The short answer is that urban planning is a lot of things.
But what connects all planners are their dedication to protecting the public interest and their propensity to think long-term.
Urban planners help communities envision and plan for their future: a healthier, more equitable, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable future. While these sound like values everyone can agree on, people have vastly different ideas about how to get there, which are influenced by personal experiences, values, and interests. Planners are trained to think holistically and to mediate conflicts to keep the public interest paramount. (What's the public interest?)
The above describes at a high level what planners strive for, but what are their roles and specific responsibilities? Traditionally, planners create comprehensive plans for their communities that address transportation, housing development, historic preservation, safety, land-use, resource conservation, ecology, economic development, and more. Some planners specialize in one of the above areas, while some are generalists, knowing enough to bring these parts together and when to seek expertise. The plan-making process involves engagement with the community to get feedback on how they envision the future of their city, from visioning to implementation. Good planners design a process that invites everyone affected by a plan (residents, businesses, public services, etc.), and parties that have specialized knowledge about the issues, to partake in its making. When the process is complete and the plan is adopted, it becomes a policy tool that guides future development. Planners that work in this capacity are often employed by municipalities or private consulting firms that contract with municipalities.
But like we said, planning is a lot of things. Planners today work in a diverse set of environments. Many work for non-profit organizations, low-income housing developers, community development corporations, transportation planning firms, economic development agencies, activist groups, and more. According to the American Planning Association, 72% of planners work in the public sector, and 28% work for private consulting firms or non-profits. Their responsibilities vary widely among these organizations, but among them is a common thread of values and competencies. The sections below cover just a few of the common specialization areas within planning.
Community Development
Community development involves working closely with a small-scale urban area (often a neighborhood or group of neighborhoods) to improve the opportunities and life circumstances of the people living there. The services of each community development organization vary, but some common services might include the development of affordable housing, community planning (similar to what was described earlier, but for a targeted geography), renovation of commercial and residential properties, improving access to public services (transportation, utilities, education), job training and skill development, building financial security, etc.
Economic Development
Economic developers seek to improve the economic well-being of a community by creating jobs and growing wealth. Some tactics that can be used to do this are workforce development (job training, career counseling, education), attracting business to a specific area through incentives, aiding in the real estate process, offering business loans, retaining businesses, etc.
Land Use Planning
Land use planning involves the coordination of different types of properties (residential, commercial, industrial, civic, parks) based on a community's vision for itself and to protect public health, safety, and welfare. For instance, hazardous industrial sites are located away from residential areas to protect people from the harmful effects of pollution. Land use planning helps determine what gets built where. It can be used to develop denser communities in urban areas and help mitigate sprawl in a region. Many municipal planners engage in land use planning, either in-house, or contracted out to private planning firms.
Check out our alumni profiles for more examples of what planners do.
Urban planners help communities envision and plan for their future: a healthier, more equitable, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable future. While these sound like values everyone can agree on, people have vastly different ideas about how to get there, which are influenced by personal experiences, values, and interests. Planners are trained to think holistically and to mediate conflicts to keep the public interest paramount. (What's the public interest?)
The above describes at a high level what planners strive for, but what are their roles and specific responsibilities? Traditionally, planners create comprehensive plans for their communities that address transportation, housing development, historic preservation, safety, land-use, resource conservation, ecology, economic development, and more. Some planners specialize in one of the above areas, while some are generalists, knowing enough to bring these parts together and when to seek expertise. The plan-making process involves engagement with the community to get feedback on how they envision the future of their city, from visioning to implementation. Good planners design a process that invites everyone affected by a plan (residents, businesses, public services, etc.), and parties that have specialized knowledge about the issues, to partake in its making. When the process is complete and the plan is adopted, it becomes a policy tool that guides future development. Planners that work in this capacity are often employed by municipalities or private consulting firms that contract with municipalities.
But like we said, planning is a lot of things. Planners today work in a diverse set of environments. Many work for non-profit organizations, low-income housing developers, community development corporations, transportation planning firms, economic development agencies, activist groups, and more. According to the American Planning Association, 72% of planners work in the public sector, and 28% work for private consulting firms or non-profits. Their responsibilities vary widely among these organizations, but among them is a common thread of values and competencies. The sections below cover just a few of the common specialization areas within planning.
Community Development
Community development involves working closely with a small-scale urban area (often a neighborhood or group of neighborhoods) to improve the opportunities and life circumstances of the people living there. The services of each community development organization vary, but some common services might include the development of affordable housing, community planning (similar to what was described earlier, but for a targeted geography), renovation of commercial and residential properties, improving access to public services (transportation, utilities, education), job training and skill development, building financial security, etc.
Economic Development
Economic developers seek to improve the economic well-being of a community by creating jobs and growing wealth. Some tactics that can be used to do this are workforce development (job training, career counseling, education), attracting business to a specific area through incentives, aiding in the real estate process, offering business loans, retaining businesses, etc.
Land Use Planning
Land use planning involves the coordination of different types of properties (residential, commercial, industrial, civic, parks) based on a community's vision for itself and to protect public health, safety, and welfare. For instance, hazardous industrial sites are located away from residential areas to protect people from the harmful effects of pollution. Land use planning helps determine what gets built where. It can be used to develop denser communities in urban areas and help mitigate sprawl in a region. Many municipal planners engage in land use planning, either in-house, or contracted out to private planning firms.
Check out our alumni profiles for more examples of what planners do.
Some other answers from the planning community:
Definition from Locality Studio's founder Katie McLaughlin, a fellow St. Louisan, planner, placemaker, and brand strategist
Planetizen: Urban Planning, Explained
City Lab: The Case for a Broader Definition of Urban Planning
American Planning Association: Choosing the Planning Profession
For a deep dive into significant planning literature in the past 100ish years
Planetizen: Urban Planning, Explained
City Lab: The Case for a Broader Definition of Urban Planning
American Planning Association: Choosing the Planning Profession
For a deep dive into significant planning literature in the past 100ish years