Here's how you can connect with professionals in other cities or regions as an urban planner.

Your network is an integral part of what you can bring to an employer as far as your experience and ability to deal with complex situations. In order to expand your network I would recommend engaging with presenters and colleagues at conferences and symposiums with conversations about real world examples. You can also reach out to authors and posters to provide additional examples that may tie into the scenarios they are describing. Make an effort to actually connect with the presenter/author/planner rather than simply sending an invitation to connect on LinkedIn without any real basis. You're far more likely to make a "connection" if you've actually made a connection first.

Urban planning is a fast changing discipline that is influenced by various dynamic factors.To catch up the changing and fast transforming urbanizing world one needs to stay updated and in touch with other urban planners.By connecting with professionals in other cities as an urban planner one can be benefited through strong networking, learning, and collaboration.For this purpose one shall remain active on professional platforms like linkedin, attend virtual conferences,webinars, publish blogs , professionals articles,maintain a strong alumni connect, reach-out/have interface with professionals nd have professional memberships.All this is likely to benefit anyone of us as a professional.

Theoretically, this approach aligns with the concept of "Communities of Practice" introduced by Etienne Wenger. These communities are groups of people who share common concerns or interests and improve their knowledge and skills through regular interaction. In the digital age, these communities have transitioned to the online space. Active participation in these forums is consistent with Albert Bandura's "Social Learning Theory," which emphasizes the importance of learning through observation and interaction with others. Additionally, this approach relates to Robert Putnam's concept of "Social Capital," which emphasizes the value of social networks.

With growing urbanisation, urban planning globally has assumed complex dimensions. Urbanisation remains different / distinct in different countries, regions across globe. Accordimgly, urban planning has to be different in different regions. In developed countries, where urbanisation has reached saturation , strategy for urban planning shall be to manage/mitigate challenge's of urbanisation.In case of developing countries,having large population living in rural areas, it will be fallacy to look only at urban planning. Valuable shall be that rural areas & urban areas are brought on same platform of planning, by opting for Regional planning, followed by Urban and rural Planning.Neglecting Regional/Rural planning shall be fallacy.

The first step is to look for people and places that interest you. If you're going on holiday, look into the governance and reach out. You never know. Read journal articles, follow university lecturers (many are improving at sharing content), and reach out if something interests you. I love connecting and always try to respond to a genuine message. Read a book, think about a topic, and try connecting with the authors. They'd love to hear you like their work. Regarding wider forums, I might be too old for this, but many forums cover sub-areas like 'cycling' or 'AVs.' Be careful of becoming too close to such groups, as they often exhibit group-think and confirmation bias.

If I could include a diagram here, I would. The diagram would show breadth -> depth on x-axis, connections -> knowledge on y-axis. It is important to realize where professional engagement sits within this framework. While you can engage in depth + knowledge, it is important to not go 'too far down the rabbit hole' for long-term development. Conversely, you need to know where breadth of connections is too much – this is like a marketplace that just too busy . The connections + depth is where you can solidify lasting partnerships– this is a garden, make sure it tended. Breadth + knowledge stimulates innovation and new ideas, which is important, but don't overdo it – this is a kids playcentre, be interested but afraid.

I completely agree! Being part of professional groups like the APA has significantly broadened my network. Attending their events and workshops has not only helped me meet urban planners from various regions but also allowed me to gain insights into different challenges and solutions. Engaging with peers and sharing experiences truly enriches our professional growth.