Are you interested in boosting the health of your community? Do you want to work with people from various backgrounds to develop a better community? Are you interested in positive social, economic, environmental, and physical change?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, the field of planning may be right for you. Planning is a broad professional discipline that directly influences the health of the community. As a public health student, I became interested in the planning field through my coursework and readings here at the University of Rochester. I became especially intrigued after I learned about planning’s application to health equity and how our built environment impacts our health. What is planning and how does it relate to health you may ask?
Get to Know the Profession:
Over the past 20 years, the public health and planning disciplines have become more integrated as shared concerns over air quality, climate change, disaster management, physical activity, and injury and wellness prevention become more dire.1 Today, both public health officials and urban planners collectively work together to improve physical and mental human well-being, strengthen societal systems, and utilize community based outreach to address vulnerable populations.1 Specifically, planners enact change in our built environment to maximize the health, safety, and economic well-being of our neighborhoods in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Overall, planning helps “create communities of lasting value”.2 Planners can do so by crafting methods of preserving and enhancing quality of life, protecting our natural and built environment, pinpointing and suggesting policies to promote equity, and structuring programs and methods to handle growth and development.3
Those in the planning field have the opportunity to work in a wide variety of workplaces. Planners in the public sector most frequently work for city or county governments, however, there are also positions at the town, village, state, and federal level. As well, planners can work for international organizations such as the United Nations and World Bank. Within the private sector, planners may work for utility companies, law firms, real estate developers, and planning consultants. Opportunities also exist within the nonprofit sector with positions existing in agencies such as the United Way, local community development organizations, or advocacy focused nonprofits.4
Specializations:
The field of urban planning is vast, meaning one can focus on various specialties within this occupation. Most commonly, urban planners work in the traditional areas of land use planning, urban design, environmental planning/ permitting, agricultural permitting, economic development planning, transportation planning, and housing and community development planning. However, these disciplines may intersect with many other fields such as engineering, environmental health, medicine, energy development, and many others.4
So this is for you, what’s next?
Caught your attention yet? Ready to start exploring a career in planning? Most individuals within the field of planning obtain their Masters of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP/MUP). According to the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP), degrees from accredited institutions tend to cover the following topics:
- structure and functions of urban settlements
- history and theory of planning processes and practices
- administrative, legal, and political aspects of plan-making and policy implementation
- quantitative analysis
- problem formulation and solving
- plan-making and program design
- planning in a democratic society
To scroll through ACSP member certified programs, check out their website.
Become Involved:
Whether or not obtaining a masters in planning is for you, there are still many opportunities to become involved locally. If you are interested in planning from a civics lens, at any given time there will most likely be projects occurring, contact your local city, town, village, or county to become involved.Stay updated on local planning related work with the following community organizations.
- “C4” City Center Community Coalition – community organization whose main goals are to preserve and promote downtown living.
- Community Design Center – advocate for quality planning and design within Rochester
- Reconnect Rochester – organization working to improve multimodal transportation efforts
- APA Genesee Finger Lakes chapter -local chapter of the American Planning Association
- Rochester Ecology Partners – improve community connectedness through the power of nature
- Genesee Transportation Council (GTC) – Metropolitan Planning Organization
- Genesee Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council – (G/FLRPC)
- Local neighborhood groups involved in development decisions
Read-and-Reflect:
The moment I began thinking about pursuing a career in planning and urban development, I knew I needed more information to make a well informed decision. Listed below are a selection of books that I found helpful and informative in navigating that shift.
- Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam
- So Human an Animal: How We are Shaped by Surroundings and Events by Rene Dubos
- The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
- Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives by Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett
- Bridging Silos: Collaborating for Environmental Health and Justice in Urban Communities by Katrina Korfmacher
Conclusion:
Urban planning is a tool in the equity toolbox that goes undetected by many students interested in public health. If you’re interested in making physical and social change within your community, keep planning on the forefront of your mind.
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