Urban and Regional Planners Occupation Details

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Urban and Regional Planners

The main tasks and work activities of Urban and Regional Planners are to prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations, advise others on business or operational matters, research impacts of environmental conservation initiatives, communicate with government agencies. In general, for the Urban and Regional Planners, active Listening, reading Comprehension, judgment and Decision Making, critical Thinking and other 17 skills are required.

Urban and Regional Planners Job Description
Education	Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Related Experience	Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Job Training	Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Example	These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include pharmacists, lawyers, astronomers, biologists, clergy, neurologists, and veterinarians.

The following chart shows the education/training levels for Urban and Regional Planners jobs.

Less than a High School Diploma

0.00%

High School Diploma (or the equivalent)

0.00%

Post-Secondary Certificate

0.00%

Some College Courses

0.00%

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)

0.00%

Bachelor's Degree and Above

100.00%

Tasks and Work Activities of Urban and Regional Planners

Design, promote, or administer government plans or policies affecting land use, zoning, public utilities, community facilities, housing, or transportation.
Recommend approval, denial, or conditional approval of proposals.
Create, prepare, or requisition graphic or narrative reports on land use data, including land area maps overlaid with geographic variables, such as population density.
Advise planning officials on project feasibility, cost-effectiveness, regulatory conformance, or possible alternatives.
Conduct field investigations, surveys, impact studies, or other research to compile and analyze data on economic, social, regulatory, or physical factors affecting land use.
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.
Mediate community disputes or assist in developing alternative plans or recommendations for programs or projects.
Coordinate work with economic consultants or architects during the formulation of plans or the design of large pieces of infrastructure.
Review and evaluate environmental impact reports pertaining to private or public planning projects or programs.
Supervise or coordinate the work of urban planning technicians or technologists.
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.
Advocate sustainability to community groups, government agencies, the general public, or special interest groups.
Develop plans for public or alternative transportation systems for urban or regional locations to reduce carbon output associated with transportation.
Evaluate proposals for infrastructure projects or other development for environmental impact or sustainability.
Identify opportunities or develop plans for sustainability projects or programs to improve energy efficiency, minimize pollution or waste, or restore natural systems.
Determine the effects of regulatory limitations on land use projects.
Assess the feasibility of land use proposals and identify necessary changes.
Investigate property availability for purposes of development.

Developing Objectives and StrategiesEstablishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
Communicating with Persons Outside OrganizationCommunicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Performing for or Working Directly with the PublicPerforming for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Thinking CreativelyDeveloping, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.
Advise others on business or operational matters.
Research impacts of environmental conservation initiatives.
Communicate with government agencies.
Review professional literature to maintain professional knowledge.
Mediate disputes.
Collaborate with technical specialists to resolve design or development problems.
Review environmental permits, plans, or reports.
Supervise scientific or technical personnel.
Communicate with the public on environmental issues.
Promote environmental sustainability or conservation initiatives.
Develop environmental sustainability plans or projects.
Review plans or proposals for environmental conservation.

Skills and Abilities for Urban and Regional Planners

Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
Systems AnalysisDetermining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Systems EvaluationIdentifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
NegotiationBringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
PersuasionPersuading others to change their minds or behavior.
CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
Operations AnalysisAnalyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
Management of Personnel ResourcesMotivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Learning StrategiesSelecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Fluency of IdeasThe ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
VisualizationThe ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
OriginalityThe ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Mathematical ReasoningThe ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Far VisionThe ability to see details at a distance.

Global positioning system GPS receivere.g. Global positioning system GPS receivers
Laser printerse.g. Laser printers
Notebook computerse.g. Notebook computers
Personal computerse.g. Personal computers

English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Law and GovernmentKnowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
GeographyKnowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Communications and MediaKnowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
TransportationKnowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Sociology and AnthropologyKnowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Personnel and Human ResourcesKnowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
DesignKnowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Public Safety and SecurityKnowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Urban and Regional Planners Occupation Detailed Description

Tasks and Work Activities of Urban and Regional Planners

Skills and Abilities for Urban and Regional Planners