Almost a month into planning school, I can see the profession’s all about improvisation. How do you think on your feet when a client doesn’t like your design? What other cities can you turn to when a sudden mandate comes down to look for policy innovation? Or let’s say you’re a planning professor. The financial markets have started a tailspin, eating themselves alive and swallowing MBAs whole. How’s your lesson plan gonna change?
Almost a month into planning school, I can see the profession's all about improvisation. How do you think on your feet when a client doesn't like your design? What other cities can you turn to when a sudden mandate comes down to look for policy innovation?
Or let's say you're a planning professor. The financial markets have started a tailspin, eating themselves alive and swallowing MBAs whole. How's your lesson plan gonna change?
Two reasons it's great to be a first-year planning student right now (other than, you know, the world's rapid haphazard urbanization): 1) With the economy tanking, I can't think of a better time not to be tooth-and-nailing it in the job market. And more important, 2) in an academic setting we can see what a game-changer the new economic rules are for planning. As one professor calls it, "a front-row seat to history."
So plans were jettisoned. Discussions organized. Syllabi torn up like devalued currency. (Okay, so we haven't hit hyperinflation. Yet.)
Urban economics class? Now it's understand-how-the-hell-this-happened class. Intro to property development? Make that be-thankful-you're-in-school-because-if-you're-a-developer-you're-not-getting-any-loans-any-time-soon class. At least in graphics class, we can still learn Google SketchUp unencumbered. Might as well build buildings in SketchUp, ‘cause they're not gonna get built in real life.
This financial business is complicated stuff. Most people don't really understand what's going on, and even fewer have the time or ability to sit and really think through what went wrong and how we're going to deal with it. But even though my planning program, like most, is just two years, it's school, which means we can stop and take the time to discuss how the economy was screwed and what implications it has for planning.
So what does it all mean for planners? With the bailout package in limbo and so much day-to-day market variability, it's kind of tough to know at this point. But the biggest thing our professors have made clear: Money, both public and private, is going to be a lot harder to come by in the coming years.
In the short term, at least, money's going to come with a lot more strings attached, and it's only going to go to borrowers with established credit history. (Just out of planning school? Sorry, but that diploma's about as valuable as those ripped-up syllabi.) With so much less liquid capital to go around, major projects might be put on hold for a few years.
Municipal bond market? Shot to hell. Looks like already cities are pulling back on major development because they just don't have the cash.
But in the long term, this could actually be good for planning. The lack of oversight in the last 15 years is what got us into this mess, so any money that goes into projects or development-public or private-is not going to be spent lightly.
A prospective homebuyer with no income and shaky credit might've found an easy mortgage five years ago, but not this week. With any luck, planning and development will be carefully vetted before any money is thrown at it, which will hopefully-hopefully-lead to smarter, better, more innovative ideas. And the profession will be stronger because of it.
Or is this just pie-in-the-sky dreaming? What do I know? I'm just a naive planning student.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
