How I Got Involved in Urban Planning Without a Degree (And How You Can Too)
I’m not an urban planner. I didn’t go to school for it and I don’t plan to.
Yet, I’ve become fascinated with how our built environment impacts our lives. And that’s not something I think anybody needs a degree to understand and then to fight for.
In this article, I’ll share my journey in this, and along the way, share how you can be involved in shaping the future of our towns and cities, without a degree, at a grassroots level.
What Radicalized Me: Car-Free Travel
When I graduated college, I ditched my lease and traveled around the world. I planned on traveling for a few months, but I ended up living without a lease for two years.
As I traveled I could see how different surroundings affected my quality of life. I felt how Medellín’s initiative to add millions of plants improved my day-to-day, or how Anaheim’s wide boulevards and sweeping parking lots made living as a pedestrian stressful.
I felt the difference between people-first neighborhoods and car-centric ones.
I learned about how much land cars occupy, how all that concrete exacerbates heatwaves, and leaves us susceptible to flooding. I learned how those who walk or take transit tend to be healthier. I learned the destructive history of the construction of the highways. I learned the links between suburban sprawl and our housing crisis.
I began to think that, if you could show me a societal problem, I could show you how bad urban planning relates to it, and how better urban planning can improve it.
And This Stuff Matters. A Lot.
Housing and transportation are two of our biggest costs.
We decide where to live based on the cost of housing, and the built environment determines the types of homes available and the communities we can live in.
In New York, it’s hard to go a day without talking about the cost of housing or the quality of one’s commute. Yet, culturally we have not built a strong grasp of why these things are the way they are.
Better Urban Planning Doesn’t Need to Be Complicated
In The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs makes one of the most important points about urban planning and city life: we can all understand it. She writes, “The processes that occur in cities are not arcane, capable of being understood only by experts. They can be understood by almost anybody.”
The core ideas and concepts are simple enough. A lot of them are based on, as urban planner Jarrett Walker would say, “geometry.”
Simple logic, math, and geometry play a big role in urban planning.
It’s true, many nitty-gritty details likely won’t ever be mainstream conversation. However, I believe we are capable of a cultural shift around urban planning conversations.
We Need More People to Get Involved
In fact, we need people without urban planning degrees to get involved.
We need this to be a cultural shift. It’s not complicated to understand induced demand, or why widening highways don’t reduce traffic. For culture to shift, we need ordinary people talking about it.
That means people like you and me.
How to Get Involved: A Few Ideas
A lot of this will be a projection, because these are the things that I’ve done.
1) Find a Local Group and Advocate: Start Offline
When I moved back to New York, I started volunteering with a local environmental non-profit called South Bronx Unite. While not focused on urbanism, a lot of their work intersects directly with air pollution, driven by poor urban planning and car traffic in the Bronx.
In this city, there are also advocacy groups like Transportation Alternatives and Riders Alliance doing great work. Most U.S. cities have an advocacy group. Maybe they focus on cycling, transit, or environmental challenges. If there isn’t one, start it.
Find a free community space, grab two or three people you know, and start meeting once a month to talk about what you’d like to see for your community.
Talk about concepts related to urban planning. Begin to build a cultural understanding of the core concepts. Start a book club and read Jane Jacobs or Jarrett Walker.
The Local Political Level Affects This a Lot
Bike lanes, parking, parks are decided at the city or town level. In your community is where you can have the most impact.
As much as I’ve written about urban planning and transportation, as many TikToks as I’ve made, I know I’ve accomplished far more in my community, “offline.”
In Dialogue is How You’ll Learn
Talking to people in New York is how I’ve come to understand debates about installing bike lanes. It’s no substitute for reading.
2) Read. Don’t Just Binge YouTube
Urbanist YouTube is great. TikTok can be great. But to understand this stuff, I’ve found books most helpful. That’s where the details are.
Of course, there are well-researched YouTube channels (like CityNerd), and poorly researched books. But in general, I’ve found that reading is where I can engage with urban planning ideas and hear differing viewpoints.
3) Create Content
It’s hard to say what impact all of my TikToks and articles have had. It’s not like offline advocacy, where you engage with people and work together towards something.
At the least, creating content about urban planning has helped me clarify my thinking. A lot of debates have encouraged me to research more, to learn more, and to understand the nuances.
For that alone, I’ve enjoyed it.
We Need You Out In The Mix!
There has been some backlash against “urbanists” like me: those who don’t have a degree and have never planned a city. To the real urban planners, I would say this: you are here to lead, and we are here to learn, listen, and advocate. We all need each other. We’ll get a lot more done if we’re united in bringing these topics to a broader audience.
If you have any questions about my journey and thought process about fighting for safer, cleaner, more fun, and more affordable cities that are prepared for the future, leave it below!
Also feel free to send me an email through my website contact form.
