Planning has to do with the management and development of urban and rural areas in order to protect and best serve the present and future generations. All planning issues deal with conflicting demands; it is the role of the planner to analyse and evaluate these demands and to advise on the best options. Therefore, planners have to be creative problem solvers and be highly analytical and practical. They have to be able to listen to and negotiate with diverse groups of people and to come up with imaginative solutions acceptable to all parties. 

Planners have a broad training in the arts, sciences and humanities. This training aims to develop practitioners able to think critically about the interrelationships between culture, economic development and the environment and their competing claims for space. It aims to develop ethical planners who are able to focus on what should be and should not be done if people’s aspirations and environmental needs are both to be met to create habitable places - environments that all members of our diverse society find safe, supportive and attractive - without compromising the wellbeing of future generations.

Planning is a rewarding career allowing you to specialize in urban design, regeneration, conservation, community engagement, sustainable development and a host of other areas. The career profiles below provide an introduction to what planners do from the professional’s perspective and we hope that these stories will inspire you to enter a career in planning. 

Zulfiqar Ali

Michael Gallagher

Heather Ritchie

Janine Xavier

Author:

Dushy Large

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

11-Jan-07

Categories:

Planning as a Career 

Sections:

Education & Careers

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