About the Authors
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Becoming an Urban Planner: What Planners Do
Employment in Planning
A Young Profession: Planning Emerges in the Late Nineteenth Century
An Age of Idealism in Design
The Advent of Zoning
Policy Planning Emerges Simultaneously
Planning and Social Injustice
Planning in the Late Twentieth Century
Urban Planning Is about the Future
Urban Planning Is about Place
Urban Planning Is about Helping Other People Make Decisions
The Planning Process
Profile: Getting People Involved in the Process
Buyer Beware: Things You Might Not Like about a Career in Planning
What Kind of Salary Can a Planner Expect to Make?
Skills for Becoming an Urban Planner
Chapter 2: Becoming an Urban Planner: Education
What Research Shows about Planners+ Education
Preparing for a Professional Education
Communicating in Words
Communicating through Pictures
Being Comfortable with Numbers
Drawing, Planning, and Urban Design
Picking a College Major
And on to GraduateSchool
Choosing the Right Graduate Program
Accreditation
What+s in a Name?
Theses, Projects, or Other Capstone Requirements
Applying to GraduateSchool
Financing a Planning Education
Planning Curriculum: Knowledge, Skills, and Values
Specializations
Dual-Degree Options
Alternative Paths
Public Administration
Urban Studies
Economics
Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design
Civil Engineering
Planning Law
Profile: Becoming a Land Use Lawyer
Conclusion
Chapter 3: Becoming a Planner: Experience
Informational Interviews
Job Shadowing
Volunteer Experience
Internships
Cooperative Education
Peace Corps and AmeriCorps VISTA
Networking to Break the Ice
Career Ladders: Moving Ahead from That First Job
Chapter 4: Planners+ Many Paths
Many Paths into a Planning Career
Profile: Entering the Field
Profile: Using Your Analytic and Creative Talents
Profile: Applying a Talent for Mapping
Who Influenced You?
Where Do You Want to Work?
Profile: Becoming a Developer
Profile: Becoming a SmallTown Planner
Profile: Establishing a One-Person Planning Firm
Profile: Making Transitions
Planning Timeframes
Current Planning
Profile: Enforcing Codes and Reviewing Plans
Profile: Addressing the Challenges of Long-Range Planning
Profile: Improving Quality of Life in the Long Term
Profile: Creating Comprehensive Plans
At What Geographic Scale Do You Want to Work?
Profile: Working with Communities
Profile: Bridging Rural and Urban Areas
Profile: Planning in a Mid-Size City
Profile: Becoming a Planning Director
Profile: Charting Another Path to Planning Director
Profile: Merging Regional and Local Planning
Profile: Planning at the Regional Scale
Profile: Planning at the State Level
Profile: Leading a State Planning Agency
Profile: Planning in the Federal Government
Profile: Consulting for the Federal Government
What Planning Topics Interest You?
Urban Design
Profile: Designing Places
Profile: Using Urban Design to Create Consensus
Housing Planning and Policy
Profile: Filling Housing Needs
Economic Development Planning
Profile: Planning for Economic Development: Public Sector
Profile: Planning for Economic Development: Consulting
Historic Preservation Planning
Profile: Protecting, Preserving, and Planning for Historic and Cultural Resources
Community Engagement and Empowerment
Profile: Engaging Neighborhoods
Profile: Listening to People
Environmental and Natural Resource Planning
Profile: Advocating for Sustainability
Profile: Specializing in a Holistic Way
Geographic Information Systems
Profile: Specializing in GIS
Land Use Planning, Law, and Code Enforcement
Profile: Bridging Technical Disciplines
Profile: Specializing in Code Writing
Profile: Specializing in Land Use Law
Profile: Assessing the Economic Impacts of Land Use Decisions
Transportation Planning
Profile: Developing Transportation Models
Profile: Planning for Transit
Profile: Advocating for Transit and Transportation Improvements
Profile: Integrating Land Use and Transportation
Planning for Sustainability
New Urbanism
Profile: Applying the Principles of New Urbanism
Profile: Fostering Transit-Oriented Development
Profile: Creating Change and Livable Communities
Profile: Planning for Bicyclists and Pedestrians
Emerging Specializations in the Era of Sustainability
Profile: Planning for Hazards and Emergencies
Profile: Developing Green Communities
Profile: Planning for Sustainable Energy
Teaching Others to Become Planners
Profile: Becoming a Planning Professor
Profile: Moving from Planner to Professor
Profile: Being Called to a University Career-with a Practical Slant
Challenges and Rewards
Chapter 5: What Is the Future of Planning?
Economic Recession and Planning
Profile: Coping with Layoff
Geospatial Technology and Planning
Profile: Adapting Zoning to the Twenty-first Century
Rediscovering Public Health
Profile: Planning Healthy Communities
Carbon, Climate Change, Peak Oil, and Planning for Sustainable Energy
Planning for Climate Adaptation
Planners for Climate Mitigation
A Bright Future for Planning
Resources
References
Index