Planning for Planning
April 21, 2020 9:40 AM Subscribe
Urban and regional planners – how did you get your job? Where did you do to school? What have you learned along the way and what resources can you recommend?
I would like to pursue a master’s degree in urban planning, but I’m not quite sure which direction to head. I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude (a miracle) from a state university. Although my degree is in Communication, I minored in Urban and Regional Planning (and I loved it).
Where should I consider applying? Right now, I’m looking at Ann Arbor, Wisconsin, and Albany, but I’m open to suggestions. Distance isn’t necessarily a concern – I don’t mind relocating.
Bonus points if the program has a full-tuition waiver for graduate assistantships.
If you've worked in the planning field -- do you recommend it? Do you have any anecdotes (so I know exactly what I'm getting myself into)? Anything that you advise young planners to do?
I would like to pursue a master’s degree in urban planning, but I’m not quite sure which direction to head. I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude (a miracle) from a state university. Although my degree is in Communication, I minored in Urban and Regional Planning (and I loved it).
Where should I consider applying? Right now, I’m looking at Ann Arbor, Wisconsin, and Albany, but I’m open to suggestions. Distance isn’t necessarily a concern – I don’t mind relocating.
Bonus points if the program has a full-tuition waiver for graduate assistantships.
If you've worked in the planning field -- do you recommend it? Do you have any anecdotes (so I know exactly what I'm getting myself into)? Anything that you advise young planners to do?
My partner went to Ohio State. They have a robust internship program and tuition waivers (or at least they did as of a few years ago).
He's done work in regional economic planning and general town planning type things (contract planner for small towns around here). His work is exploding right now- everyone's trying to figure out the best way through and out of the crisis.
If you're doing town planning, there are a lot of evening meetings, with bonus "you will probably be taken to court at least once" in there (but you'll have the town lawyers to back you up.)
posted by damayanti at 10:14 AM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
He's done work in regional economic planning and general town planning type things (contract planner for small towns around here). His work is exploding right now- everyone's trying to figure out the best way through and out of the crisis.
If you're doing town planning, there are a lot of evening meetings, with bonus "you will probably be taken to court at least once" in there (but you'll have the town lawyers to back you up.)
posted by damayanti at 10:14 AM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
I've been working as a planner for 30+ years (in England) and I have an observation and a wish, in answer to your request for advice. The observation is that the most effective town planners have worked across many different areas of the discipline - in what we call development management (control of planning, planning applications etc.), environmental planning, planning policy and so on. Get comfortable with dealing with people from a range of backgrounds - the public, interest groups, developers, civil servants. Getting experience across the board makes people much better town planners because you get to see at first hand how much impact abstract decisions or ideas will have in reality.
As for the wish - I wish I'd found something I could get my teeth into and really specialised in it. Which sounds like it runs counter to what I said above, but really doesn't. Once you have the broad experiences, find something you find interesting, challenging or just plain worthwhile and go for it. I'm working on the policy side of things now and it suits me and my frayed and tatty skill set, but if I had my time again I would have gone to town on certain aspects of planning policy, like the environment for example.
Good luck!
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 11:25 AM on April 21, 2020 [4 favorites]
As for the wish - I wish I'd found something I could get my teeth into and really specialised in it. Which sounds like it runs counter to what I said above, but really doesn't. Once you have the broad experiences, find something you find interesting, challenging or just plain worthwhile and go for it. I'm working on the policy side of things now and it suits me and my frayed and tatty skill set, but if I had my time again I would have gone to town on certain aspects of planning policy, like the environment for example.
Good luck!
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 11:25 AM on April 21, 2020 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I got an MCRP from Rutgers. It's a great all around program and a great number of the people I went to school with have had good and satisfying career paths. I picked Rutgers because it had a good reputation overall, but especially for transportation planning.
I work at a big consulting firm. I got my job because a classmate of mine had been there a couple years (first as an intern, then as a permanent employee) and they got a big contract he thought I'd be useful for, so he pinged on my resume.
Here's what I think are probably of considerations in picking a school.
First - national reputation means something, but not everything. Don't overestimate the competition -- apply to the best schools that interest you. You should assume you can get in, and not be too disappointed if you don't.
Second - Some planners are very much generalists, while others exist on a spectrum of specialization. But if there's a sub-field you're really interested in, you should go somewhere with a strong reputation and a research center in that area. If you're really big on design, make sure it's got a decent design curriculum.
Third - Geography matters too. It's not the be-all-end-all, but I think it's a good idea to go to school in a region you feel you could work and be happy. You can apply to an internships programs anywhere when you graduate or between years. But I'd argue your best opportunities will be those at hand. Here's my view of the world:
- There are high concentrations of planning jobs in large cities with robust budgets. Beyond city jobs, it's also where other governmental bodies (major County / Regional bodies) are likely to be co-located. There are also significant presence of non-profits doing all sorts of planning and advocacy.
- Larger consultancies have small branches (often through acquisition) all over the US, but their larger offices and regional HQs are in major cities -- many of their larger projects will be run out of those offices.
- Town planning jobs and small firms that service those activities -- updating the local master plan and zoning ordinance, doing site reviews for new development, etc -- are widespread and as numerous. The challenge with small government jobs is low turnover and limited room for growth.
Fourth - talk to the career services person at schools you get into. If they're good, they can help you find a job...like a lot. If they are just so-so, they'll probably just proof read your cover letters.
posted by voiceofreason at 11:28 AM on April 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
I work at a big consulting firm. I got my job because a classmate of mine had been there a couple years (first as an intern, then as a permanent employee) and they got a big contract he thought I'd be useful for, so he pinged on my resume.
Here's what I think are probably of considerations in picking a school.
First - national reputation means something, but not everything. Don't overestimate the competition -- apply to the best schools that interest you. You should assume you can get in, and not be too disappointed if you don't.
Second - Some planners are very much generalists, while others exist on a spectrum of specialization. But if there's a sub-field you're really interested in, you should go somewhere with a strong reputation and a research center in that area. If you're really big on design, make sure it's got a decent design curriculum.
Third - Geography matters too. It's not the be-all-end-all, but I think it's a good idea to go to school in a region you feel you could work and be happy. You can apply to an internships programs anywhere when you graduate or between years. But I'd argue your best opportunities will be those at hand. Here's my view of the world:
- There are high concentrations of planning jobs in large cities with robust budgets. Beyond city jobs, it's also where other governmental bodies (major County / Regional bodies) are likely to be co-located. There are also significant presence of non-profits doing all sorts of planning and advocacy.
- Larger consultancies have small branches (often through acquisition) all over the US, but their larger offices and regional HQs are in major cities -- many of their larger projects will be run out of those offices.
- Town planning jobs and small firms that service those activities -- updating the local master plan and zoning ordinance, doing site reviews for new development, etc -- are widespread and as numerous. The challenge with small government jobs is low turnover and limited room for growth.
Fourth - talk to the career services person at schools you get into. If they're good, they can help you find a job...like a lot. If they are just so-so, they'll probably just proof read your cover letters.
posted by voiceofreason at 11:28 AM on April 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
I received a BS in Natural Resource Planning from Humboldt State University. I ended up with a job as a City Planner and worked in local government for 6 years. Most of my colleagues were career civil servants at best, or simply mediocre in general.
It's really not where you want to be if you want to "make a difference". As city staff, you're simply presenting options to the political system. Counselors and commissioners are the real decision makers.
In addition, you're the face of the development code to the general public, and they hate you for it. "No good deed goes unpunished." is the mantra.
posted by humboldt32 at 11:48 AM on April 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
It's really not where you want to be if you want to "make a difference". As city staff, you're simply presenting options to the political system. Counselors and commissioners are the real decision makers.
In addition, you're the face of the development code to the general public, and they hate you for it. "No good deed goes unpunished." is the mantra.
posted by humboldt32 at 11:48 AM on April 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
My daughter went to MIT for what I think was an MA-level degree nominally in planning. Her specialization was in transportation, and she is now working for the DC Metro. She had no trouble getting a job, I think mostly through the power of MIT being MIT.
posted by SemiSalt at 3:57 PM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by SemiSalt at 3:57 PM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
I got a master's. It was very helpful. Also fascinating -- I'd always been interested in that kind of stuff but never had a chance to immerse myself in it, and suddenly I was surrounded by scholars and other ambitious people who were similarly fascinated. It was great.
Go to school near where you want to live and work -- the connections are very helpful. UC Berkeley and UCLA have good programs. Last I knew, UCB's Graduate Student Instructors did get full tuition reimbursement.
City of LA just furloughed everyone for a month. I'd plan your career around the assumption that a lot of cities will have budget shortfalls for awhile. That still leaves a lot of options, depending on your interests.
posted by slidell at 9:42 PM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
Go to school near where you want to live and work -- the connections are very helpful. UC Berkeley and UCLA have good programs. Last I knew, UCB's Graduate Student Instructors did get full tuition reimbursement.
City of LA just furloughed everyone for a month. I'd plan your career around the assumption that a lot of cities will have budget shortfalls for awhile. That still leaves a lot of options, depending on your interests.
posted by slidell at 9:42 PM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I received a MURP from UW-Madison. That program made it easy to take courses in other related programs, so I wound up doing a lot of work at the real estate school and becoming a land use economist. I was a consultant for one large and one huge firm before returning to the large firm to be a partner and then eventually forming my own company. It was a very rewarding career in every way, but it also entailed traveling at least once or twice a week; I never had children and it would have been hard to parent. I worked for municipalities, counties, states, regional orgs, CDCs, federal agencies, and cultural attractions doing tourism, economic and strategic planning as well as market and feasibility analysis and fiscal/economic impact modeling. Often I teamed up with folks in other disciplines within and adjacent to planning, e.g., for comp plans. Sometimes I worked for developers.
Work was constant; in bad times the clients need help responding and in good times they need help choosing from alternatives. Being a consultant allowed me to morph into new areas that I bumbled into, which kept boredom at bay.
Schools tend to have different flavors reflecting their roots. UW-Madison was policy oriented and weaker on urban design, zoning, and physical planning. Some other schools are much more simpatico with their architecture schools (U-Michigan, UW-Milwaukee) or landscape architecture programs (Clemson).
Feel free to MeMail me if you have questions about any of the above.
posted by carmicha at 9:57 PM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
Work was constant; in bad times the clients need help responding and in good times they need help choosing from alternatives. Being a consultant allowed me to morph into new areas that I bumbled into, which kept boredom at bay.
Schools tend to have different flavors reflecting their roots. UW-Madison was policy oriented and weaker on urban design, zoning, and physical planning. Some other schools are much more simpatico with their architecture schools (U-Michigan, UW-Milwaukee) or landscape architecture programs (Clemson).
Feel free to MeMail me if you have questions about any of the above.
posted by carmicha at 9:57 PM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
Given your background in communication, you might be interested in working as a facilitator, designing public participation plans, etc. It's so important and a lot of planners just suck at it or merely go through the motions. Helping cities/regions/states understand and manage their brand identities is another cross-over field that might suit you.
posted by carmicha at 10:10 PM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by carmicha at 10:10 PM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
To humboldt32's comment above about planners merely presenting options to the real decision-makers--members of the Planning Commission and City Council--that's one of the reasons why I became a consultant; I worked for several cities before going to grad school. The trade-off is that as a consultant you don't see major city-shaping projects through to completion. No matter which path you choose, sometimes the community (politicians, citizens, business types) screws up your perfectly good idea.
The politicization of planning is one of the great tragedies of our profession. Back in the day, planners in top positions didn't have to worry about elections and were therefore able to influence policy and projects that played out over decades. Many cities benefited from having visionary planning directors that outlasted the ebb and flow of political fashions. Now, planners are much more nomadic. This problem is particularly true in cities with strong mayor systems vs those with professional managers running the show day-to-day. If you're a consultant--and feel supported by your company--you can speak truth to power much more easily. They're paying you the big bucks; use that, and the fact that retaining you is a big deal and they're invested in that decision, as a reason to be forthright.
If you're considering local planning, think through whether you want to be a current or long-range planner. Spending time behind the counter (e.g., dealing with zoning questions and as-of-right projects) is eye-opening and allows you to exert a lot of subtle influence since the planning department controls the decision calendar. Zoning is one of the dark arts.
posted by carmicha at 7:30 AM on April 22, 2020 [4 favorites]
The politicization of planning is one of the great tragedies of our profession. Back in the day, planners in top positions didn't have to worry about elections and were therefore able to influence policy and projects that played out over decades. Many cities benefited from having visionary planning directors that outlasted the ebb and flow of political fashions. Now, planners are much more nomadic. This problem is particularly true in cities with strong mayor systems vs those with professional managers running the show day-to-day. If you're a consultant--and feel supported by your company--you can speak truth to power much more easily. They're paying you the big bucks; use that, and the fact that retaining you is a big deal and they're invested in that decision, as a reason to be forthright.
If you're considering local planning, think through whether you want to be a current or long-range planner. Spending time behind the counter (e.g., dealing with zoning questions and as-of-right projects) is eye-opening and allows you to exert a lot of subtle influence since the planning department controls the decision calendar. Zoning is one of the dark arts.
posted by carmicha at 7:30 AM on April 22, 2020 [4 favorites]
I went to grad school at what was a top ten (maybe within top three, I don't remember) ranked program; it looks like those rankings have shifted slightly over time based on that link above, but I suspect that the top 20 or so have been mostly consistent over the years. But like others have said, you need to think about if you want national name-recognition (e.g., MIT) or if you want a school that is really strong regionally, which gives you a huge leg up and connections in the local job market. I was able to get my degree fully funded, but that took additional applications for grants and a lot of reaching out to professors and staff over and above the regular application process.
As people have said, there's likely going to be a lull in hiring (and worse, layoffs) by cities and states (and probably by private companies that rely on those entities as clients), which might make this a good time to sit things out in grad school. If you are lucky, you would graduate into a growing job market, but obviously there is no guarantee.
Also a note on rankings: there are overall rankings of departments, but if you have a particular focus (like, say, transportation modeling, or whatever), the rankings are different, with only a subset of schools being really strong in any given area. So if you are starting out already knowing your focus area, you will be applying to a somewhat different list of schools than if you are more broadly interested and plan to specialize later.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:10 AM on April 22, 2020
As people have said, there's likely going to be a lull in hiring (and worse, layoffs) by cities and states (and probably by private companies that rely on those entities as clients), which might make this a good time to sit things out in grad school. If you are lucky, you would graduate into a growing job market, but obviously there is no guarantee.
Also a note on rankings: there are overall rankings of departments, but if you have a particular focus (like, say, transportation modeling, or whatever), the rankings are different, with only a subset of schools being really strong in any given area. So if you are starting out already knowing your focus area, you will be applying to a somewhat different list of schools than if you are more broadly interested and plan to specialize later.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:10 AM on April 22, 2020
Planning consultants get protected from downturns to some extent by a) state laws requiring plan updates every X years when staff lacks the capacity (time or expertise) to prepare them, and b) politicians' reluctance to hire additional staff for fear they will be perceived as spendthrifts. It doesn't make economic sense, but so it goes.
posted by carmicha at 9:14 PM on April 22, 2020
posted by carmicha at 9:14 PM on April 22, 2020
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posted by sandmanwv at 10:12 AM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]