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Urban Planning as a Career
Posted byLakshmi Rajagopalanon June 4, 2011 at 11:30am View Blog
Have you ever heard your parents or older friends in college talk about secret
meeting places wher e
they along with their friends would meet at to begin perhaps a game of
cricket or hide and seek? Did they talk about non-crowded and safe streets
where they could practice their cycling or learn it without having to worry
about a fast car hitting them? We knew who our neighbours were and could
walk to the neighborhood store without being supervised. Our parents did
not worry about where we were and only called us at dusk to come home for
dinner.
Fast-forward to today, where the notion of city children playing unsupervised
in an untamed public space, or even wandering up to the local shops, is often
too frightening for parents to contemplate. Not that there is the available
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public land to run around in, given skyrocketing property values.
Go anywhere in Bangalore and the first thing you notice is the sudden growth
of high-rise apartments everywhere, combined with non-stop and haphazard
development, uncoordinated and unauthorized construction activities, traffic
congestion, lack of infrastructure and basic facilities, growing pressure on land
and its increasing value, lack of pedestrian facilities, air and noise pollution
etc. Bangalore is struggling to keep with up with the unprecedented growthdue to lack of coordinated planning. Lack of proper urban planning is one of
the major causes of urban poverty, development of slums and social
inequality.
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Picture the effect these poor urban planning decisions will have on the
younger generation, students like you. Already there has been an alarming
increase in childhood obesity rates and several illnesses like asthma,
respiratory problems etc.
Now, imagine the same Bangalore in a few years from now with all the Metro
and flyover construction work completed, with well connected transportation
systems like buses, trains, with more lakes that have been cleaned and can be
used for recreational activities, with proper sewer and stormwater drainage
systems, more parks and open spaces complete with affordable and attractive
places to live. It sounds wonderful doesnt it?
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Now, who will make sure all this work is completed in time with minimal
disruption to day-to-day lives? Who will coordinate the various activities
between the individual departments to ensure smooth progress? Who is
responsible for making sure that development and construction activities are
as per regulations and use sustainable techniques? This is where a Town
Planner or the most commonly and widely used name for this profession; a
City Planner or an Urban Planner comes in the picture.
To understand how a City/Urban Planners role, it is necessary to understand
the following:
1. What does Urban Planning mean?2. What Planners do? Where do they work?3. What are the different career paths one can look at as a City or an Urban Planner?4. What are the skills possessed by successful planners?What does Urban Planning mean?Planning, also called urban planning or city and regional planning, is a
profession that plays an important role in
shaping a city by
improving the welfare of people and their communities by creating more
convenient, fair, healthy, sustainable, walkable and attractive places for present
and future generations.
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Planning allows community leaders, local businesses, and citizens to play civic
leaders, businesses, and citizens to play a significant role in creating
communities and neighborhoods that improves the quality of life of the
people.
Good planning helps create communities that offer better choices for where
and how people live. Planning helps communities to envision their future. It
helps them find the right balance of new development and essential services,
environmental protection, and innovative change. Without prior or
appropriate planning, the city may grow or change in an uncontrollable way
due to population and social, economic and environmental changes.
What Planners do? Where do they work?
Should a new stadium be built in the City? Should the railway line be
extended? Should the road be widened? Can the new mall project be
approved? How can a city reduce unsupervised growth, also called
as sprawlwhile providing attractive and affordable housing? What should the
city demand of a developer who's pushing a new project?
To address questions like these and many more like this, planners work with
community leaders, citizens and decision makers (like the mayor, elected
officials etc) to create a vision for the community that reflects the
communitys desire for how their neighborhood and eventually their city
should function and look. Through proper analysis of data and identification
of goals for the community and/or a project, the vision then takes the form of
a PLAN.
As an example, when I worked as an urban planner in the United States ofAmerica, one of my projects was to develop a area plan for the City of Pinole.
The purpose of the plan was to create regulating measures to
streamlinedevelopment activities within the City, regulate traffic along San
Pablo Avenue, one of the busiest roads while making it pedestrian friendly
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(See graphics below). During the creation of this plan, my team identified the
approach and outlined the strategies by which the community can reach its
goals and vision. We were also responsible for implementing and enforcing
many of these strategies, often coordinating the work of many groups of
people.
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This plan also identified redevelopment projects for slum or blighted area;
choose proper land use for a particular parcel; and managed transportation,
housing, environmental protection, and historic preservation.
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Before the planner recommends or denies a plan, we will end up wearing
many hats: civil engineer, architect, economist, budget analyst, sociologist, and
politician. A diplomat's touch is necessary if we expect our plan to survive all
the stakeholders with competing interests.
Along the same lines, Urban planning in Bangalore should be such that it
qualitatively benefits the various dimensions of development like ecology,
society, economy, culture and spatial dimensions of development with
coordinated and aligned policies. Urban Planners should have the ability to
adapt, since the pace and nature of urbanisation is also influenced by the
reality of globalisation. In short, urban planning and urban development are
critical to the process of urbanization.
What are the different career paths one can look at as a City or an Urban
Planner?
Planners work in every state and around the world. They work in rural areas,
suburban areas, and large cities. They function in the public sector within
federal, state, and local governments. They also work in nonprofits and within
the private sector in real estate development companies and planning or
multi-disciplinary consulting firms.
Most entry-level jobs require either at least an undergraduate degree in
planning. Two main degrees are awarded in the field. The first is an
undergraduate degree in planning. Many with undergraduate degrees will go
on to receive a master's degree in planning. However, planners with
undergraduate degrees do work in planning practice, often in entry-level
positions.
A master's-level graduate degree is considered the standard for those who
are planning practitioners. Some planning graduate students have an
undergraduate degree in planning, but others may have studied geography,
urban studies, architecture, or sociology, structural or civil engineering,
economics, finance, or geographic information systems.
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Image Source:www.itpi.org
Specializations or different career streams within planning represent specific
bodies of planning knowledge that jointly further the welfare of people and
communities. Here are several of the most common specializations within the
planning profession:
Community Development Land Use & Code Enforcement Transportation Planning Environmental/Natural Resources Planning Economic Development Urban Design Planning Management/Finance Housing
Parks & Recreation Historic Preservation Community EmpowermentWhat are the skills possessed by successful planners?
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In addition to a formal educational background, planners need to possess a
unique combination of skills
that will vary depending on the role and area of specialization.
"Knowledge of urban spatial structure or physical design and the way inwhich cities work.
Ability to analyze demographic information to discern trends inpopulation, employment, and health.
Knowledge of plan-making and project evaluation. Mastery of techniques for involving a wide range of people in making
decisions.
Understanding of local, state, and federal government programs andprocesses.
Understanding of the social and environmental impact of planningdecisions on communities.
Ability to work with the public and be eloquent in expressing planningissues to a wide variety of audiences.
Ability to function as a mediator or facilitator when community interestsconflict.
Understanding of the legal foundation for land use regulation.
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Understanding of the interaction among the economy, transportation,health and human services, and land-use regulation.
Ability to solve problems using a balance of technical competence,creativity, and hardheaded practicality.
Ability to envision alternatives to the physical and social environments inwhich we live.
Mastery of geographic information systems and office software."(www.apa.org)
What next?
If urban planning and playing a role in designing and shaping your city
excites you, check out the special website to introduce kids to urban planning.
Get an adult with you and access the webpage
athttp://www.planning.org/kidsandcommunity/. This webpage offers
information on planning and also hasgamesandstoriesthat will youre your
learning experience much more interesting.
Happy Planning!!!
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