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Urban and Regional Planner

Occupation Information table
Overview: Urban planners design plans for future expansion, services, and the revitalization of a city, suburb or rural area. They are concerned with attracting businesses and residents that can contribute to the region's tax base. They design plans using environmental conservation criteria.
Duties: They assess the quality of a community's facilities such as health care, educational institutions and transportation systems in order to assure they meet the residents' needs.

They make long range plans for future locations for residents' housing, government service buildings, business and shopping malls and industrial sites. Plans are based on population growth.Design and conduct studies and surveys to show if current land is effectively being used for residential, business, and public objectives. They identify & protect ecologically sensitive areas.

Propose ways of using underdeveloped land and design overall layouts for proposed new construction and public facilities. They contact local & state agencies for support and approval of plans.
Degree(s): A.S. Engineering Science 
A.A.S. Management: Marketing Concentration 
A.S. Business Administration (Accounting and Marketing) 
Job Outlook: Employment in this field is projected to grow 5% to 8% percent from 2018 to 2028, which matches the average growth rate for all occupations.
Starting Salary: Salaries in private consulting firms are higher.
Salary Range (National Average): $33,000 to $40,000
Green: Green Career
Education Level: Typically, a Bachelor’s Degree from a 4-year college (some are 5 years) is required to be considered for this occupation.
Additional Training/Education: Many urban planning jobs in Federal, state and local government agencies require a master's degree in urban and regional planning. A bachelor's degree, however, can qualify you for many entry, assistantship positions. Courses in landscape architecture, environmental sciences, demographics, economics and civil engineering are essential.
Recommended Skills:
  • Weighing out the options in a situation or a problem and logically choosing the best course of action.
  • Analyzing requirements for a new product or service and creating a design to satisfy those needs.
  • Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Paying attention to what other people are saying, and taking time to understand the points being made.
  • Allocating and budgeting your time for different tasks so that things get done when needed.
  • Ability to identify a problem, review related information, develop and evaluate options, and implement a solution.
  • The ability to understand complex written paragraphs, instructions, or reports.
  • Using logic to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Talking, giving speeches, or speaking in a group to convey information, explain ideas, or give instructions.
  • Composing and communicating your ideas in written form.
Recommended Values:
  • Create new ideas, programs, things, or anything else not previously developed by another person.
  • Having a level of income that will afford you with luxuries, and which will allow you to become financially independent.
  • Being able to decide on how to get something done without significant direction from someone else.
  • Gaining the respect of others by the nature and/or level of responsibility of your work.
 

* National data collected by the Department of Labor in 2014 with projections through 2024. For New York green job information .

* For New York salary data information .

* For New York green job information .

Understanding acquiring positions in this field may be enhanced through continuing academic study (i.e. earning a baccalaureate or a master's degree) and/or work experience in the field, Queensborough Community College has established transfer agreements with other institutions for students who wish to further pursue their educational goals. Students are highly encouraged to meet with one of our Career Services to fully understand the opportunities available through study in their degree program.