An Urban planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning. They work with local governments to formulate plans for the short- and long-term growth and renewal of urban and suburban communities. They study 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 or recreational) urban planners must consider issues such as air pollution, traffic congestion, legislation and zoning codes. They are usually hired by local governments to assist in the large-scale planning of public housing, school buildings and public transportation systems. Urban planning is concerned with the ordering and design of settlements, from the smallest towns to the worlds largest cities. ...

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. The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) is a professional body for town planners in the United Kingdom. ...

Town planners in the UK are responsible for all aspects of the built environment, where ever you are within the UK a town and country planner will have at sometime planned the built aspects of the environment. They grant planning commission to private builders and corporations and also aid local government with their decisions.

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,

• Developers
• Economic development
• Environmental planning
• Infrastructure planners
• Metropolitan planners
• Neighborhood planning
• Open space planning
• Planning barristers
• Regeneration planners
• Regional planning
• Social planners
• Statutory planners
• Strategic planning
• Tourism planners
• 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. A developer can be one of: A software developer, one who programs computers or designs the system to match the requirements of a systems analyst. ... Economic development is a sustainable increase in living standards that implies increased per capita income, better education and health as well as environmental protection. ... Environmental planning is a relatively new field of study that aims to merge the practice of urban planning with the concerns of environmentalism. ... In 1915, Robert E. Park and E. W. Burgess introduced the idea of neighborhood as an ecological concept with urban planning implications . ... Regional planning is a branch of land use planning and deals with the efficient placement of land use activities, infrastructure and settlement growth across a significantly larger area of land than an individual city or town. ... In welfare economics, a social planner is a decision-maker who attempts to achieve the best result for all parties involved. ... Strategic planning is an organisations process of defining its strategy and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. ... Transportation planning is the field involved with the siting of transportation facilities (generally streets and highways and public transport lines). ... Urban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities. ...

See also

• List of urban planners
• List of urban theorists
• Master of Urban Planning
• Urban design
• Urban planning

List of urban planners chronological by initial year of plan. ... List of urban theorists, in alphabetical order: Christopher Alexander Donald Appleyard Manuel Castells Richard Florida Joel Garreau Sir Peter Hall Jane Jacobs Kevin Lynch Lewis Mumford Witold Rybczynski Richard Sennett See also List of urban planners List of planned communities New town Urban design Urban economics Urban planner Urban planning... The Master in Urban Planning (MUP) or the Master of Urban Planning is a two-year academic/professional Masters degree that qualifies graduates to work as urban planners. ... Urban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities. ... Urban planning is concerned with the ordering and design of settlements, from the smallest towns to the worlds largest cities. ...

External links

• Royal Town Planning Institute
• American Planning Association
• International Society of City and Regional Planners