How to become A City Planner

The greatest and most admirable form of wisdom is that which is needed to plan and beautify cities and human communities. City Planners serve as a link between the average citizen and the highly skilled artists working to improve the city.

• Urban Planner
• Land Use Planner

What do City Planners do?

A City Planner would typically need to:

• Review plans for a city’s growth; use the advice of technical specialists to overcome any issues; reach out to the community to explain the changes in language the average citizen can understand
• Specialize in urban design, transportation planning, community development, or protection of historical environments; work across a variety of areas using a wide range of skills
• Conduct market research, censuses, and economic and environmental studies to analyze factors affecting community development and decline
• Consult with stakeholders such as public officials, community members, and developers to identify community issues, needs and goals at the beginning of a project; discuss development plans, land use, design layouts, and design statements
• Develop creative and original planning solutions to satisfy all parties and to improve and revitalize communities and areas; schedule available resources to meet planning targets
• Collaborate with professionals such as lawyers, civil engineers, and environmental engineers; negotiate with architects and real estate developers
• Review site plans and applications submitted by developers; assess the feasibility of proposals to recommend approval or rejection; identify essential changes and monitor outcomes
• Research, design and implement planning policies to guide strategic development projects affecting land use and increases in affordable housing provision
• Use tools and technology such as statistical software, data visualization & presentation programs, financial spreadsheets, computer-aided design (CAD), and geographic information system (GIS) to integrate data with digital maps
• Attend and present projects to communities, planning officials, and planning commissions at planning boards, appeals, and public inquiries
• Help communities manage economic, social, and environmental issues, such as planning new parks and shelters for the homeless; make the region more attractive to businesses
• Oversee projects, enforce zoning regulations, and organize the work of the groups involved; promote environmental education and awareness
• Help disadvantaged groups express their opinions about planning issues and proposals; visit sites to assess the effects of proposals on people or the environment
• Write reports which make recommendations or explain detailed regulations for the benefit of diverse groups and the public

Most City Planners work in metropolitan areas, but rural sectors offer several employment opportunities as well. The work is largely office based with some time spent on-site visits, meeting clients, and attending external meetings.

Travel time depends on the specifics of the project and the employer; however, overnight absence from home is rarely necessary. Some consultancies may require you to work overseas.

City Planners usually wear business casual clothes. Meetings with elected officials or city councils are occasions to bring out your formal wear.

Working hours vary according to the sector, but City Planners generally have regular 40-hour workweeks. Senior positions require an additional commitment of time and energy. Considerable contact with the public, politicians, and pressure groups may occasionally translate into evening or weekend meetings. Career breaks and job shares are possible.

Under a council-manager form of government, its members can get to decide who is going to be the city’s manager via a series of interviews. The council may hire a headhunting firm to recruit the most qualified candidates as the City Manager, which may make the selection process challenging to get through.

City Managers are generally employed by:

• City Councils of Large Cities
• Small Towns
• Suburbs
• Other Communities

Professional associations and organizations are a crucial resource for City Planners interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more adds value to your resume while bolstering your credentials and qualifications.

The International Society of Regional and City Planners (ISOCARP) brings together recognized and highly qualified urban planners from over 85 countries. Anyone who has the requisite education and experience in the field of city and regional planning can apply for membership. ISOCARP provides opportunities for global networking and continuing professional development.

• Time-consuming self-teaching may be required
• Lengthy hiring processes and low wages typical of municipal government positions
• Probable lack of credibility with seniors because of inadequate accredited certification
• Browbeating tactics employed by politicians, developers, and the public to design or recommend specific plans
• Discourteous members of the public
• Balancing conflicting interests and negotiating stress-inducing deals
• Tight deadlines

Students pursuing a master’s degree spend much of their time learning to analyze and solve planning problems through laboratory courses, seminars, and workshops. They can also gain practical experience by working in a planning office either part-time or during the summer.

Arranging an opportunity to shadow an experienced planner can give you a good insight into the role and the chance to deal with the public and carry out relevant administrative duties.

Master's degree programs in urban or regional planning, environmental planning, urban design, or geography will best prepare students to pursue the career of a City Planner. Courses in related subjects such as architecture, economics, management, earth sciences, law, and health administration will prove useful.

Since City Planners need to be familiar with computer models and statistical techniques, students may be required to take courses in computer science, statistics, and geographic information systems.

Common majors at the undergraduate level include economics, environmental design, geography, political science, and urban planning. Although less common, students with just a bachelor's degree in urban planning can sometimes find employment.

Most master’s programs have a similar core curriculum; there is some variation in the courses they offer and the issues they focus on; programs in agricultural locations may focus on rural planning while those in cities may focus on urban revitalization.

Usually, licensure or registration is not a requirement for City Planners. Voluntary certification from an objective and reputed organization can help you gain professional credibility, increase your chances for advancement, and carry a significant salary premium of up to 18 percent.

Career structures differ between employers. Progression from an assistant or graduate City Planner to a Senior City Planner can take three to five years. Senior managerial roles, beyond this point, typically require substantial experience, around ten years or more.

In some countries, gaining a chartered status increases your chances of moving into senior positions, where career progression may become quicker.

Geographical mobility could provide opportunities to move between local authorities. Movement between the private and public sectors, for example between a local authority and a consultancy or charity, is also possible.

You may also decide to specialize in an area of planning such as community engagement, conservation, regeneration, sustainable development, or urban design.

Urban and regional City Planners may face healthy competition for positions that often depend on government budgets and economic conditions. When municipalities and developers have funds for development projects, they are in higher demand.

Continuing professional development is the holistic commitment of a City Planner towards enhancing personal skills and proficiency throughout their active careers through work-based learning, a professional activity, formal education, or self-directed learning. There are a whole host of CPD courses, seminars, and workshops to help professionals in the field.

CPD allows individuals to upskill continually, regardless of their age, job, or level of knowledge. It prevents practical and academic qualifications from becoming outdated. It enables City Planners to identify any knowledge gaps and progress to a new specialism.

Maintain a logbook of your experience as a City Planner. It will prove helpful when you apply to higher posts. Identify a suitable mentor. Keep current with zoning and building codes, environmental regulations, and other legislations associated with land use.

Working with Specialists and the Community

Since City Planners are often the ones who link the community with the city leader’s vision of the future, they are also the ones often responsible for designing maps for future projects or organizing relevant information into readable formats.

To ensure that community plans meet local needs within the framework of rules and regulations, they solicit inputs from a variety of local and specialized sources. Managing, organizing, and presenting this information in engaging and understandable ways goes a long way in unifying the community. City Planners use diagrams, graphs, and massing models to show the community how their city is expected to evolve over time.

City Planners often associate with neighborhood groups on evenings and weekends. They are team players, working with a network of city employees to help the community grow.

European towns weren’t designed with cars in mind. With smaller streets and everything closer together, many European cities are walkable making it easy to navigate from one place to another.

Sustainability, poverty, and justice system reform are all issues that are either rooted in or have major ramifications on cities. City Planners are pragmatists who wish to see all sides of an issue before they weigh in. They rally people of diverse perspectives by zeroing in on shared values and right choices - cities can provide something for everybody only because and only when they are created by everybody!

There is no logic that can be superimposed on a city; people make it, and it is to them, and not buildings, that we must fit our plans.