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Urban and Regional Planners

Under the title Urban and Regional Planners, workers develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas. O*NET rates it as extensive preparation, which usually means graduate school and often five years or more of related experience. It leans on speaking, judgment and decision making, and active listening. You may also need to design, promote, or administer government plans or policies affecting land use, zoning, public utilities, community facilities, housing, or transportation. The strongest interest signal is Investigative (5.3 of 7), then Enterprising (4.5) and Conventional, which gives it the code IEC. If you want research, analysis and working through hard problems, keep it on your list. If you need helping, teaching or caring for people, it may feel thin.

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.

Main tasks

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Mediate community disputes or assist in developing alternative plans or recommendations for programs or projects.
  • Recommend approval, denial, or conditional approval of proposals.

Skills

  • Speaking
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Active Listening
  • Systems Analysis
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
  • You like taking the lead and making the call.
  • You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
  • You are comfortable relying on speaking and judgment and decision making.

May not suit you if

  • You lose interest when a job asks for long stretches of analysis.
  • You want to be working in the field within the next few years.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code IEC takes the three highest, and Investigative comes first here.

Preparation

Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Master's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • City Planner
  • Community Development Planner
  • Community Planner
  • Development Technician
  • Housing Development Specialist

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.