Urban and Regional Planners

What the job really is

Develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas.

At a glance

• Sector: Life, Physical & Social Science
• O*NET-SOC code: 19-3051
• O*NET job zone: 5 — extensive preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• 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.
• Conduct field investigations, surveys, impact studies, or other research to compile and analyze data on economic, social, regulatory, or physical factors affecting land use.
• Evaluate proposals for infrastructure projects or other development for environmental impact or sustainability.
• Discuss with planning officials the purpose of land use projects, such as transportation, conservation, residential, commercial, industrial, or community use.
• Keep informed about economic or legal issues involved in zoning codes, building codes, or environmental regulations.
• Assess the feasibility of land use proposals and identify necessary changes.
• Determine the effects of regulatory limitations on land use projects.

Tools and technology

Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk AutoCAD, Bentley MicroStation, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, ESRI ArcGIS software, Extensible markup language XML, Geographic information system GIS systems, Hypertext markup language HTML

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Transportation Planners
• Project Management Specialists
• Chief Sustainability Officers
• Sustainability Specialists
• Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers
• Climate Change Policy Analysts
• Environmental Restoration Planners
• Landscape Architects

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 5 (extensive preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Urban and Regional Planners — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.