What is an urban planner?

Some people who are generous enough to read this blog wonder what does an urban planner do? In short, an urban planner wears many hats!

I confess to having a short attention span when it comes to careers, and variety is definitely the spice of my life. Well, that and cilantro. . . but one of the reasons that drew me to the field of planning is that an urban planner doesn't do just one thing. He or she must be well-versed in a variety of areas.

Although I don't officially have a degree in this field yet, I was able to talk with several professionals in the field including: Paul Scheibel, AICP, principal planner for the city of Visalia, CA, Paul Bernal, associate planner for the city of Visalia, CA, Greg F. Collins, partner at Collins & Schoettler, and Charles Clouse, principal of TPG Consulting. I would like to thank them for their time and their generosity in giving me a glimpse into their professional world.

(it should also be noted that none of these are listed in order of importance:)
It could be said that an urban planner is one part civil engineer, one part architect, a little bit of a landscape architect, a geographer, certainly an unofficial economist, an amateur sociologist, an environmentalist, and definitely a diplomat.

An urban planner may help determine if we're getting another Starbucks or hookah bar, but he or she also has to collaborate with the civil engineers regarding the size of the parking lots, waste management, street lights, etc., It wouldn't hurt an urban planner to know how said Starbucks or hookah bar, the actual structure, is constructed so he or she can talk rooflines, foundations, and so forth with the architect(s), contractor(s), and developer(s). And of course, more green never hurt anyone, so if an urban planner can speak knowledgeably about the type of landscaping involved in a new project, including water management, irrigation, etc., more power to him or her. Also being aware of the type of soil, elevation, and other elements that turn on a geographer is important. Not to mention the hot buttons that will be pushed when the environmental folks come to weigh in. Did the urban planner know that there is an endangered little frog that has his little welcome mat laid out where that new Target wants to be? The urban planner better know.

He or she also better know if this new Target is within the city's best interests, thereby donning his or her economist's thinking cap. An urban planner is also a bit of a sociologist- gauging the "feel" of the people in the city he or she works for, or the type of people that will utilize the project he or she is working on if he or she is in the private sector. And finally, if nothing else, an urban planner is a diplomat.

He or she must sit in on town meetings, if he or she works for the city and have to explain and cajole people into accepting whatever proposed plan is, in fact, a win-win for everyone. Getting people to come around to this point of view is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Remember asking Mom or Dad if you could stay out until 11 PM on a school night when you were in high school? Imagine M & D x 200. Keep smiling and nodding and perhaps they'll come around to see your side.

These are the main roles I was able to ascertain an urban planner must fill, and doubtless, he or she feels like they are asked to be a miracle-worker on some days. But it is the very challenge of wearing so many hats and being knowledgeable of so many varied fields that invigorates me and makes me want to plunge in headfirst into the field of literally shaping the future!