Urban Planner and City Planner Business Cards for AICP Certified Professionals

Urban planners and city planners are the professionals who guide how communities grow, change, and sustain themselves over time — determining where housing is built, how transportation networks function, how natural resources are protected, how economic development happens, and how communities create the environments where people live and work. Planners work in municipal and county government (the largest employer), regional planning agencies, state agencies, the federal government, and private consulting firms serving public clients.

What Urban Planner Cards Include

Your Credentials and Certifications

• AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) — APA (American Planning Association); the primary planning credential; requires an approved planning degree + work experience + passing the AICP examination; CPE (Continuing Professional Education) required for maintenance; highly sought by public employers and prestigious in the planning profession
• APA member (American Planning Association) — the primary professional organization; "APA member" or "Member, American Planning Association"
• FAICP (Fellow, American Institute of Certified Planners) — APA honorary distinction recognizing extraordinary contributions to planning; "FAICP"
• AICP candidate — for those in the process of obtaining AICP
• PE (Professional Engineer) — for planners with transportation engineering background
• LEED AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional) — GBCI; relevant for sustainable planning and green building specialists
• CMSM (Certified Manager of Shelter Services) — for planners in housing / homelessness
• CNU-A (Charter of New Urbanism Accredited) — for new urbanist planners
• REM (Registered Environmental Manager) — for environmental planners
• CEP (Certified Environmental Professional) — ABCEP; for environmental specialty
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) credentials: GISP (GIS Professional) — GISCI
• PMP (Project Management Professional) — for planners managing large capital projects

Your Planning Specialties

Land use and comprehensive planning:

• Comprehensive plan (General Plan) development and update
• Land use policy
• Zoning code development, amendment, and administration
• Subdivision regulations
• Environmental review (NEPA, CEQA)
• Growth management

Transportation planning:

• Transportation system planning
• Transit-oriented development (TOD)
• Complete streets planning
• Active transportation (bicycle and pedestrian)
• Traffic impact analysis
• Transportation demand management (TDM)
• Long-range transportation plans (LRTP)

Housing and community development:

• Affordable housing planning
• Housing element (CA) or housing plan
• CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) administration
• HOME Investment Partnership administration
• HUD programs
• Housing needs assessment
• Anti-displacement policy

Environmental planning:

• Environmental impact assessment (EIA, EIS, CEQA)
• Climate adaptation planning
• Resilience planning (flood, wildfire, sea level rise)
• Sustainability and green infrastructure
• Brownfields redevelopment

Economic development:

• Economic development planning
• Business district planning
• Redevelopment and revitalization
• BRAC (Business Retention, Attraction, and Creation)
• TOD / mixed-use development

Urban design:

• Form-based codes
• Design guidelines
• Streetscape design standards
• Historic preservation (HP designation, CLGs)

Regional planning:

• Regional comprehensive planning
• MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) functions
• Regional housing needs allocation (RHNA)
• Air quality conformity determination

Community engagement:

• Public participation and outreach
• Equity and environmental justice planning
• Community visioning
• Participatory GIS

Design for Urban Planners

Public Sector Professional, Community-Focused, Analytical

Urban planner card design:

• Government or consulting professional standard
• Community and city aesthetic (maps, plans, urban imagery)
• Analytical and policy-professional

Color palette:

• Navy + white: public sector authority
• Forest green + white: sustainability and environmental planning focus
• Deep teal + white: modern planning professional
• Warm gray + white: clean policy professional

Back of Card

1. "Urban Planner | AICP | APA | GISP (if) | LEED AP (if) | [City/County/Agency or Consulting]"
2. "[Specialty: Land use | Transportation | Housing/CDBG | Environmental | Economic development]"
3. "Comprehensive planning | Zoning | Environmental review (NEPA/CEQA) | Housing policy"
4. "Affordable housing | TOD | Climate resilience | Urban design | Community engagement"
5. "[email] | [phone] | [LinkedIn] | [Agency/Firm + City]"

Checklist

• [ ] AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners)
• [ ] FAICP (if honorary distinction)
• [ ] APA membership
• [ ] GISP (if GIS specialty)
• [ ] LEED AP (if sustainability focus)
• [ ] PMP (if project management)
• [ ] PE (if transportation engineering)
• [ ] Specialty area (land use, transportation, housing, environment, economic dev)
• [ ] Comprehensive plan / general plan
• [ ] Zoning and land use
• [ ] Environmental review (NEPA, CEQA)
• [ ] Housing and affordable housing
• [ ] Transportation planning
• [ ] GIS capabilities
• [ ] Public participation and equity
• [ ] Municipal / county government or private consulting