Urban Planner and AICP Certified Planner Business Cards for Land Use and City Planning Professionals

Urban planners, city planners, and land use planning professionals are the AICP-certified or planning-degreed professionals who guide how communities use land, build transportation systems, develop housing, preserve open space, manage environmental impacts, support economic development, and create the frameworks for sustainable, equitable, and livable communities.

What Urban Planning Cards Include

Your Credentials

AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners):

• AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) — the primary professional certification; APA (American Planning Association) sponsored; requires a planning degree + relevant work experience + passing the AICP examination (100-question multiple-choice exam covering planning history, theory, law, ethics, and practice) + APA membership; AICP is widely expected for senior planning positions in both public and private practice; annual continuing education requirement
• AICP candidate — working toward AICP; some planners note this while pursuing certification

APA membership and recognition:

• APA (American Planning Association) member — the primary national organization; join through APA + state chapter
• APA Fellow (FAICP — Fellow, American Institute of Certified Planners) — honorary; distinguished service to the planning profession; APA's highest membership honor
• APA Chapter member — state APA chapter
• Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) member — for planners working in new urbanist, TND (Traditional Neighborhood Development), and transit-oriented frameworks
• Urban Land Institute (ULI) member — real estate and land use development; many planners hold ULI membership

Planning degrees:

• M.U.P. (Master of Urban Planning) or M.U.R.P. (Master of Urban and Regional Planning) or M.C.P. (Master of City Planning) — the standard graduate professional degree; PAB (Planning Accreditation Board)-accredited
• B.S. in Urban Planning or B.A. in Urban Studies — undergraduate planning degrees
• Ph.D. — research and academic planning

Related credentials:

• LEED AP — for planners working in green building, sustainable development, and resilience
• SITES AP — sustainable sites; for planners with landscape/ecology focus
• PMP (Project Management Professional) — PMI; project management for complex planning processes
• AICP-certified in specialty areas:
• GISP (Geographic Information Systems Professional) — GISCI; GIS specialist for planners using spatial analysis
• CTP (Certified Transportation Planner) — ITE; transportation planning specialty (some planners pursue PTOE or CTP)
• California AP (Associate Planner) / Associate Planner certification — state specific

Your Planning Specialty

Comprehensive and long-range planning:

• General Plan / Comprehensive Plan preparation
• Element updates (land use, housing, circulation, open space, safety, noise)
• Strategic planning
• Vision and scenario planning
• Fiscal impact analysis
• Population and demographic analysis

Current planning and development review:

• Zoning administration and interpretation
• Discretionary permits (conditional use permits, variances, design review)
• Subdivision approval and map acts
• Site plan review
• Density bonus and affordable housing review
• Annexation and prezoning
• General plan amendment

Zoning and land use law:

• Zoning code drafting and amendment
• Form-based code design
• Mixed-use and transit-oriented zoning
• Inclusionary zoning (affordable housing mandates)
• Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) programs
• Downtown and specific plan preparation
• Historic preservation zoning overlay

Transportation planning:

• Multimodal transportation planning
• Complete streets design
• Transit planning (BRT, rail, bus)
• Active transportation (bicycle and pedestrian) planning
• Vision Zero safety planning
• Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
• Level of Service (LOS) and VMT analysis (post-SB 743 in California)
• Transportation impact study (TIS)

Environmental planning:

• CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) review
• NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) review
• Environmental Impact Report (EIR) preparation
• Mitigation monitoring
• Air quality, greenhouse gas, noise, and biological analysis coordination
• Climate action planning (CAP, GHG inventory)
• Resilience planning (sea level rise, wildfire, flood)
• Natural Resources: Habitat Conservation Plans, CEQA Biological Assessments

Housing and community development:

• Housing Element preparation and update (California AB 2011, SB 9, etc.)
• RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) compliance
• Affordable housing policy and program design
• Community development block grant (CDBG) planning
• Anti-displacement and gentrification mitigation
• Homelessness response planning
• Section 8 and voucher program coordination

Economic development:

• Redevelopment and revitalization
• Business improvement district (BID) formation
• Opportunity Zone planning
• Downtown and main street revitalization
• Economic impact analysis

Urban design:

• Urban design guidelines
• Streetscape improvement plans
• District character planning
• Form-based codes
• Public space and park master plans

Design for Urban Planners

Color palette:

• Teal + white: planning, sustainability, future
• Navy + white: public agency authority
• Green + white: environmental and open space
• Orange + gray: urbanist energy and creativity

Back of Card

1. "AICP | APA Member | FAICP | GISP | LEED AP | PMP | CNU Member | ULI Member"
2. "Long-range planning | Current planning | Zoning | CEQA/NEPA | Transportation | Housing policy"
3. "General Plan | EIR | Housing Element | Specific plan | Form-based code | TOD | Complete streets"
4. "Municipal | County | Regional | Private consulting | Developer representation | Non-profit"
5. "[Agency / Consulting firm] | [City, State] | [phone] | [email] | [LinkedIn]"

Checklist

• [ ] AICP certification
• [ ] APA membership (and state chapter)
• [ ] FAICP (if honorary fellow)
• [ ] GISP (if GIS specialty)
• [ ] LEED AP (if sustainability focus)
• [ ] PMP (if project management)
• [ ] CNU (if new urbanism)
• [ ] Planning specialty (long-range, current, transportation, environmental, housing)
• [ ] Agency or firm context (municipal, county, private consulting)
• [ ] State-specific credentials (e.g., California specific certifications)
• [ ] LinkedIn (important in planning consulting and public-private collaboration)