What impacts do planners have on the communities in which they work?
Because of the work planners do, a city functions more smoothly. Housing is more affordable and of higher quality. Commercial areas have more vitality. Jobs are more plentiful and pay better. People waste less time in traffic congestion. Taxes are lower. Parks are greener and more spacious. Residents and visitors enjoy better lives. Life is beautiful! OK, maybe this is an exaggeration, but it serves to suggest the kinds of impacts that planners have. Of course, planners can accomplish none of these positive impacts on their own. Planners almost always work in coordination with other professionals and with residents and local businesses to plan and implement policies and programs that are expected to lead to the kinds of positive impacts described above. Sometimes the impact of a planner’s work is immediate and obvious. For example, planners in the city of Milwaukee worked with planners and engineers in the state department of transportation to propose the demolition of an underused sec
