When it comes time to decide how a city’s land should be officially used, urban planners are called in to provide their knowledge and advice. This job is closely involved with the design, development and administration of comprehensive plans used by governmental organizations for zoning, housing, transportation, public utilities and community facilities.
To develop the best plans, a developer needs to work closely with the public and local agencies to ensure everyone’s needs are fairly met. After collecting data, written and graphic reports are created to illustrate the issues of land use. This often involves physical work in the field, making surveys and analyzing conditions on site.
An urban planner must be trained in several different fields including design, local law, building codes, administration, geography and mathematics. Due to the often sensitive nature of the job, it’s important to have excellent critical thinking, judgment, complex problem-solving and personal relations skills.
Urban planners work for the government, large construction or design firms or as individual consultants. The average salary in this field is C
$60,000 per year, although top minds can make as much as C
$92,000 annually.