Urban and rural planning has strong design attributes and public policy characteristics. It has certain principles and requires extensive associative thinking and creative abilities. Therefore, it is particularly important to think about how to integrate the intensions in principles and enlightenment teaching. This article explores the differences between design thinking and engineering thinking, as well as the talent literacy intension of new engineering education and its manifestation in urban and rural planning major. By using design thinking to construct the teaching design process, and using the intension of new engineering education to guide the teaching content construction, it provides reference for the teaching reform of principle courses in urban and rural planning and similar majors.