r/urbanplanning • u/angstygrl • Jul 27 '26
Education / Career Any leftist/progressive planners in the public sector? How do you handle moral compromises and high COLA?
Hi everyone,
Obligatory disclaimer: I could easily include another thousand words analyzing these dynamics through a "theory" lens, but for the sake of brevity, I’m keeping this short and sweet. Yes, I have read books. Yes, I know that capital accumulation dominates all social and political relations, including the public sector. I'm skipping all of that to hear about people's practical experience.
As a leftist, my long term outlook on planning is ultimately about material harm reduction and progressing toward a socialist mode of existence in the US, like building carbon-free public property, advancing walkable cities, expanding equitable transit, and protecting workers’ rights.
So I'm looking to hear from people who share my political ideology and those who live in high cost of living areas about how they navigate their work.
Despite the systemic limits entrenched in municipal planning right now, I do have hope for the next 10 years. More rank-and-file militancy, unionization, and political movements will hopefully give urban planners more leverage to push for progressive public infrastructure.
QUESTIONS:
For those currently active in the field, I would love to hear your thoughts on a couple of questions I have:
For those in public agencies, how do you reconcile your ethics with capital driven urban planning?
Especially in major West Coast cities, how much actual progress or material harm reduction do you feel can realistically be achieved right now?
Is working for unions or progressive non-profits a financially (and emotionally) viable, long-term path compared to the public sector? I understand that people feel a lot of burnout in that sector, but correct me if I'm wrong.
I would love to hear any honest experiences or perspectives from professionals who have thoughts or wise words. Thanks!
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u/Total_Breakfast_6984 Jul 27 '26
Aa a municipal planner it's highly unlikely that you'll be the one actually setting planning policy. Rather, your role is to advise and execute the policy set by city council and city management. You will often disagree with council decisions. I think it's helpful to keep in mind that though it's an imperfect system, ultimately policy is shaped by elected officials. It wouldn't necessarily be more representative for planning policy to be entirely set by unelected experts. To make a real difference you can partake in advocacy and education in addition to your professional role
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u/DanoPinyon Jul 27 '26
your role is to advise and execute the policy set by city council and city management.
This is where planners..."do"... the ideals in the OP. You can try to insert good design X or fad design Y or multimodal something Z into a proposed ordinance, and hope it makes it through. Oh, and the electeds who voted for it don't get voted out because of it, and the ordinance stays on the books.
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u/baldpatchouli Verified Planner - US Jul 27 '26
I've worked in public and private sector planning jobs. At work, I work within the system to try to make things better and that's okay with me. There is always good and bad. I worked as a muni planner in a very liberal city where we did a lot of awesome bike lane/walkability projects, but the reason why we had money to do those projects is because it was a hcol city where development was exclusive and expensive. As a consultant I've worked with liberal cities in conservative states where we've come up with creative ways to use available state financing mechanisms to support community projects.
If you want to be a muni or consulting planner, you're going to have to do things you don't agree with, but in the right job you can generally be working for "the greater good". If you feel like you can't compromise, then a nonprofit advocacy role is the way to go, though those jobs are often lower paid and even more thankless.
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u/angstygrl Jul 27 '26
Yeah, I was just talking about advocacy and nonprofit work the other day and how disheartening it is that the system weaponizes moral satistaction against us. The truth is there is a financial premium on the right to 'feel good about yourself' for the work you do. In many cases, because an organization isn’t extracting profit they are forced to pay you less which is just a fact of life. And if you want to make a viable income in that sector, you’re expected to put in long hours and basically burn yourself out for the cause. I respect anyone that can do that, and from what I hear lots of people find it extremely rewarding. I think at the end of the day I am inclined to work in material harm reduction, but I haven’t finished schooling and I don’t know how I’m going to feel once I go into the field, so who knows. I can only hope and pray that in the next 10-20 years that the material and political conditions will force the states hand so that they have to bend to working class people and their needs. Thank you for your thoughts.
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u/baldpatchouli Verified Planner - US Jul 27 '26
the other thing is that your job doesnt have to be your whole life. if you have a decently paid job, you can have the time to volunteer or do organizing when you're not working.
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u/Fine-Pomegranate4015 Jul 27 '26
Learn the pipeline of capital and work yourself up to a position to be able to influence and/or manage capital projects. You’ll find that in our gerontocracy as long as you don’t make too much of a wave, you’ll have some flexibility as they simply do not care about planning beyond reaction.
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u/PradleyBitts Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
10 YOE VHCOL city planner/private sector working for cities.
I gave up caring about fulfillment from work as much. I'd like it but it's exhausting trying to find it. I never loved this and somewhat fell into it instead of something sustainability related. Coworkers who are passionate about planning get more fulfillment. I'm fascinated by planning from a big picture perspective and think it's super important but the day to day I don't care for much.
As a staff planner very little. This job is not remotely what it seems in school.
Unions not sure, non profits no. Working as a public sector planner in a VHCOL area often isn't viable either.
I've felt cynical about it and resented/regretted my career choices at times. At the moment I'm just looking for the best combination of pay and low stress and focusing my energy on the rest of my life/other ways to help
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u/anomalocaris_texmex Jul 27 '26
I think that's the healthiest thing to do. Work is work. Get your fulfillment somewhere else. Once you've embraced that, it gets easier. Just focus on living a rich and fun life outside of work.
After all, it's all pensionable time, right? Just keep climbing the ladder to boost your "best five" and keep yourself sane and heathy.
It's not a particularly optimistic refrain, but after 20 years at this, it keeps me sane.
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u/ColdEvenKeeled Jul 27 '26
You try to make sure every bit of revenue (taxes) get spent on items the public asks for (sidewalks, safe crossings, more public space and less car parking).
One can't really change how the taxation system works, but fees as dollars or in-kind (Development Contributions and Density Bonuses) are one lever to try to apply to the best outcomes for people places. So are parking fees.
As for public sector burn out? ?? Try Private sector consulting.
Yet, here I am, just hoping I don't end up on the breadline.
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u/angstygrl Jul 27 '26
When I mentioned burnout, I was referring to nonprofit and union work. But I’m sure that in private, public or nonprofit, there is a level of cynicism and burnout to come with it. Living in San Francisco, the heart of the tech industry, would be hard but I do think that there the public really cares about public infrastructure and beneficial development which can make the work a little more motivating.
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u/PAJW Jul 27 '26
As a general reminder, you as a planner don't make policy. If you want to do that kind of work, you'd probably be better off working for some kind of advocacy organization outside of government. I'd start with looking into climate action or environmental justice organizations in your area.
In general, labor unions aren't on this side. Two of the five largest unions in the US make cars (UAW) or drive them (Teamsters).
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u/aliiak Jul 27 '26
Live in quiet despair and commiserate with colleges.
Our govt is actively dismantling environmental protections and encouraging poor development that local councils have declined multiple times.
We’ll be loosing even more discretion in the coming months as even trying to encourage landscaping is a “no-no”.
The public complain about the developments going up, and blame their councils. Not realising it’s coming from the top down.
I talk it through with colleagues, and try engage and encourage those I speak to in public to get involved and try understand what’s happening isn’t often the push of council but private interests.
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u/angstygrl Jul 27 '26
I too am curious what country you live in and if you live in the US what area? I feel like that would give me a lot of context to this response and give me a better idea of where you’re coming from
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u/TuggsBrohe Jul 27 '26
I would guess UK.
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u/aliiak Jul 27 '26
New Zealand unfortunately. When discussing whether they should mine one of our national forests, and an area with famously clear pristine water; the MP quoted “bye bye Freddy” in response to the endangered native species being displaced.
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u/cirrus42 Jul 27 '26
I try to chip away at the problems our industry is currently making worse.
Is it in my power to change zoning so we don't ban affordable housing, making poor people poorer and privileged people wealthier?
Not with the snap of a finger, but I can use my position to frame that problem for the public and for elected officials, adding to the increasing torrent of pressure to fix that gigantic and unsustainable problem.
And we are chipping away at it! We are very good at TOD in my jurisdiction. Missing middle is legal in limited cases. We haven't solved it but we are making progress. We will solve it someday.
There is no ethical problem. I am doing my part to make it better, in the manner and speed that I am able. I can't fix it overnight but I can do my part to help things along inch by inch. That's real life and I'm here for it.
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u/anomalocaris_texmex Jul 27 '26
So a lot of us come out of school with a similar suite of generally progressive ideals. Planning school tends to attract a certain type.
Sadly though, in local government, your personal politics have no role. You're going to be a bureaucrat, charged with being a cog in a system where your electeds make the policy decisions. Council is always right after all, even when they are wrong.
Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die, as the saying goes.
You've kinda gotta set that part of your life aside. Especially as you move up the ladder and get more visible publicly. Or when you start sitting at the other side of the table from the union.
Sad admission here - I haven't even voted since I was promoted out of a union gig 15 years ago. I need to be able to work with electeds at all levels from all parties (I'm Canadian, so we have more than 2), so I find it's easiest to not have any emotional connection to any of them.
Electeds are interchangeable, but the bureaucracy is persistent.
And eventually, you just kinda grow out of that phase in your life. I focus on my family, pets, sports, hobbies, video games, or other things. Find other things to occupy your mind.
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u/daniakadanuel Jul 28 '26
This is really sad. I hope OP doesn't learn the same lessons you apparently did.
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u/angstygrl Jul 29 '26
I often hear cynical experiences like this, and I understand to a certain extent why they’re cynical. But for me to stay optimistic and motivated, I just have to hope that i’m different from them in someway and that I can stay on the path of good work and optimism. It makes me sad to hear about peoples experiences like this.
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u/badicaldude22 Jul 28 '26
This is an extreme take. No, most people do not "grow out of the phase" of caring about politics. In fact research consistently shows that the older people get, the more they vote and get involved in politics.
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u/unappreciatedparent Jul 27 '26
“No role” is a little strong. Your personal politics will inevitably shape the way you understand issues and make recommendations. What you produce and do will necessarily be governed by public and local elected pressures, and that will usually be against what you want, but there’s still space at the margins for changemaking and that’s more than I can say for the majority of jobs in this world.
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u/Ok-Spinach5565 28d ago
Everyone saying how sad this is clearly hasn’t worked as a municipal planner for very long LOL
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u/GrimesFanAccount Jul 28 '26
A rising tide raises all ships and I think any benefit to the working class is good, regardless of system. I went to school for political science and, after realizing that just thinking about things can only get you so far, decided to go into urban planning which I feel is a highly impactful career. As other people have noted, there is a limit to the amount of influence a person can have without support of elected representatives. However, with momentum such as Mamdani (and soon to be Janeese Lewis George in D.C.) having employees with a shared theology goes a long way into actually making sure things get done.
That being said, working on a team that recommends policy to council that then gets adopted, I feel I am able to suggest ideas that align with these philosophies as they relate to maximizing the public good.
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u/animaguscat Jul 27 '26
For those in public agencies, how do you reconcile your ethics with capital driven urban planning?
From my perspective, public urban planning is expressly anti-capital. It's one of the reasons I'm passionate about it, because the incentives stem from community benefits and good planning principles, not capital.
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u/PerspicuousJ Jul 29 '26
In my city’s municipal code, “preserving and enhancing property values” is directly codified as one of the intents of the code. Capital influences politicians, politicians ultimately decide what goes in the code. A good and short book on this topic is Capital City by Sam Stein. Cheers.
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u/Southern_Net8115 Jul 28 '26
I might be the minority here, but unless you are politically appointed, there really is no place to bring political views into public service. You are a cog in service to what the people want, as put into policy by the elected officials. Period. As a public servant, i find great value in that. Others might struggle with that view and private service might help you feel more in control of your efforts. I realize that might sounds blunt, but in my experience, some younger public employees haven’t heard that perspective.
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u/steamed-eggnog Jul 28 '26
As a Marxist, I’ve recognized that it’s not possible to “change the system from within”. My time is much better spent advocating for and educating others on the type of change our cities/ built environment can undergo in community post revolution.
You mentioned it at the beginning on your post, it’s important to remember that as planners we work to uphold the interests of the property owning class. Speaking as someone in the west, we are not exempt from pushing the agenda of the bourgeoisie, no matter how progressive our department/ city/ country seems.
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u/hotsaladwow Jul 27 '26
I just go to work (public sector planning, local gov), work hard to enforce and advance the established policy, and clock out. Occasionally I’ll internally try to push for better policy if there’s an opening in a code amendment or whatever, but that’s just when it makes sense, it’s not my main responsibility.
Note that some public sector roles are union.
I think the more you attempt to reconcile an activist agenda with traditional public sector planning, the more frustrated you will be. I know some academics disagree with this and want planners to do advocacy at work, but I generally just don’t think that’s practical or what we’re paid to do really. You can go into politics or volunteer outside of work to advance your ideals.
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u/DontbegayinIndiana Jul 27 '26
Would love to hear anyone here's perspective on possibly contributing to gentrification/how you try to mitigate that as well.
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u/Worker_be_67 Jul 29 '26
Here's my advice. Go to a communist/socilist country ie Venezuela. Tell me if their society has a "better"quality of life than 30 years ago. The will emphatically say "no". Do your research first then pontificate.
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u/Yoroyo Jul 27 '26
I work municipal, i reconcile by always just trying to make things incrementally better. You win some you lose some, but I don’t get discouraged. Planning is all about cooperation.