A structured yet personalised journey to help urban planners gain clarity, confidence and international agency.
Not a course
A guided journey: 1:1 mentoring, collective learning, digital content and global networking.
Personalised
Each mentee follows their own pathway within a shared framework that gives rhythm and continuity.
Outcome
Move from uncertainty to clearer positioning and a more intentional career strategy.
Urban planning careers are no longer linear, nationally bounded or defined only by technical expertise. Today's urban professionals operate in a global, highly competitive environment shaped by climate change, digital transformation, housing pressure, mobility transitions, social inequality, governance challenges and new forms of public–private collaboration.
Many urban planners have strong technical skills but lack structured support to navigate career choices, international opportunities, specialisation, visibility and long-term positioning. This programme was created to respond to that gap.
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The methodology starts from a clear diagnosis: many career challenges faced by urban planners are not caused by lack of talent, but by structural gaps in how professional development is supported after formal education.
The five gaps
Strong academic and technical training does not always translate into a clear career strategy. Many professionals know what they can do, but not where they should position themselves.
Career decisions are often made in isolation or through informal advice. The programme gives mentees access to experienced professionals who have navigated similar transitions.
Urban planning now spans climate, mobility, digital urbanism, governance, participation and data. Mentees are supported in defining a clearer identity within this evolving ecosystem.
Many planners understand their national context but have limited exposure to international labour markets, institutions, professional cultures and transnational networks.
Professional development is often treated as a one-off moment. The programme creates structured moments for reflection, recalibration and strategic decision-making over time.
Participants do not move through a rigid syllabus. They combine individual mentoring, thematic content, webinars and community interaction according to their own professional priorities. The journey gives each mentee a clear rhythm while preserving flexibility for personalised development.
The mentee learning journey
Mentees are introduced to the programme structure, tools, expectations and available learning formats. This phase helps participants understand how to engage and how to take ownership of their journey.
Mentees reflect on their professional context, current challenges and career priorities. The objective is to move from broad aspirations to clearer mentoring goals.
The core phase. Mentees engage in one-to-one mentoring, attend thematic webinars, access digital content and interact with the community. Insights are tested, refined and translated into concrete decisions.
Mentees synthesise what they have learned, reassess their professional positioning and define next steps beyond the formal programme.
The mentoring experience is built through multiple formats. Each one plays a different role, but together they create a coherent learning ecosystem.
Individual mentoring is the core of the programme. Mentees meet experienced professionals in confidential, focused sessions designed to support reflection, strategic decision-making and practical next steps.
The platform provides curated audiovisual content, methodological resources and strategic materials that mentees can explore at their own pace.
Mentors and mentees discuss key professional challenges affecting urban planners across sectors, geographies and career stages.
We foster collaboration across the community through initiatives such as the "Mentorship Knowledge Series", while helping mentees grow their visibility and expand their networks through actions like "Meet this Urban Planner", all under the CITIES FORUM brand.
High-impact in-person moments, including the final technical encounter in Madrid and informal gatherings linked to international urban events.
Some mentees enter the programme looking for clarity. Others are seeking internationalisation, strategic repositioning, confidence after stagnation, specialisation or access to new professional ecosystems.
Personalisation is built into the methodology. Each mentee selects mentors, prepares sessions, reflects on outcomes and adjusts priorities as new insights emerge — a roadmap that evolves with the participant.
Personalised mentoring roadmap
Career stage, background, challenges, aspirations.
Clarify priorities and mentoring focus.
Identify relevant mentors according to goals.
Discuss, reflect, test ideas, receive guidance.
Refine focus as clarity increases.
Leave with clearer positioning and next steps.
These modules are not a rigid curriculum. They act as shared reference points that help mentees interpret their professional situation, prepare mentoring conversations and participate in collective discussions.
Helps mentees define professional direction, understand their current position and make more intentional career decisions.
Explores new areas of opportunity: climate adaptation, sustainable mobility, digital urbanism, governance innovation and participatory approaches.
Transversal skills for complex urban environments: systems thinking, communication, collaboration, leadership and adaptability.
Supports mentees in communicating their value, building credibility and engaging with international professional ecosystems.
Managing time, energy, focus and resilience to build a sustainable and impactful professional trajectory.
The programme supports urban planners and city-related professionals at different moments of their career. It is especially relevant for participants navigating strategic questions about direction, specialisation, internationalisation, visibility or professional transition.
For professionals with limited practical exposure who need orientation, confidence and a clearer understanding of the urban planning ecosystem.
For professionals with accumulated experience seeking repositioning, internationalisation, specialisation or leadership opportunities.
For professionals redefining their role, moving between sectors or geographies, or building a more coherent professional narrative.
Not casual advice. A structure designed to help urban planners build long-term professional agency.
Mentors bring lived professional experience across sectors, institutions and geographies.
Each mentee follows a pathway that evolves as their clarity, goals and priorities change.
Individual sessions, webinars, peer exchange, digital content and in-person encounters working together.
Grounded in trust, confidentiality, psychological safety and professional responsibility.
The International Mentoring Program for Urban Planners helps participants move from fragmented experience, uncertainty or career stagnation towards a more intentional professional trajectory.
Through mentoring, reflection, peer exchange and international exposure, mentees gain the tools to understand where they are, where they want to go and how to position themselves within the evolving global urban planning ecosystem.