What skills does an Urban Planner need?
Posted on: 5 August, 2024
If you’re interested in a career in Urban Planning, here are 7 key skills that can help you succeed in this field.
Urban planning is an industry in need of talent. As more and more of the global population moves into urbanised areas and pressure mounts on the built environment to reduces its emissions, demand for qualified and talented professionals in the industry will continue to rise.
But what skills do professionals interested in urban planning need to cultivate? And for people looking to launch their career or even change occupation, what existing competencies could make them ideal for a career in the industry?
Here are seven of core skills Urban Planners need to succeed in their role.
1. Communication
Having the ability to communicate effectively is key to success in urban planning. From delivering presentations to clients to making connections and clearly articulating concepts within sustainability, communication is an integral aspect of a planner’s day-to-day role.
However, success in planning isn’t just down to speaking well – successfully balancing the wants and needs of different stakeholders impacted by the use of space requires listening, negotiating and, often, resolving disputes between parties.
As a function that dictates how large areas of space are used and how communities shaped, the work of planners often intersects with other professions in the building lifecycle. Planners have to network and work alongside other teams and professionals, including architects, surveyors, designers and project managers.
There’s also an aspect of written communication that is a core part of the planning profession, too. Urban Planners are required to produce written technical reports, so professionals need to be comfortable communicating in different mediums.
2. Creativity
Planning is a function rooted in regulation, law and politics, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a creative field – far from it.
The role of an Urban Planner is to put together solutions to the challenges presented by space, law, the environment and competing stakeholder interests. This often requires a creative and innovative approach to problem solving, and for an industry regularly faced with new challenges like sustainable development and technological advancement, this means there’s ample room for professionals to innovate and think outside of the box.
3. Critical thinking
With sustainability emerging as a new priority for all functions within the built environment, Urban Planners have to balance the priorities of more stakeholders and factors than ever before. Yes, ensuring we have enough housing and infrastructure to accommodate our growing population is vital, but so is ensuring our development doesn’t cause irreparable damage to our environment and further our ongoing climate crisis.
The modern Urban Planner must place decisions about development and land usage in an environmental context. This requires an element of critical thinking in order to balance the various interests of stakeholders and clients while representing the role of planning and the sector as a whole in the management of carbon emissions and damage to the environment.
4. Project management
Urban Planning projects involve multiple phases and levels of governance. They also have a diverse array of stakeholders, each with different priorities and expectations for the outcome of a project. This makes effective project management and strong organisational skills a must for professionals in the industry.
5. Data literacy
Part of the Urban Planer’s role is to conduct research and undertake analysis of data related to aspects of an environment. From geographical and environmental data to information like population, being able to understand and make sense of data is a key component of decision making in the modern planning process. To succeed in this field, Urban Planners need to be confident and comfortable with research, data and analysis.
6. Digital skills
Urban planning has benefitted from built environment’s digital transformation with the introduction of tools like Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) into the field.
However, to fully realise the potential of these technologies and apply them to the planning processes, professionals in this industry need a high level of digital literacy and proficiency. This can make urban planning an appealing career path for someone with an affinity for technology and an interest in using the latest software and digital innovations.
Learn more: What is BIM (and how does it work)?
7. Attention to detail
The decisions of Urban Planners have a significant impact on the usage of resources and land – not to mention the lives of people who inhabit or will inhabit cities and towns. This is why planning is such a regulated field. Being able to navigate laws and regulations, analyse data and balance competing priorities requires comprehensive attention to detail.
Interested? Find out more
If the idea of working in planning has piqued your interest, you can find out more about this profession by viewing UCEM’s Urban Planner job profile.
UCEM has launched an MSc in Urban Planning to combat the shortage of skilled planners in the built environment. Students on this course will explore the entire planning process and analyse the intricate networks of policies and decision-making behind the creation of our urban spaces.
By assessing the role of external influences, the priorities of different stakeholders and the impact of the planning process on the environment, they’ll learn how to discern and communicate informed and data-driven decisions to complex planning problems.
To satisfy demand from employers for skilled planners, a Level 6 Chartered Surveyor Urban Planning apprenticeship has also been introduced.
