Questions

1. How will planning change over the next 10 years? Over the next 20?
2. How long have you been practicing planning and what changes have you seen over your own career?
3. What changes would you like to see in the planning field? What changes would you NOT want to see?
4. What do you think planners will be doing differently in 10 and 20 years as compared to now?
5. How should the planning profession adapt to these changes?
6. In what ways will you retrain and acquire new skills?

Some Thoughts/Observations on the Future of the Planning Profession

1. The (latest) environmental movement will provide opportunities for planners if we make ourselves a strong part of it and associate planning with environmental responsibility more frequently.
2. Integration of technology (GIS, Project Websites, electronic tools for gathering citizen input, blogs, etc.) in planning is continuing to produce major changes in the profession. This trend will continue.
3. Instant communications and the internet have accelerated changes. Many aspects of society have become much more “short term” in orientation. Immediate results are expected. Elected officials are under more pressure and scrutiny. Collectively, these conditions can undermine the longer term context of traditional planning. As a result, many plans are now more short-term, oriented to quick results. This trend will continue.
4. Planning is a process that is difficult to quantify, evaluate, defend and market in a “results oriented” environment. Nevertheless, the importance of planning and the planning process is greater as few acceptable alternatives exist.
5. Although few fields require broad based skills required of planners, the need for specialization in planning is growing. Specialization is also occurring among the private sector planning firms.
6. In the past, planners would often make specific recommendations to elected officials. We are now more likely to identify and advise as to the likely outcomes of various alternatives than make specific recommendations.
7. In the future planning decisions will require even more integrated linkages between infrastructure, transportation, environmental, land use and fiscal considerations. Regional planning should become even more important.
8. Planning is complex and difficult to communicate effectively. Many communities spend a great deal of time informing residents of planning initiatives/outcomes and this trend will continue.
9. Continuing to get the word out about what planners do will be critical to its acceptance in the future whenever resources are stretched.
10. Limited dollars requires better decision making. Our mantra should be: “Planning leads to better decision making.” Or “Planning Saves Money.”
11. The use of consulting planners (including independent planning consultants) will grow as municipalities cut costs and developers are required to reimburse municipalities for the costs of development review.

The Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of urban and regional planners is expected to grow 15 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than the average for all occupations (www.bls.gov/oco/oco2016.htm). Following is a list of industries employing Urban and regional planners sorted by 2016 projected employment.

Industry-Occupation Employment Matrix
Employment Projections Occupation Across Industries

Note: “Total employment” and “Total wage and salary employment” is presented for comparison purposes.

Some Strategies and Resources

• Articles in recent Planning magazines (the July and October 2009 issues) discuss things planners are facing in changing/challenging times. Online, see http://www.planning.org/jobs/silverliningarticle.htm.
• APA-IL members are considering a supportive gathering of some sort for Un/Underemployed Planners; details have not been set but watch www.ilapa.org for information later this winter.
• Stay involved in professional activities like the APA Ambassadors, Illinois APA’s Pro Bono program, and others to help raise the level of awareness about the planning profession.
• Write to your representatives in Congress about the Livable Communities Act to improve opportunities and funding for planning and sustainability projects. See http://www.policylink.org/livablecommunities.

Planners participating in the facilitated discussion brought up the following issues and observations:

• We need to identify the new demands that will be placed on the planning profession so we are ready for them
• We should focus on the technical aspects of the profession that make us the experts
• Planners are the hubs of the wheels - in government, in particular - we intersect with all the other functions
• The biggest challenge we face is changing the mind of the public - combating the "American ideal". The economic downturn is a good time to change people's minds
• Planners will be expected to focus more on energy and conservation issues
• The number of roles we play keeps growing
• How will the trend toward privatization affect us?
• Home Owners Associations are increasing in number and scope, changing the ways governments and planners interact with private citizens and developments
• Geographic Information Systems have changed the way planners do their jobs in some places, but are still too expensive for many smaller communities
• Our role as educators is undervalued

If you have a topic in mind that merits further discussion in a Chapter newsletter article or at a conference session, e-mail the editor at editor@ilapa.org!