A Bold Vision and a Brand Identity for the Planning Profession

Abstract

R. W. Firestone's Cityscape Pink is a bold image capturing the essence of a city. In this Longer View essay, Bruce McClendon argues that the profession of planning needs a similarly bold vision and compelling brand identity in order to claim its proper place among many competitors offering similar services. He aims to distinguish the planning profession in the eyes of the public and the minds of planners themselves. Three commenters respond with different perspectives on the status of the profession and how best to improve it. Firestone is a psychotherapist with a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Denver and the author of nine books. He grew up in the New York City area and opened his private practice in Los Angeles, treating patients suffering from schizophrenia. With a group of friends he has sailed to many parts of the world, and both his practice and his travels figure into the subjects of his artwork. Planning has become a generic product in a confusing, overcrowded, and highly competitive marketplace. The public does not know what planning is or how to differentiate among planning specialists. Relying on a bold back-to-the-future approach, I argue that it is the production, administration, and implementation of comprehensive plans that once was and still is the profession's unique and distinctive technical competency and core mission. By using branding techniques to define, link, and reconnect planners with comprehensive planning, it will be possible to tell the planning story in a way that communicates the emotional benefits and value of the profession and strengthens the public's respect and appreciation for planners.