Identity crisis
People may think that urban planners are having an easy time in pursuing their career in the United States; however, there is an identity crisis in the field of planning. The planners have some degree of discomfort in identifying their profession. They feel that the media and the public have not recognized the role that planners play in addressing complex issues in urban cities (Myers & Banerjee, 2005). Architects, developers, and politicians will always receive praises for their uphill struggle to erect complex buildings in the town; however, the planners, who play a critical role in the development of the project, remain invisible. Landscape architects, engineers, and economists are examples of professionals, who will always claim to have done much work in planning to solve urban problems, whereas, the urban planners are proud of nothing. For this reason, the planning professionals are lacking confidence and self-awareness, as other professionals are encroaching into their field. Recently, planners erupted tensions to express their grievances concerning their accreditation documents. They want to have clear identification that distinguishes academia and profession in carrying out the urban planning role. The professional planners are bitter because the society encounters problems in identifying the expertise planners as many rivals claim to have mastered urban planning. The entire scenario causes confusion, as the planning field in the United States is susceptible to threats in one way or another. Indeed, the vaguely defined field of planning lacks clear boundaries and identity.
Suggestions to reshape planning
As discussed, professional planners are facing difficulties in defining and identifying their roles because of the vague definition of the planning career. Therefore, it is a high time that the American Institute of Certified Planners developed a sharp way of professional identity. The institute should emphasize on retrenchment and restrictiveness to address the problem of the porous planning profession. However, planners should note that they need the help of other professionals to succeed in planning effectively. In the process of producing, administering, and implementing plans, they should adhere to the following imperative points.
Focus on human settlement
It is noteworthy that in the contemporary world, half of the world population is migrating into urban centers (Myers & Banerjee, 2005). The population in the urban centers may rise significantly in the future. Therefore, urban planners are obligated to ensure that there is efficient infrastructure, and there is affordable and efficient housing in the urban cities. Healthy cites with proper networks and sufficient business units are examples of properly planned urban centers. Moreover, the planning exercise must focus on ensuring that there is adequate space for quality public life, and there is sustainable planning that emphasizes on protecting the environment.
Comprehensive interconnections
Apart from emphasizing on formal documentation, it would be wise for the planning professionals to make interconnections with the government, other professionals, the private, and public sectors. Indeed, the interconnections would play a great role in formulating a comprehensive approach towards solving planning problems in the urban areas.
Focus on the future
Planners ought to recognize the fact that things change over time. They must ensure that they reinvent the planning field to be at par with the requirements of the post-modern era. It is noteworthy that people in the contemporary world have a great concern about urban planning, as it affects them in one way or another. Moreover, the number of new students desiring to pursue a course in urban planning has risen significantly. Therefore, the first step of addressing the professional identity crisis is reviewing the academic programs, and adjusting them accordingly to serve the profession. Reviewing the knowledge, skills, and components of the curriculum to ensure that they address the planning needs of the evolving world is a great example of an approach that focuses on the future of professional planning. Most importantly, the educators should encourage the learners to develop personal connections with the planning professional, as the future of urban planning is tricky.
Equity and diversity
The most important thing in addressing urban planning issues is holding public negotiations and allowing various people to express their ideas. Ordinary citizens, people in the public sector, businesspeople, and people in other professionals would play a significant role in developing useful ideas to upgrade communities. The planners should be ready to apply diverse methods of planning the urban areas. The diverse strategies should help in diagnosing problems and designing solutions that aims at improving the communities.
Collaborative decision-making
The comprehensive interconnections play a significant role in bringing many intellectual brains together. In the decision-making process, for example, architects, economists, developers, and the planners can all come up with strong decisions concerning urban planning. The collaborative decisions would play a critical role in encouraging smart growth by enhancing sustainable planning, new urbanism, livability, healthy cities, and enhancing globalization.
Linking knowledge and collective action
The field of planning requires the integration of intellectual knowledge and professional practice for success. The planners are required to ensure that they establish the rightful foundation of knowledge to the learners. Thereafter, the learners will go the field and make a collective action with the public and other professionals to practice their planning career.
Certification of planners
Certification is a very important aspect that enables planners to have an official recognition with the public. Qualified planners swear to serve the public professionally, equally, and with utmost integrity. In spite of the challenges that planners encounter during their practice, they are obligated to adhere to certain ethical codes depending on the underlying situation. Certified planners always struggle to ensure that they act according to the set rules of conduct, which they are held accountable. The rules of conduct are highly respected as the planners can lose their certification if they breach them. Planners who fail to adhere to the rules are susceptible to sanctions, and if the matters become worse, they lose their certification (American Planning Association, 2009). Therefore, certification acts a tool that the association of planners uses to manipulate and streamline all the practices of the certified planners. The planners cannot do any formal assignment without the certifications. By default, all certified planners are members of the American Planning Association (APA). They work toward achieving the goal of building inclusive communities, facilitating public awareness of the planners’ role, and motivating the public to respect them.
Certification and ethics
It is evident that certification has a direct link with ethical conducts in the planning profession. This is because certified planners are obligated to comply with certain rules that address ethical practices in their career. Planners, for example, are obligated to provide adequate, timely, and accurate information regarding planning issues. They ought to employ the ethical code of honesty in every aspect of their career. Certified planners are cautioned about handling illegal tasks, especially if they are doing it knowingly. In case of suspicious occurrences while dealing with a client, the planners ought to consult other qualified planners before proceeding with the assignment. Formal and informal advice is extremely important in trying to investigate a particular issue, and in that case, the planners ought to act professionally. Corruption or acceptance of monetary incentives to act in favor of a client is an illegal act that has an associated ethical lesson. Essentially, the ethical principal of respecting the rights of everyone rebukes corruption (American Planning Association, 1992). Therefore, it is unethical for a certified planner to discriminate or harass clients because of their inability to bribe. The certified planners are made aware that in most cases, they will encounter matters that clearly indicate that some of the clients have self-interests. In such cases, planners ought to be lenient, and they ought to employ fairness to all the affected participants. They ought not to make private discussions that might lead to unfair decisions, which may harm one of the parties involved.
As described, it is evident that almost every code of conduct has some relationship with a certain ethical value. The IAPA is very strict such that the certified planners cannot get away with serious crimes. False swearing, fraud, deceit, bribery, theft, and extortion are examples of serious crimes that a certified planner can commit. All these crimes violate certain ethical rules; thus, committing any of the crimes is similar to breaching the corresponding ethical requirement. Therefore, every time certified planners adhere to the rules of conduct, they embrace certain ethical principles. Likewise, when they breach any of the rules of conduct in their professional career, they infringe a certain ethical principle.
References
American Planning Association. (1992). Ethical principles in planning. Chicago, IL: Author.
American Planning Association. (2009). AICP code of ethics and professional conduct. Chicago, IL: Author.
Myers, D., & Banerjee, T. (2005).Toward greater heights for planning. Journal of American Planning Association, 71(2), 121-129.