Becoming an Urban Planner

MICHAEL BAYER, AICP, is a planner with Environmental Resources Management in Annapolis, Maryland. Before becoming an urban planner, he was a newspaper reporter whose articles have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Journal Gazette, the Post-Bulletin, as well as Planning magazine. NANCY FRANK, PhD, AICP, is an associate professor and the chair of the department of urban planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Frank has been instrumental in the development of the School for Urban Planning and Architecture (SUPAR), a charter Milwaukee public high school that opened in fall 2007. JASON VALERIUS, AICP, is a planner and urban designer for MSA Professional Services, in Madison, Wisconsin. Valerius served for four years as assistant editor of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Planning Association quarterly newsletter (WAPANews).

• About The Authors xiPreface xiiAcknowledgments xiv1 Becoming an Urban Planner: What Planners Do 1Employment in Planning 3A Young Profession: Planning Emerges in the Late Nineteenth Century 5An Age of Idealism in Design 6The Advent of Zoning 9Policy Planning Emerges Simultaneously 10Planning and Social Injustice 11Planning In the Late Twentieth Century 12Urban Planning Is about the Future 13Urban Planning Is about Place 14Urban Planning Is about Helping Other People Make Decisions 17The Planning Process 18Profile: Getting People Involved in the Process 19Buyer Beware: Things You Might Not Like About a Career in Planning 23What Kind of Salary Can a Planner Expect to Make? 25Skills for Becoming an Urban Planner 262 Becoming an Urban Planner: Education 31What Research Shows About Plannersʼ Education 31Preparing for a Professional Education 32Communicating in Words 42Communicating through Pictures 45Being Comfortable with Numbers 50Drawing, Planning, and Urban Design 54Picking a College Major 60And on to Graduate School 63Choosing the Right Graduate Program 65Accreditation 69What's In A Name? 70Theses,  Projects or other Capstone Requirements 70Applying to Graduate School 70Financing a Planning Education 73Planning Curriculum: Knowledge, Skills, and Values 74Specializations 78Dual-Degree Options 78Alternative Paths 79Public Administration 79Urban Studies 80Economics 81Architecture, LandscapeArchitecture, and urbanDesign 81Civil Engineering 81Planning Law 82Profile: Becoming a Land Use Lawyer 84Conclusion 853 Becoming an Urban Planner: Experience 87Informational Interviews 88Job Shadowing 89Volunteer Experience 90Internships 92Cooperative Education 94Peace Corps and AmeriCorps VISTA 94Networking to Break the Ice 96Career Ladders: Moving Ahead From That First Job 974 Planners’ Many Paths 99Many Paths into a Planning Career 99Profile: Entering the Field 100Profile: Using Your Analytic and Creative Talents 102Profile: Applying a Talent for Mapping 104Who Influenced You? 109Where Do You Want to Work? 117Profile: Becoming a Developer 119Profile: Becoming a Small Town Planner 122Profile: Establishing a One-Person Planning Firm 124Profile: Making Transitions 127Planning Timeframes 131Current Planning 131Profile: Enforcing Codes and Reviewing Plans 133Profile: Addressing the Challenges of Long-Range Planning 136Profile: Improving Quality of Life in the Long Term 138Profile: Creating Comprehensive Plans 140At What Geographic Scale Do You Want to Work? 144Profile: Working with Communities 145Profile: Bridging Rural and Urban Areas 148Profile: Planning in a Midsized City 150Profile: Becoming a Planning Director 153Profile: Charting Another Path to Planning Director 159Profile: Merging Regional and Local Planning 164Profile: Planning at the Regional Scale 167Profile: Planning at the State Level 170Profile: Leading a State Planning Agency 173Profile: Planning in the Federal Government 175Profile: Consulting for the Federal Government 178What Planning Topics Interest You? 179Urban Design 179Profile: Designing Places 181Profile: Using Urban Design to Create Consensus 185Housing Planning and Policy 189Profile: Filling Housing Needs 190Economic Development Planning 193Profile: Planning for Economic Development: Public Sector 195Profile: Planning for Economic Development: Consulting 198Historic Preservation Planning 200Profile: Protecting, Preserving, and Planning for Historic and Cultural Resources 202Community Engagement and Empowerment 205Profile: Engaging Neighborhoods 208Profile: Listening to People 211Environmental and Natural Resources Planning 216Profile: Advocating for Sustainability 219Profile: Specializing in a Holistic Way 221Geographic Information Systems 222Profile: Specializing in GIS 223Land use Planning, Law, And Code Enforcement 225Profile: Bridging Technical Disciplines 227Profile: Specializing in Code Writing 231Profile: Specializing in Land Use Law 232Profile: Assessing the Economic Impacts of Land Use Decisions 234Transportation Planning 238Profile: Developing Transportation Models 239Profile: Planning for Transit 243Profile: Advocating for Transit and Transportation Improvements 245Profile: Integrating Land Use and Transportation 247Planning For Sustainability 250New Urbanism 252Profile: Applying the Principles of New Urbanism 253Profile: Fostering Transit-Oriented Development 256Profile: Creating Change and Livable Communities 260Profile: Planning for Bicyclists and Pedestrians 262Emerging Specializations In The Era Of Sustainability 263Profile: Planning for Hazards and Emergencies 264Profile: Developing Green Communities 266Profile: Planning for Sustainable Energy 268Teaching Others to Become Planners 270Profile: Becoming a Planning Professor 271Profile: Moving from Planner to Professor 275Profile: Being Called to a University Career̶ With a Practical Slant 279Challenges and Rewards 2815 What Is the Future of Planning? 293Economic Recession and Planning 293Profile: Coping with Layoff 294Geospatial Technology and Planning 295Profile: Adapting Zoning to theTwenty-first Century 295Rediscovering Public Health 296Profile: Planning Healthy Communities 297Carbon, Climate Change, Peak Oil, and Planning for Sustainable Energy 300Planning For Climate Adaptation 301Planning For Climate Mitigation 304A Bright Future for Planning 306Resources 307References 311Index 313

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