What are the most important policy issues facing urban planners and environmental consultants?

1 Climate change and resilience

Climate change is one of the most urgent and complex policy issues that affect urban planning and environmental consulting. It poses significant risks and impacts on urban infrastructure, services, ecosystems, and populations, such as extreme weather events, sea level rise, heat stress, and water scarcity. Urban planners and environmental consultants need to adopt a resilience approach that enhances the capacity of cities and communities to adapt to and recover from climate shocks and stresses, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting low-carbon development. This requires integrating climate considerations into all aspects of urban planning and environmental consulting, such as land use, transportation, energy, water, waste, and green spaces.

2 Social equity and inclusion

Social equity and inclusion are essential for achieving sustainable and livable urban environments. However, many urban planning and environmental consulting policies and practices may unintentionally create or exacerbate social inequalities and exclusions, such as spatial segregation, gentrification, displacement, environmental injustice, and lack of participation. Urban planners and environmental consultants need to ensure that their policies and practices are responsive to the diverse needs, preferences, and rights of different groups and individuals, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized ones. This requires applying a social equity and inclusion lens to all aspects of urban planning and environmental consulting, such as housing, mobility, accessibility, affordability, safety, and governance.

5 Professional development and education

Professional development and education are the means to enhance the knowledge, skills, and competencies of urban planners and environmental consultants. They are crucial for ensuring the quality and relevance of urban planning and environmental consulting services and products, and for fostering a culture of learning and innovation. However, they may also be insufficient, inaccessible, or disconnected from the needs and demands of urban planning and environmental consulting practice and policy. Urban planners and environmental consultants need to pursue and promote continuous and lifelong professional development and education, and to engage with diverse and interdisciplinary sources and platforms of learning and knowledge exchange, such as academic institutions, professional associations, peer networks, and online resources.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?