Municipal engineering is focused on municipal infrastructure. This entails designing, specifying, maintaining and constructing streets, water supply networks, sidewalks, municipal solid waste, street lighting, sewers, and cycling infrastructure, among quite a few other aspects. As far as underground utility networks are concerned, it could also comprise the civil aspect (access chambers and conduits) of the local telecommunication and electrical services distribution networks. It could also comprise optimizing bus service and garbage collection networks. A few of these domains overlap with some civil engineering specializations. But municipal engineering concentrates on coordinating these infrastructure services and networks, since they're often simultaneously built and controlled by a single municipal authority.
Professional Practice
In the UK, there isn't any municipal engineering professional qualification. However, there are degree courses relating to urban engineering. IFME or the International Federation of Municipal Engineering comprises municipal engineering professionals from across the globe. The organization's mission is connecting municipal engineers, public agencies, public works professionals, businesses and institutions from different parts of the world so that they could share a universal pool of experience and knowledge. The objective is fostering improvement in public works quality and work relating to wider community services. You can get more info about it on this webpage.
Urban Planning or Urban Design Relationship
Municipal engineering often gets confused for urban planning or urban design. An urban planner or urbanist could design a street or public place's general layout; a municipal engineer focuses on detailed design. For instance, when it comes to designing a new street, an urbanist could specify the street's general layout, which includes landscaping, urban accessories and surface finishings. However, the municipal engineer would make detailed specifications and plans for sidewalks, roads, street lighting and municipal services.
With regard to large plants or buildings, campuses or facilities, site civil work could be necessary, which has a scope similar to municipal infrastructure: parking lots, access roads, potable water supply, retention basins or ponds, etc. In the majority of engineering consulting companies, municipal infrastructure and structural engineering are two distinct departments.