How to get into the field

I have always said that the most important thing that one acquires when doing a planning degree is the local connections. Similarly, planning faculties and the activities which they promote can also be a good source for local networking. I actually became interested in planning because of a ridiculous change to the local street pattern in my neighbourhood. I went on a "jihad" to find out who decides these things (the history of local land-use planning is fascinating in most places) but kept banging into walls at the city, so I eventually turned to a professor at the local planning faculty for help. He conveniently was the head of the planning faculty and was sufficiently impressed with my initiative that he invited me to do a PhD with him!

Obviously this does not work well in areas where there is no local planning faculty (fortunately there are quite a few big ones in the North West). Also, it probably is not realistic to expect someone with years of experience to go back to university just to make connections. But even without formally enrolling, planning faculties often host a wide range of discussions and charettes on issues of local interest. If you are comfortable approaching academics, get a faculty list and identify which people work in the area which is most interesting for you. Find out their office hours and go introduce yourself!

Also, in some cities there are groups of individuals who get together informally (or formally) to discuss various themes of mutual interest. For example, in Montreal the regional transit agency puts on a monthly colloqium on various issues related to regional transit issues. These meetings are open to the general public, but they are not advertised widely so one really needs to know about them (hence the importance of local contacts). There are also various local groups which lobby for this or that.... The best way to make connections is to get out there and meet people!

Good luck!

ps as for the "minimum one year experience" brush-off - be creative! Sure you may not have one year experience in the US (how could you? you didn't live there!), but surely you have other experience.... You need to sell yourself.

If you have planning experience elsewhere, you may count it towards the experience needed to apply for AICP certification.
The knowledge gained in preparing for the exams and the credibility that comes with the certification may go some distance.

Hi planningnw,

You might consider interning or volunteering part- or full-time at a nonprofit or local government agency to gain the planning experience you need and to begin building your professional network.

Good luck!

Chris Steins, Editor
Planetizen - www.planetizen.com