Top Skills Urban Planner | carballo/shutterstock

Vision: the ability to envision physical and social alternatives to the existing urban context

Data collection: often in challenging environments over a short period of time, requires not only qualitative or quantitative research skills, but also exceptional organisation skills and adapting to changing circumstances

Analysis: make sense of demographic information to recognize urban trends. Analysis of the overall context, data and stakeholders make up the early stages of the planning process

Understanding social and environmental impact of plans, as well as design and aesthetics

Communication (external): being able to clearly articulate your plans, whether one-on-one, with a public presentations or in a report, should not be underestimated

Communication and collaboration (internal): create an environment where information is shared – the more constant and clear communication, the more effective team

Project management: managing resources (personnel, financial and and IT). Before work commences, it’s vital to identify a team with the the right mix of skills and realistically estimate the timeframe and budget required to get the job done

Lead a multidisciplinary team

Stakeholder management: involving and influencing the range of stakeholders. Negotiation, facilitation, mediation and advocacy

Delivering despite the constraints!