Planning Skills: An Examination of Supply and Local Government Demand

Abstract

Using results from two national surveys, this article explores differences in what planning skills are deemed most important from the perspectives of planning educators and practitioners. Many core planning skills have endured across all contexts, but we find that communities experiencing population decline exhibit demand for different skills than growing communities. Planning educators value teaching skills more closely aligned with those valued by senior-level planners when compared to skills demanded for entry-level planners. Our discussion examines the implications of these findings for the continued coevolution of planning practice and education.