Urban & Regional Planners
Community Development Planner, Planner, Planning Consultant, Planning Technician
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:
- 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.
- Create, prepare, or requisition graphic or narrative reports on land use data, including land area maps overlaid with geographic variables, such as population density.
Knowledge
Safety and Government
- law and government
Arts and Humanities
- English language
Math and Science
- geography
- sociology and anthropology
Transportation
- movement of people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road
Skills
Basic Skills
- listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
- talking to others
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
Abilities
Verbal
- communicate by speaking
- listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
- notice when problems happen
- make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Math
- add, subtract, multiply, or divide
- choose the right type of math to solve a problem
Personality
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
- Self Control
- Attention to Detail
Technology
You might use software like this on the job:
Computer aided design CAD software
- Bentley MicroStation
- Trimble SketchUp Pro
Presentation software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Geographic information system
- ESRI ArcGIS software
- Geographic information system GIS software
Education
Education: (rated 5 of 5)
master's degree or
bachelor's degree
usually needed
bachelor's degree
usually needed
Job Outlook
Average
New job opportunities are likely in the future.
Explore More
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists & Site Managers
- Chief Sustainability Officers
- Project Management Specialists
- Sustainability Specialists
- Transportation Planners
You might like a career in one of these industries:
See more details at O*NET OnLine about urban and regional planners.