A planner is:
An Enabler.
Planners perform a positive role, as they enable development to proceed and
allow developers, environmentalists, the public, and others involved in the
future of towns and cities a
voice and stake in sustainable
development issues.
A Facilitator. A
planner undertakes an essential role in facilitating development and
environmental protection as well as facilitates an on-going process of
discussion and negotiation with and between a range of actors and institutions
that shape the future of urban areas.
A Choreographer. A
planner plays a pivotal mediation role between different interest groups and vested
interests in the city, and choreographs the various pressures and conflicts of
interests that typically come to the fore in discussions over the future of
cities.
A Strategist. A
planner manages a complex political and policy-making process in urban areas
that requires long- and medium term planning and attendant strategic thinking
across short-term needs and conflicts.
An Adviser. A
planner is expected to advise his or her employer, and other actors and
institutions in an urban area, imparting professional opinion based on the
development of unique knowledge and skills, and to do so in an impartial way.
An Educator. A
planner works in an environment where his or her decisions, or those of others
in the urban area with a responsibility for the future of cities, need to be
disseminated among professionals and the public at large, and where decisions,
choices and the rationale behind them are adequately explained
Source: Jones (2002). Suggestions for ‘Value-Added by The
Professional Planner, UCL.
