This research asks us to consider the intersection of three major themes in the pedagogy of teaching Planning students: sustainable community theories, transformational leadership and community engagement. The intersection, a critical Planning pedagogy, should be a part of any Planning program, embedded within the curriculum of higher education. This democratic, community-based pedagogy seeks to balance technical Planning skills with socially responsible, ethical, sustainable processes to build and sustain communities with high qualities of life for all of its citizens through empowerment of its assets. We must know more about how Planning students are being equipped with transformational, sustainable process-based skills. Planners are expected to be ethical professionals and citizens, advancing socially-responsible citizenship-based practices. Planners must understand the impact of decisions on communities. This requires mastery of techniques for involving a wide range of people in making decisions, ability to work with the public and articulate planning issues to a wide variety of audiences as well as the ability to function as a facilitator when community interests conflict. These skills require a foundation in transformational leadership, but students cannot model it unless the curriculum deliberately exposes students to it. Although this is a case study, and its findings limited to one program, the framework can be explored as a means to examining leadership and community engagement in higher education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]