Urban Planner Business Cards for AICP Certified Community Development Professionals

Urban planners and community development professionals are the policy, design, and analytical experts who guide the long-term physical development, land use, transportation, housing, environmental, and social equity decisions of cities, metropolitan regions, suburban communities, rural areas, and tribal nations. Planners work in local government (city and county planning departments), regional planning agencies (MPOs, COGs), state planning offices, federal agencies (HUD, EPA, DOT), consulting firms (engineering, planning, and design), nonprofit community development organizations, real estate development, and academic institutions.

What Urban Planner Cards Include

Your Credentials and Certifications

AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners):

• AICP — the primary professional certification for urban planners; administered by APA (American Planning Association); requires a graduate degree in urban planning (or bachelor's with additional experience) + minimum years of planning practice + passing the AICP exam; demonstrates commitment to the profession and ethical practice
• FAICP (Fellow, AICP) — honorary designation; for planners with 15+ years of AICP certification and distinguished contributions to the planning profession
• AICP Candidate — for planners who have applied for AICP but have not yet completed all requirements

Academic degrees:

• MUP (Master of Urban Planning) or MCRP (Master of City and Regional Planning) or MURP (Master of Urban and Regional Planning) or MCP (Master of City Planning) — the primary graduate degrees for urban planners; programs accredited by PAB (Planning Accreditation Board); required for AICP eligibility (with less experience required than a non-PAB-accredited degree)
• MUPP (Master of Urban Planning and Policy) — policy-focused track
• MS in Transportation Planning / Environmental Planning / Housing Policy — specialty track
• Ph.D. — for planning research and faculty
• JD + MCRP or JD + MUP — combined law + planning for land use law, zoning, environmental law

APA (American Planning Association) member:

• APA member — the primary professional organization
• APA Division memberships (specialty): Urban Design and Preservation, Housing and Community Development, Environmental Planning, Transportation Planning, Small Town and Rural Planning, Economic Development

Related credentials:

• LEED AP ND (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Neighborhood Development) — GBCI; sustainable neighborhood and community development
• CNU-A (Charter of the New Urbanism Accredited Professional) — CNU; traditional neighborhood development and new urbanism design principles
• ENV SP (Envision Sustainable Professional) — ISI; sustainable infrastructure planning
• RPA (Regional Planning Association) member — New York metro regional planning
• RCEP (Registered Continuing Education Provider) — APA training
• PMP (Project Management Professional) — for planners managing major planning projects

State planning registration: Some states have their own planning registration: New Jersey (PP — Professional Planner), Michigan (CPM), Minnesota. Most states rely on AICP nationally.

Your Planning Specialties

Land use planning:

• General plan / comprehensive plan development and update
• Zoning ordinance development and amendment
• Variance and conditional use permit processing
• Subdivision review
• Annexation planning
• Development code update

Urban design:

• Urban design standards and guidelines
• Form-based code development
• Streetscape and public realm design
• Mixed-use development design review
• Historic preservation

Transportation planning:

• Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) planning
• Long-range transportation plan (LRTP)
• Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
• Active transportation planning (bicycle, pedestrian, complete streets)
• Transit-oriented development (TOD)
• Mobility management
• Transportation demand management (TDM)
• Parking management

Environmental planning:

• CEQA / NEPA environmental review
• Environmental impact report / environmental impact statement (EIR/EIS)
• Climate action planning (GHG inventory, CAP development)
• Sea level rise vulnerability and adaptation
• Wildfire hazard planning
• Flood hazard mitigation planning
• Green infrastructure planning
• Air quality planning

Housing and community development:

• General plan housing element
• Affordable housing policy and zoning (inclusionary, density bonus)
• Housing needs assessment (RHNA, AFFH)
• Community development block grant (CDBG) administration
• Redevelopment and brownfield revitalization
• Displacement and anti-displacement policy
• Fair housing planning

Economic development:

• Economic development strategy
• Business improvement district (BID) management
• Opportunity zone planning
• Downtown revitalization
• Industrial land supply analysis

Regional and rural planning:

• Regional planning (county, multi-jurisdictional)
• Rural small town planning
• Agricultural land protection
• Watershed planning

Design for Urban Planners

Policy, Design, Place-Based Authority

Urban planner card design:

• Policy and design professional aesthetic
• Urban and community identity
• Technical and professional

Color palette:

• Navy + white: government and policy authority
• Forest green + white: environmental and sustainability planning
• Warm rust/terracotta + cream: urban vitality and community character
• Charcoal + light sage: professional planning consultancy

Back of Card

1. "AICP | American Institute of Certified Planners | APA Member | FAICP (if)"
2. "[Specialty: Land use | Transportation | Environmental | Housing | Urban design | Regional]"
3. "Comprehensive planning | Zoning | CEQA/NEPA | Housing element | TOD | Active transportation"
4. "[Agency / Firm / Municipality] | [City, State]"
5. "[email] | [phone] | [LinkedIn]"

Checklist

• [ ] AICP (primary credential — most important)
• [ ] FAICP (if fellow)
• [ ] APA membership
• [ ] Academic degree: MUP / MCRP / MURP (accredited program)
• [ ] LEED AP ND (sustainable community planning)
• [ ] CNU-A (new urbanism / form-based code specialty)
• [ ] ENV SP (sustainable infrastructure)
• [ ] State planning registration (NJ PP, etc. — if applicable)
• [ ] Planning specialty (land use, transportation, environmental, housing, economic)
• [ ] Jurisdiction type (city, county, regional, state, federal, consulting)
• [ ] Key technical skills (CEQA/NEPA, GIS, housing element, climate action plan)
• [ ] Agency or firm name
• [ ] LinkedIn (important for consulting and professional network)