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

Urban planners and city planners shape the physical, social, and economic development of communities — developing comprehensive general plans, administering zoning and land use regulations, conducting environmental impact analysis, coordinating housing policy, designing transportation networks, facilitating community engagement processes, and advising elected officials and planning commissions on policy decisions that affect how communities grow and change over time. Planners work for city and county governments, regional planning agencies, state transportation departments, federal agencies, and private planning consulting firms.

What Urban Planner Cards Include

Your Credentials

• AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) — the primary professional credential for US urban planners; administered by APA (American Planning Association); requires education, experience, and examination; commitment to ongoing professional development
• APA member (American Planning Association) — the primary professional organization; AICP is APA's credentialing division
• FAICP (Fellow, AICP) — honorary designation for exceptional contribution to the planning profession
• State planning certifications (some states: CA, NC, WA have separate or additional requirements)
• LEED AP — for planners focused on sustainable development
• AICP CAPP (Certified Planning Commissioner) — for planning commission members
• Real estate license — some private-sector planners hold a broker license for development consulting

Related credentials frequently held by planners:

• PE (Civil or Transportation) — for engineering-focused planners
• JD — for land use attorneys who practice planning law
• REALTORS® member — for development-side planners
• CDBG certification — for community development block grant administrators

Urban Planning Specialties

Comprehensive / General Planning:

• Comprehensive plan development and updates
• General plan elements (land use, housing, circulation, open space, safety, noise)
• Community visioning
• Strategic planning for cities and counties

Land Use and Zoning:

• Zoning code development and amendment
• Conditional use permits (CUP) / special use permits
• Variances and appeals
• Development applications and entitlements
• Specific plans and area plans

Transportation Planning:

• Traffic impact analysis
• Complete streets planning
• Transit-oriented development (TOD)
• Active transportation (bike/pedestrian)
• Transportation demand management (TDM)
• CEQA/NEPA transportation analysis

Housing Planning:

• Housing element law compliance (California)
• RHNA (Regional Housing Need Allocation) analysis
• Affordable housing policy
• Density bonus law analysis
• ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) programs
• Mixed-income development coordination

Environmental Planning:

• CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) compliance
• NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) compliance
• Environmental Impact Reports (EIR) and Environmental Assessments (EA)
• Climate action plans
• General plan safety element (natural hazards, wildfire, sea level rise)

Community Development:

• Neighborhood revitalization
• CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) administration
• Economic development
• Affordable housing administration

Urban Design:

• Form-based codes
• Design guidelines
• Downtown revitalization plans
• Streetscape design

Government vs. Private Sector

Government (city/county planner):

• Title: Associate Planner, Planner I/II/III, Senior Planner, Principal Planner, Planning Director
• Application review, permit processing, hearing officer work

Private consulting:

• Project manager for entitlement consulting
• Environmental review consulting
• Transportation planning
• Development advocacy

Design for Urban Planners

Professional, Civic, Design-Aware

Urban planner card design:

• Civic and professional aesthetic
• Map or urban imagery — aerial plan, street grid, city skyline
• Clean and planful (the profession is literally about planning)

Color palette:

• Teal + white: civic planning
• Navy + gold: traditional planning authority
• Charcoal + white: private consulting

Back of Card

1. "AICP | APA | [Title: Senior Planner / Associate Director / Principal Planner]"
2. "[Agency: City of [X] | [County] | Regional Agency | [Consulting firm]]"
3. "Land use | Zoning | CEQA/NEPA | Housing element | Transportation | Urban design"
4. "Comprehensive plans | Specific plans | EIR | Traffic impact | ADU | Entitlements"
5. "[phone] | [email] | [LinkedIn] | [website] | [City, State]"

Checklist

• [ ] AICP credential
• [ ] APA membership
• [ ] FAICP (if fellow)
• [ ] Agency or firm
• [ ] Planning specialty (land use, housing, transportation, environmental)
• [ ] CEQA/NEPA expertise
• [ ] Housing element (California)
• [ ] Transportation planning
• [ ] Urban design (if applicable)
• [ ] LEED AP (if applicable)
• [ ] LinkedIn (planning community is LinkedIn-active)