How to Become a City Planner

Becoming a city planner can be a really rewarding job for those who like to see their hard work reflected in small, everyday ways. Good city planning is a puzzle. You have to account for the conflicting needs of different residents, balance the books to ensure the city isn’t losing money, and do all that while working within a complex legal system.

For some, that’s daunting, but for others it’s an exciting challenge and one where good results can really change people’s lives in a big way.

But how exactly can you become a city planner? What are the education requirements? What will your career path as a city planner look like, and what are the skills you’ll need on a day-to-day basis?

What Does a City Planner Do?

We’ve talked in broad terms, but now let’s focus on the daily life of a city planner. Because city planning is such a complex puzzle of a discipline, no one person is ever responsible for everything – not even for small districts. A city planner’s responsibilities are generally focused on an area of expertise, be that logistics, economic development, or even coordination between different departments.

This brings us to one of the real negatives of city planning and a fact you’ll simply have to come to terms with if you want to build a career in this discipline. City planning is all about politics.

The simple fact is that if you want funding for your department and for the project that you believe will make a difference, then you’ll need to get eyes on you. You’ll need to find support within local government and with the public, and you’ll need to be good at championing your cause.

We’re not saying you’ll need a party affiliation or to make big speeches, but you will need to be okay with playing the game at least a little bit. You’ll also need to be okay with compromise, and you’ll have to learn how to negotiate.

It’s important to note that this isn’t about conflict but cooperation. Other departments won’t understand how important your project is unless you can convince them of it. They also aren’t likely to champion it unless it matches their goals. The same will be true of you from their perspective.

What Degree do you Need to Be a City Planner?

It should come as no surprise that before becoming a city planner, you’re going to need an Urban Planning degree. Furthermore, it’s probably best to pursue a master’s.

Urban Planning covers all the subjects we’ve talked about so far and more. You’ll learn about land management, you’ll learn about housing, you’ll learn about the anatomy of a city from the central business district to suburban neighborhoods, and you’ll learn how money and politics tie all of this together.

All told, Urban Planning is a blend of geography, law, environmental studies, political science and design, all focused on a single outcome. The aim is to leave you with a broad perspective on the world so that you can help to build better cities for everyone.

City Planning Career Paths

In general, the best-paying city planner jobs are in larger urban areas where both demand and requirements are highest. Big cities tend to have larger budgets, but their needs are more complex because many types of people live in the same area.

If you’ve got a specialist role in mind early on – and specialization is generally the path to better earnings – then big cities will be for you. In smaller areas, by contrast, one individual often has to wear more hats but need not be as committed to any one area of expertise.

All of that said, there is one massive caveat to consider – one that any expert in urban planning should know only too well. While you’ll be paid more in the city and be financially independent, the cost of living is also higher. So in practice, large cities don’t always translate to higher pay overnight. As always, there’s a balance to consider.