December 11, 2024
Ask a Community Planner – Frequently Asked Questions
Urban and community planning is more than just designing spaces—it’s about shaping the future of our communities through thoughtful, inclusive, and innovative approaches. Whether you’re just starting your career, looking for ways to enhance community engagement, or exploring how technology can revolutionize planning, understanding the profession’s intricacies is key to making a meaningful impact.
At JBPro, we value the expertise and creativity planners bring to every project, and wanted to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about community planning! Sharing insights directly from our seasoned experts.
Community Planning FAQs
Question: Is it possible to have meaningful engagement on a planning project if it is part of a larger community event?
“Yes! Community events, such as festivals, farmer’s markets, parades, 5k races, downtown events, and holiday activities, are great places to host meaningful community engagement events. Building your community engagement efforts around these events will:
- Increase participation in your planning process. As a result, your community plan will have a variety of input from a more diverse group of community members than you would receive through more traditional community workshops or public hearings.
- Increase awareness of your community planning efforts
- Introduce them to a wider group of community members
To ensure your planning efforts benefit from community events, you will need to develop a strategy that considers how your community events will be used. The key is to thoughtfully map out your community event and planning process.
An effective community event planning strategy includes:
- Aligning the dates of community events with the steps of the community engagement process;
- Tailoring the engagement activities of each event to the information needed at that point in the process;
- Providing an array of engagement activities for different age groups and different community interests (e.g. games, coloring stations, interactive maps, and vision boards);
- Publicizing your participation and providing branded merchandise; and
- Encouraging all event attendees to participate in the activities—residents and visitors alike.
Community events can be the focus of your community engagement efforts or supplement other activities.”
– Kathie Ebaugh, FAICP, Director of Planning
See some examples of how residents from Williston, FL engaged with their upcoming community projects:
Question: What does the career track of a urban/community planner typically look like?
“What I love about this profession is the freedom to shape your career around what excites you most.
Most planners start out doing the fundamentals, such as completing staff reports and analyzing data—often exposing to them planning’s broad spectrum of focus areas and specialties. Some planners may choose to specialize in fields which interest them, such as transportation, school, or environmental planning, while others may prefer to remain generalists and utilize specialists when the needs arise.
Successfully completing projects will often result in opportunities to move into management, thus allowing experienced practitioners to empower the next generation of planners to forge career paths of their own! “
– Nick Hill, AICP, Senior Planner
Question: How can planners leverage technology to create more effective planning projects within our communities?
“Planners can leverage technology in every phase of the planning process. It can be used to collect and visualize complex data, model potential scenarios, or share information with stakeholders in real time. Technology also streamlines workflows, simplifies application tracking, and strengthens public engagement by broadening outreach and accessibility. By integrating technology into planning processes, planners can deliver data-driven, transparent, and targeted projects that are responsive to community needs. ”
– Rachel Mandell, AICP, Senior Planner
Partner with JBPro to Shape Your Community’s Future
At JBPro, we believe in the impact of planning to create vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable communities. From charting dynamic career paths to fostering meaningful community engagement and integrating cutting-edge technology, the opportunities within this field are vast and impactful.
As a team dedicated to building better spaces for everyone, we’re here to support planners at every stage of their journey and ensure projects reflect the communities they serve. If you have questions about community planning for your next project, connect with us—we’d love to be part of your community’s story.