From Manhattan’s sky-high grid to the tangled sprawl of Los Angeles, urban and regional planners play a key role in making sure cities become more connected communities rather than concrete jungles. Urban and regional planners develop plans for how land will be used, and oversee complex projects that help accommodate population growth while retaining—or revitalizing— functional communities. The zoning policies they administer have an impact not just on historic buildings, but also on the environment, housing, transportation, and more. Using statistical techniques, field investigations, and technology, urban and regional planners gather and analyze data to understand the current and future needs of their local area. They develop plans to address the needs they uncover… from planning new parks and schools to meet anticipated growth, or sheltering the homeless, to making changes that might attract business development. Urban and regional planners present their project proposals to communities, officials, and planning commissions. Their recommendations help guide decision makers to consider all the factors involved in a new project. Most urban and regional planners work for local government. They may work evenings or weekends to attend meetings with neighborhood groups, and frequently leave the office to inspect proposed development sites. Urban and regional planners need a master’s degree from an accredited planning program to qualify for most positions.
What they do:
Develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas.
On the job, you would:
Hold public meetings with government officials, social scientists, lawyers, developers, the public, or special interest groups to formulate, develop, or address issues regarding land use or community plans.
Design, promote, or administer government plans or policies affecting land use, zoning, public utilities, community facilities, housing, or transportation.
Advise planning officials on project feasibility, cost-effectiveness, regulatory conformance, or possible alternatives.
Arts and Humanities
English language
Safety and Government
law and government
public safety and security
Business
management
customer service
Math and Science
geography
Basic Skills
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
reading work related information
People and Technology Systems
thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Verbal
communicate by speaking
communicate by writing
Ideas and Logic
notice when problems happen
use rules to solve problems
People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
Integrity
Cooperation
Dependability
Analytical Thinking
Persistence
Achievement/Effort
You might use software like this on the job:
Map creation software
ESRI ArcGIS software
Geographic information system GIS software
Presentation software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Computer aided design CAD software
Bentley MicroStation
Trimble SketchUp Pro
master's degree usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
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