This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Guzzetta, J. D. Articles by Bollens, S. A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Urban Planners" Skills and Competencies

Are We Different from Other Professions? Does Context Matter? Do We Evolve?

Department of Planning, Policy, and Design at the University of California, Irvine

Scott A. Bollens

Department of Planning, Policy, and Design at the University of California, Irvine

A survey asks 638 planning, planning-related, and nonplanning professionals in Southern California which job skills they value most. The authors want to know whether planners" perceptions of significant skills are different from other professions, whether the context within which planners operate makes a difference, and whether the perceived importance of skills evolves with career experience. They find communication skills to be valued more than technical and quantitative skills across all three groups. However, planners value certain types of communication—report writing and writing for the public—more than planning-related and non-planning professionals. Professional planning con-text matters; public-sector planners value written communication more than private-sector planners. And, planners" valuation of skills changes with length of planning experience, implying an evolutionary model. The authors discuss implications for graduate education and training curricula.

Key Words: urban planners • job skills • graduate education • midcareer training curricula

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. A. Hirt Toward Postmodern Urbanism?: Evolution of Planning in Cleveland, Ohio Journal of Planning Education and Research, September 1, 2005; 25(1): 27 - 42. [Abstract] [PDF]