Fame
Let's play "Name that Famous City Planner":
Who became a professor at MIT after earning his degree in city planning there, and wrote the book, "The Image of the City"? Right, Kevin Lynch. That was too easy.
Try this one: Who is known as the father and inventor of city planning? Go way back for this one —Hippodamus, way back in the rockin' 5th century B.C. Greece.
Okay, now for something more recent and a slam dunk for anyone with a poster of Robert Moses in their bedroom: Although not a city planner by trade, he was nonetheless greatly responsible for the urban renewal of New York City in the 1930s, and his philosophies influenced a generation of urban planners after him. Answer: Robert Moses. See? Told you it was a slam dunk.
It's possible to be a rock star in the world of city planning. But generally those figures are also bigshot architects, authors, activists, or carry some kind of political clout. Most city planners toil in the background.
To be fair, it's hard to take credit for a successful plan when you're part of a team. City planners collaborate with local businesses, architects, and engineers on ideas. Except in small towns, planners also have one or more co-workers who specialize in transportation planning, environmental planning, and the like. If you can share the limelight and keep your ego in check, you should find plenty of satisfaction in the part you played in the plans that get the green light.