1st Edition
A Guide for the Idealist Launching and Navigating Your Planning Career
1. Introduction: A Guide for the Idealist
PART I. Launching
2. Am I Good Enough?
3. Making Choices
4. What is My Work?
5. What Work Setting?
6. Career Plans Are Useless
PART II. Succeeding
7. Principled Adaptability
8. Being Right
9. Avoiding Wrong
10. Navigating Supervisors, Organizations, and Teams
11. Working with Mentors
12. Conclusion: Your Idealist Story
APPENDIX
A. Generational Differences
B. Methods of Reflection
Biography
Richard Willson is a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Cal Poly Pomona, California. His scholarship is in planning theory, professional development, and transportation planning. Richard Willson holds a Ph.D. in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
"This guidebook for novices in a field that tugs between idealism and practicality succeeds by revealing lessons Willson learned from an exemplary career as a reflective educator and practitioner. There is much to learn from him because he writes thoughtfully of the paths he followed, the insights he gained, and the values these instilled in him."
Martin Wachs, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Urban Planning, UCLA
"Willson argues we need not be ashamed of professional idealism. He shows the reader how a principled adaptability builds character and competence meeting the demands of a complex world. We each can learn to make provisional increments of planned improvement using practical judgment that keeps the big picture in focus."
Charles J Hoch, Professor of Urban Planning, University of Illinois at Chicago
"Willson explores the contrast between idealism and realism —that is, between the advocacy for solutions to challenging transportation problems and the acceptance of a situation as it is. The book offers practical advice for maintaining the ability to be effective in uncertain environments without compromising strong convictions about analytic techniques, design standards, efficiency, and planning values."
TR News Magazine, September-October 2017
