rely on the private market arguments in support of their most important goals. But the market was an important piece of the culture of American cities, and the activists had to decide how to use plans and how overtly to use them. This is a review of how some cities used plans, in contrast to others, demonstrably progressive, did differently, or not at all.