• Urban and Regional Planner Job Description

    An urban and regional planner is a person who plans the physical, social and/or economic development of a community. Urban and regional planners advice communities on the use of land and help them plan issues such as the physical arrangement of public services and the accommodation of population growth.

    Urban and regional planners should have spatial creativity, good judgment and in-depth knowledge of their localities to develop excellent land use plans. They should be well organized, open-minded, persuasive and good listeners, and have the ability to resolve conflict in a professional and respectful manner.

    Pursue a career in urban and regional planning if you are good at geography and economics, and interested in helping to develop policies and plans for the use of land and resources in your community.
  • What does a Urban and Regional Planner do?

    Urban and regional planners may do some or all of the following:

    • perform research and analyze information and data on land use and physical, social and economic issues
    • predict trends and plan how land and resources should be used
    • create plans for land use and development
    • propose locations for buildings, public services and other structures
    • create plans for the economic redevelopment of depressed urban and rural areas
    • create plans for environmental protection and preservation of scarce resources
    • write research articles and reports
    • present reports to local communities, private companies, or government organizations
  • Where does a Urban and Regional Planner work?
  • Working Conditions

    Urban and regional planners usually work normal office hours, but may sometimes work evenings or weekends to meet deadlines or work with stakeholders. They work in offices and outside surveying land and proposed development sites.

  • What is Required to Become a Urban and Regional Planner?

    To become an urban and regional planner, you will need to have a master’s degree in urban and regional planning, environmental planning, or a similar discipline.

  • Modules

    Just to give you an idea, some of the classes that you’ll be taking in college may include:

    • Statistics
    • Geography
    • Economics
    • Geographic information systems
    • Architecture
    • Earth science
    • Finance
    • Law
    • Management
    • Health administration
  • Specializations
  • Knowledge, Skills and Attributes

    urban and regional planners need to have:

    • patience
    • adaptability
    • humility
    • empathy
    • spatial creativity
    • good listening and communication skills
    • good planning and organizational skills
    • good presentation skills
    • good judgment and decision making skills
    • good research skills
    • persuasion and negotiation skills
    • analytical and problem solving skills
    • computer skills
    • the ability to work well in a team
    • the ability to manage stress
    • the ability to work calmly under pressure
    • the ability to accept and learn from criticism
    • knowledge of risk analysis
    • knowledge of local and national government processes
    • knowledge of styles of architecture and building methods
    • knowledge of their locality environmental and economic issues
    • knowledge of project management principles and practice

References

Should I be a Urban and Regional Planner?

Take our career test to find out if this career is ideal for you!



Alternative Careers
Share this Page

If this is your profession and you would like to add to or amend any of the information on this page, then please get in touch with us at mail[at]careersome[dot]com