Urban and Regional Planners
Additional Information
Duties
The following is representative of urban and regional planners' work:
- Discuss development plans and land usage with governmental authorities, developers, and the general public.
- In charge of enforcing government land use policies.
- Collect and evaluate data from surveys, polls, and other economic and environmental studies.
- Analyze community development and decline by conducting field research to examine issues such as land usage.
- Review the developers' supplied site plans.
- Proposals should be evaluated for their viability and any revisions that need to be made.
- Proposals should either be accepted or rejected, according on your recommendation.
- Tell the public about your plans and solicit their feedback.
- Know the latest in building and zoning laws as well as environmental requirements.
Community needs are identified, and short and long-term solutions developed, to improve the quality of life in communities and regions. Planned developments, such as additional parks, homeless shelters, and more business-friendly areas, are all part of the work of planners when an area expands or changes in size or demographics.
Planners typically collaborate with public officials, community members, and other organizations to identify community concerns and goals from the outset of a project. As part of their efforts to find solutions to problems and fulfill goals, they do research and data analysis and collaborate with interest groups. Additionally, planners can assist implement community plans by supervising projects, enforcing zoning restrictions, and coordinating the efforts of the many entities involved.
There are a wide range of tools and technologies that are used by urban and regional planners. Statistics software, data visualization and presentation software, financial spreadsheets, and other database and software tools are all often used by these professionals in their work. Data, such as population density, may be integrated with digital maps using Geographic Information System (GIS) software.
Many urban and regional planners choose to specialize in areas such as transportation planning, historic preservation, or urban design.
Public authorities, civil engineers, environmental engineers, architects and attorneys, as well as real estate developers, frequently interact with planners.
Education
As a general rule, anybody seeking to work as urban or regional planners must hold a master's degree from an institution like the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB). A wide range of undergraduate backgrounds, including economics, geography, political science or a related discipline like architecture are accepted into master's degree programs.
Seminars, workshops, and laboratory courses are common in most master's programs where students learn to address planning difficulties. Programs vary in the courses they offer and the topics they focus on despite a common core curriculum. Rural planning, for example, may be the emphasis of programs in agricultural states, whereas urban redevelopment may be the focus of programs in major cities.
As assistant or junior planners, bachelor's degree holders may be eligible for employment.
Additional Experiential Information
Some entry-level roles, such as those in design, public policy, or economic development, need one to two years of work experience in a relevant sector. Master's planning students often get practical experience by working on real planning projects or doing part-time internships while in school. After finishing their degree, other students choose to do a full-time internship.
Registration, Certification, and Licenses.
Urban and regional planners in New Jersey were the only ones needed to hold a license as of 2016. New Jersey's regulatory board has further information.
It is possible to become a certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Candidates must fulfill specific educational and work experience criteria and pass a test in order to become certified.
Qualities that are critical to success
Analytical capabilities. Market research, population statistics, and environmental impact assessments are some of the data that urban and regional planners look at. In order to identify the importance of the data, they employ statistical approaches and technology like Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
The ability to communicate. There are a wide range of audiences that urban and regional planners need to be able to communicate successfully with. They engage with their coworkers, stakeholders, write research reports, and deliver presentations.
The ability to make decisions. All feasible planning alternatives must be weighed and combined with analysis, creativity, and reality in order to select the best action or plan.
Possessing abilities of leadership. As urban and regional planners, you must be able to manage projects, which may entail overseeing work and assigning planning assignments.
Pay
The median annual wage for urban and regional planners was $83,720 in May 2024. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $55,590, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $128,550.
Job Projections
Employment of urban and regional planners is projected to grow 4 percent from 2023 to 2033, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
