MICHAEL BAYER, AICP, is a planner with Environmental Resources Management in Annapolis, Maryland. Before becoming an urban planner, he was a newspaper reporter whose articles have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Journal Gazette, the Post-Bulletin, as well as Planning magazine.

NANCY FRANK, PhD, AICP, is an associate professor and the chair of the department of urban planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Frank has been instrumental in the development of the School for Urban Planning and Architecture (SUPAR), a charter Milwaukee public high school that opened in fall 2007.

JASON VALERIUS, AICP, is a planner and urban designer for MSA Professional Services, in Madison, Wisconsin. Valerius served for four years as assistant editor of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Planning Association quarterly newsletter (WAPANews).

About The Authors xi

Preface xii

Acknowledgments xiv

1 Becoming an Urban Planner: What Planners Do 1

Employment in Planning 3

A Young Profession: Planning Emerges in the Late Nineteenth Century 5

An Age of Idealism in Design 6

The Advent of Zoning 9

Policy Planning Emerges Simultaneously 10

Planning and Social Injustice 11

Planning In the Late Twentieth Century 12

Urban Planning Is about the Future 13

Urban Planning Is about Place 14

Urban Planning Is about Helping Other People Make Decisions 17

The Planning Process 18

Profile: Getting People Involved in the Process 19

Buyer Beware: Things You Might Not Like About a Career in Planning 23

What Kind of Salary Can a Planner Expect to Make? 25

Skills for Becoming an Urban Planner 26

2 Becoming an Urban Planner: Education 31

What Research Shows About Planners¿ Education 31

Preparing for a Professional Education 32

Communicating in Words 42

Communicating through Pictures 45

Being Comfortable with Numbers 50

Drawing, Planning, and Urban Design 54

Picking a College Major 60

And on to Graduate School 63

Choosing the Right Graduate Program 65

Accreditation 69

What's In A Name? 70

Theses, Projects or other Capstone Requirements 70

Applying to Graduate School 70

Financing a Planning Education 73

Planning Curriculum: Knowledge, Skills, and Values 74

Specializations 78

Dual-Degree Options 78

Alternative Paths 79

Public Administration 79

Urban Studies 80

Economics 81

Architecture, Landscape

Architecture, and urban

Design 81

Civil Engineering 81

Planning Law 82

Profile: Becoming a Land Use Lawyer 84

Conclusion 85

3 Becoming an Urban Planner: Experience 87

Informational Interviews 88

Job Shadowing 89

Volunteer Experience 90

Internships 92

Cooperative Education 94

Peace Corps and AmeriCorps VISTA 94

Networking to Break the Ice 96

Career Ladders: Moving Ahead From That First Job 97

4 Planners' Many Paths 99

Many Paths into a Planning Career 99

Profile: Entering the Field 100

Profile: Using Your Analytic and Creative Talents 102

Profile: Applying a Talent for Mapping 104

Who Influenced You? 109

Where Do You Want to Work? 117

Profile: Becoming a Developer 119

Profile: Becoming a Small Town Planner 122

Profile: Establishing a One-Person Planning Firm 124

Profile: Making Transitions 127

Planning Timeframes 131

Current Planning 131

Profile: Enforcing Codes and Reviewing Plans 133

Profile: Addressing the Challenges of Long-Range Planning 136

Profile: Improving Quality of Life in the Long Term 138

Profile: Creating Comprehensive Plans 140

At What Geographic Scale Do You Want to Work? 144

Profile: Working with Communities 145

Profile: Bridging Rural and Urban Areas 148

Profile: Planning in a Midsized City 150

Profile: Becoming a Planning Director 153

Profile: Charting Another Path to Planning Director 159

Profile: Merging Regional and Local Planning 164

Profile: Planning at the Regional Scale 167

Profile: Planning at the State Level 170

Profile: Leading a State Planning Agency 173

Profile: Planning in the Federal Government 175

Profile: Consulting for the Federal Government 178

What Planning Topics Interest You? 179

Urban Design 179

Profile: Designing Places 181

Profile: Using Urban Design to Create Consensus 185

Housing Planning and Policy 189

Profile: Filling Housing Needs 190

Economic Development Planning 193

Profile: Planning for Economic Development: Public Sector 195

Profile: Planning for Economic Development: Consulting 198

Historic Preservation Planning 200

Profile: Protecting, Preserving, and Planning for Historic and Cultural Resources 202

Community Engagement and Empowerment 205

Profile: Engaging Neighborhoods 208

Profile: Listening to People 211

Environmental and Natural Resources Planning 216

Profile: Advocating for Sustainability 219

Profile: Specializing in a Holistic Way 221

Geographic Information Systems 222

Profile: Specializing in GIS 223

Land use Planning, Law, And Code Enforcement 225

Profile: Bridging Technical Disciplines 227

Profile: Specializing in Code Writing 231

Profile: Specializing in Land Use Law 232

Profile: Assessing the Economic Impacts of Land Use Decisions 234

Transportation Planning 238

Profile: Developing Transportation Models 239

Profile: Planning for Transit 243

Profile: Advocating for Transit and Transportation Improvements 245

Profile: Integrating Land Use and Transportation 247

Planning For Sustainability 250

New Urbanism 252

Profile: Applying the Principles of New Urbanism 253

Profile: Fostering Transit-Oriented Development 256

Profile: Creating Change and Livable Communities 260

Profile: Planning for Bicyclists and Pedestrians 262

Emerging Specializations In The Era Of Sustainability 263

Profile: Planning for Hazards and Emergencies 264

Profile: Developing Green Communities 266

Profile: Planning for Sustainable Energy 268

Teaching Others to Become Planners 270

Profile: Becoming a Planning Professor 271

Profile: Moving from Planner to Professor 275

Profile: Being Called to a University Career¿ With a Practical Slant 279

Challenges and Rewards 281

5 What Is the Future of Planning? 293

Economic Recession and Planning 293

Profile: Coping with Layoff 294

Geospatial Technology and Planning 295

Profile: Adapting Zoning to the

Twenty-first Century 295

Rediscovering Public Health 296

Profile: Planning Healthy Communities 297

Carbon, Climate Change, Peak Oil, and Planning for Sustainable Energy 300

Planning For Climate Adaptation 301

Planning For Climate Mitigation 304

A Bright Future for Planning 306

Resources 307

References 311

Index 313