Urban planning jobs: What you need to know

Global urbanization means cities are home to the majority of the world's population. Ensuring these cities are safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable has therefore become a priority of global development, and urban planning professionals can play a critical role in achieving this. “Urban planning is the core of smart cities because it is not the technology that builds the city, it is the people and their perception of the use of the technology itself,” said Nuha Eltinay, director of urban planning and sustainable development for the City Development Strategy Program at the Arab Urban Development Institute. If you are considering a job as an urban planner in global development, here are some of the skills you should develop and opportunities you can expect. Skills “We do have enough policies, frameworks, strategies but the struggle is always how to translate this into practice and most importantly actionable practice.” --— Nuha Eltinay, Arab Urban Development Institute Inclusion is one of the pillars of smart cities, and this involves a participatory approach that engages stakeholders at all levels. Communication is therefore an essential skill, explained Eltinay. “Communication with the community and with the city leaders comes as a top priority because it’s not any more a focus on the planning perspectives in terms of the hard skills of drawings or setting up policies or plans. Now we do have enough policies, frameworks, strategies but the struggle is always how to translate this into practice and most importantly actionable practice.” Eltinay noted that, despite the advances in technologies to develop smarter cities and deliver services, communication is still key if these resources are be effective. “The challenges on pollution, congestion, issues on poverty, informal settlements do exist and it’s again challenging more and more with climate change and other drivers. It is not the fact that we do not have the resources, it’s how to translate, and translation cannot happen without involving the actors. That’s why communication comes as a top priority,” she added. Urban planners must also have some understanding of other factors that influence the design process for cities, such as financial implications and governance framework. A knowledge of the local economy and how it impacts the city, particularly those cities in developing countries, is also important explained Ammar Malik, who is a senior research associate with the Centre on International Development at the Urban Institute based in Washington, D.C., Malik urges those studying or working in urban planning not to become too fixated with the built environment and physical look. “They need to appreciate the ground realities and by that I mean the economic realities — how is the spacial structure of cities impacting economic performance, for example where are the clusters of economic activity, you need to have strong corridors of different industry so that’s economics and economic geography. They also need to realise that there are, in every context that we work in, local political economies — so what are the incentives for local governments, agencies and private sector to actually cooperate with one another,” says Malik. Job opportunities Skills in urban planning can lead to job opportunities across a number of sectors. Private consultancy firms are traditionally the main avenue for jobs internationally. They are often hired by governments that have received loans from donor agencies, such as the U.K. Department for International Development or the World Bank. Urban planners with specific experience might be necessary for consulting firms to win bids for projects, and their role could involve designing master plans, supporting project management and carrying out environmental impact assessments. With many cities now looking to become smarter and more sustainable, there is also a demand within municipality administrations for urban planning professionals to provide research and advice on anything from masters plans, regulation, property taxes, or investment in infrastructure. Eltinay said that while it does vary, “there is a lot of demand definitely at the level of local authorities.” According to Malik there is great demand for urban planning skills to build cities in developing countries, particularly across Asia. Cities that are witnessing the emergence of new settlements, or where there is an interest in mass transit investment, are realizing there is a need for better planning. “If you look at the sheer volume of cities that are being constructed from scratch, or are being redesigned, or big suburbs that are emerging on the outskirts of existing cities, a lot of the action obviously is in Asia. China and India alone are constructing hundreds of cities and there are also a lot of cities where they are trying to retrofit infrastructure,” Ammar added. Demand for urban planners to build resilient, refugee-friendly spaces “I think there is going to be a demand for people who understand actual projects and who can design … projects to make cities more resilient or adapt to climate change.” --— Ammar Malik, Centre on International Development at the Urban Institute Climate change and the resulting natural disasters also pose major challenges to cities and the safety of its citizens. Urban planners are increasingly important in developing and rebuilding cities to withstand the impacts of climate change. Eltinay says that the demand for skills in urban planning is “driven by what is going on around us and the challenges which are taking place.” She noted natural disasters such as tsunamis and mudslides as examples of events that are happening around the world and creating a need for urban planners to contribute to the rebuilding process of the affected communities. Malik agrees that building resilient cities is a big focus of the future. “Because of this resilience agenda and the climate investment fund of the United Nations, there is still, I think, hundreds of millions of dollars worth of investments planned for the next few years in this space. I think there is going to be a demand for people who understand actual projects and who can design actual projects to make cities more resilient or adapt to climate change,” he explained. High levels of migration in the Middle East have also resulted in the need for more urban planning expertise, in this particular region, to shape policies for cities to adapt to the population influx and build capacity. Sawsan Saad worked in both academic research and in urban planning programming for international development organizations in Lebanon, where high levels of immigration have put pressure on public services within certain cities. “In the Lebanese context, and specifically after the Syrian refugee crisis, the main focuses are towards mitigating the negative impact of hosting 1.5 million refugees in less than five years,” says Saad. She explains that urban planning in this context involves everything from understanding and managing tensions between the host and refugee communities, considering competition in the job market, understanding problems with access to basic urban and social services that are already under stress, to building local government capacities. Other areas of focus include stabilizing refugees and focusing on the spatial deterioration of neighborhoods, particularly in poor urban areas and in those cities under stress, such as Beirut and Tripoli. In response to the ongoing refugee crisis, many NGOs now seek experts in urban planning to advise on, and manage, projects involving refugee settlements and services. NGOs including WaterAid, Habitat for Humanity or RTI International, might also seek urban planning specialists to advise on projects involving water and sanitation, urban development or climate change resiliency. Key qualities Urban planners must understand the systems, practices and challenges that are specific to countries and regions, and adapt their approaches to these. “There are a lot of international policies, but if [they] do not target issues like culture or social norms or religion it’s not going to fit, it does have to go from a bottom up approach and so planning systems have to adapt with that,” says Eltinay. An understanding of social issues is also key to Saad’s work in urban planning in cities adapting to high levels of migration. Based on her own experience in both research and in the field, Saad’s advice for any urban planner interested in working in humanitarian crisis or cities under stress is “to get involved in field work and not to stick to his ‘academic’ understanding of people and space, to get more in touch with the field — spatially and socially.” Looking for an urban planning job in global development? Check out these opportunities advertised on Devex.