Urban planner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An urban planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning for the purpose of public health and safety in an urban setting. They work with local governments or private property owners (often with land developers) to formulate plans for the short- and long-term growth and renewal of urban and suburban communities. They study land use compatibility, economic, environmental, and social trends and problems to determine the best use of land and resources. In developing their plan for a community (whether commercial, residential, agricultural, natural, or recreational) urban planners must consider a wide array of environmental issues such as sustainable development, air pollution, traffic congestion, crime, land values, legislation and zoning codes. They are usually hired by developers, private property owners, private planning firms, and local governments to assist in the large-scale planning of master planned communities, private/public housing, commercial development, community redevelopment, environmental expertise, public facilities, and public transportation systems. Urban planners in the public role often assist the public and serve as valued technical advisors in the myriad web of the community's political environment. Other disciplines of Planning include Regional, City ,Environmental, Transportation, Housing, and Community Planning to name a few.
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[edit] Urban Planners by country
[edit] Australia
Urban planners in Australia typically graduate from a Planning Institute Australia (PIA) certified course provided by universities across all states and territories. Most of such degrees can be awarded at Bachelors, although there are also Masters degrees available.
Most urban planners are involved in statutory work, being involved at either local government with the assessment of planning applications or in planning consultancies with the preparation of such application reports.
[edit] Mexico
Urban planners in Mexico typically graduate from an Architecture background provided by major universities in the country. Most of such degrees can be awarded at Masters' graduate studies, although there are also Bachelors degrees available.
[edit] United Kingdom
Those wishing to be a town or country planner, in the United Kingdom, first must complete a degree in a relevant discipline and then complete a final year in the form of a masters in town and country planning which must be accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), or a four year degree encapsulating all aspects. they can then become eligible to be a member of the RTPI, but must first complete two years work based training, to be a full member.
Town planners in the UK are responsible for all aspects of the built environment, wherever you are within the UK a town and country planner will have at sometime planned the built aspects of the environment. They (Local Planning Authorities) grant planning commission (consent) to individuals, private builders and corporations and also aid local government with their decisions.
[edit] United States
Those wishing to become a planner in the U.S. typially complete an undergraduate or graduate degree from a University offering the program of study. Certification is often offered through the only nationally recognized organization, The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). AICP certification is not necessary to practice planning. However, there are rigorous requirement to sit for the AICP exam, including college degree and documented experience in planning practice. Passing the AICP exam is also challenging. Therefore, a Planner holding an AICP designation, provides assurance of the qualifications to provide competent professional Planning Services.
[edit] Specialisations
With diversification and changes to the planning scene, the scope of planners have also undergone a sort of metamorphosis with the introduction of different specialisations of planners. The list includes, but is not limited to,
- Developer
- Economic development
- Environmental planning
- Infrastructure planner
- Metropolitan planner
- Neighborhood planning
- Open space planning
- Park planner
- Planning barrister
- Regeneration planner
- Regional planning
- Social planner
- Statutory planning
- Strategic Urban Planning
- Tourism planner
- Transport planning
- Urban designers
All planners deal with land use, space and place, but provide different viewpoints towards the planning of the built environment. For instance, in planning for a neighbourhood centre, the economic development planner would suggest locations that are economically viable and would be subjected to a steady flow of potential customers. He or she would analyse statistics and projections like the floor-space needed, where the customers are to be drawn from, location of competitors and so forth. The urban designer will come in and suggest principles that make the neighbourhood centre 'liveable', including how to ensure safety in design, design guidelines for developers, and so forth. The infrastructure and transport planner would ensure the efficient provision of basic infrastructure services, including water, electricity and sewerage needed for the smooth running of the businesses, as well as plan for basic public transport services or delineate out cycling paths.
[edit] See also
- List of urban planners
- List of urban theorists
- Master of Urban Planning
- Urban design
- Urban planning
- SimCity
- Principles of Intelligent Urbanism
