Debatt: Planerarrollen i samtid och framtid: Kunskaper, förmågor och färdigheter

Societal challenges affect the ways in which planning is carried out and contribute to new expectations and demands for the skills and abilities of the planner. From having almost solely focused on the regulations of land use through the development of land use plans, have, for example, the facilitator, coordinator, process manager, catalyst, urban designer and spatial agent become new possible roles for the planner to adopt. This article discusses future planning roles and what conceptions spatial planning students have of their future profession. What fundamental knowledge do students need to achieve for their future professional practice? How do they perceive the role of the planner? And, what kind of planner do we, de facto, educate?