“Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”
[Lewis Caroll, Alice in Wonderland]
This month our guest blogger is our intern Lisa Crossan who, continuing our Alice in Wonderland theme, tells us in her own words why she wanted to become a planner. It’s great that she’s been so inspired by her environment and wanting to make a positive difference to people’s lives within this, which is exactly what we believe planning should be about. We’re just hoping that a rather hectic month in the Aurora Planning office hasn’t put her off…!
Which way ought I to go from here?
Coming from a background in geography, I have always had an interest in places, people and the way the two interact, and towns and cities are spaces where they do that intimately every day. So I saw becoming a town planner as a means to help shape the way towns and cities develop and improve the environments people live in.
Something I have always found fascinating, and what perhaps first sparked my interest in planning, is how the history of cities is reflected in the way they have been planned and developed over time and influence our everyday lives. Cities can be likened to a palimpsest – a space where over time new elements get “written” over the old ones, suitable for the needs of the population at a current time in history. And to me, the prospect of being involved in this re-writing of an urban landscape is extremely exciting.
Such involvement might be in making key decisions at a strategic level, for example helping to shape and improve the physical environments in cities. Or it might be at a more local level, working closely with communities to help meet their needs. Particularly as the world is becoming ever more urbanised, it is important that we find innovative solutions to develop and grow our cities in ways that are beneficial for everyone. In trying to balance the needs of communities, businesses and transport in a way that is sustainable for the environment and for future generations, it could be said that planning professionals have one of the most important jobs of the 21st Century! Especially as planning decisions often leave a lasting physical legacy.
Living in various places in Southern Africa throughout my life – and comparing these places to cities I have lived in in Scotland – made me start to question why cities in different places took such distinctive forms; whether it was the planning system which was different, their histories, or both. This led me to take an interest in the planning system itself, and how it is used to make decisions about future development and the use of land, in both towns and cities and in more remote areas.
How this development would affect a place not only in physical terms, but socially and economically, is something which really made planning stand out to me as an all-encompassing profession, where you work with people from a variety of backgrounds such as architects, property professionals and engineers. That means planners are continually learning and absorbing from the people they interact with daily. The planning system is also constantly being reviewed and updated, therefore planning is never at a standstill, and so planners must always be aware of – and responsive to – the changes in their profession to ensure decisions made are as well-informed as possible. This is crucial as planning can be an emotive and polarising subject, and so decisions made must be with the highest degree of certainty.
Planning is a collaborative, dynamic profession that is always looking for solutions for a better, more sustainable future – since planning is about shaping the future by using and developing the limited land we have in the right way. Balance is often key to finding the most suitable way to do this, through negotiation between tensions and trade-offs, all the while keeping a clear focus on the overall vision.
So, if you are looking to be part of a profession which is dynamic, multi-disciplinary and ultimately looking to create a better future, and are indeed like Alice wondering which way you “ought to go from here”, then perhaps like myself, a career in planning is the best choice you could make.
Thanks for reading!
Lisa
We wish Lisa all the best in her chosen career! Meantime, to find out about how aurora planning can assist you in any aspect of the planning process, please visit www.auroraplanning.co.uk or email info@auroraplanning.co.uk. If you would like to keep up to date with our blogs and bulletins, sign up using the form below.