City Planner Job Description

Urban Planners: The American Planning Association

An Urban Planner works for the government at the local or state level to oversee the plans and programs for land use. They may plan how a city will expand to accommodate an expected growth in population, coordinating between the communities various facilities to ensure their citizens' needs are met. Urban planners work to revitalizing towns, counties and cities by modernizing or preserving the land within their borders.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that demand for Urban Planners will grow by 6 percent by the year 2024. The American Planning Association is a professional organization for planners and students who want to pursue careers in planning. Their website has resources to educate, find jobs and extend benefits to members.

The Need for Urban Planners

Pay for urban planners is dependent on the size of the community where they work. Larger, more heavily populated towns have more tax revenue and larger budgets for planners. Urban planners need a lot of knowledge and experience to be good at their jobs, but they also need certain soft skills to help them manage the sometimes challenging environment of government work.

Employment opportunities for urban planners are expected to grow at a rate of 13% over the next decade. Population growth and environmental issues are some of the factors that affect the need for planners. Most urban planners work for the government.

Master's Degree in City Community Development

Community development is a complex business that involves a multidisciplinary approach. The city community development planner is usually tasked with determining how best to use land for new housing or business developments. Building grass-roots support for a project can be a key step.

Environmental protection and integration is important in some places. The job of a city community development planner is a lot of work. City development planners work in a civic office.

One of the responsibilities of the planner is to manage a team of specialists. As a development planner, it is part of their job to report on the progress of projects to civic leaders. Development planners are also responsible for helping leaders to write legislation.

A development planner is usually the overall manager of capital improvement projects. A master's degree is usually required for a city community development planner in an area such as urban planning, environmental planning, or public administration. A master's degree is not always required if a candidate has a lot of practical experience.

Urban Planners: A Field-based Approach to Planning

An urban planner is a person who works with land. They use planning to create communities, accommodate growth, or refresh physical facilities. Some planners work on broad plans while others focus on specific issues.

The best use of a community's land resources is promoted by all planners. Planners work with public officials, community members, and other groups to identify community issues or goals. Planning uses research, data analysis, and collaboration with interest groups to formulate strategies to address issues.

They may help organize the work of the groups involved. Projects can range from a policy recommendation for an initiative to a long-term area plan. Planners work for a variety of levels of government, real estate developers, nonprofits and planning consulting firms.

Most of them work in large metropolitan areas. The work can be difficult because planners must balance conflicting interests. Politicians, developers and the public want planners to design specific plans.

Sometimes they work against deadlines. Urban planners travel to sites to check out the features of the land. The people who inspect development sites may spend a lot of time in the field.

The Structure of City Planner Job Descriptions

The structure of a city planner job description can be different. The job descriptions should be standardized for the sake of clarity. Work Environment describes the working conditions, such as whether the work is indoors or outdoors, working temperatures, noise levels and other factors that may impact the city planners performance of their job.

Most city planners will remain office environments with occasional outdoor exposure to survey sites. A statement is usually added at the end of the job description stating that it is not supposed to cover all duties, responsibilities, and activities that may be required of the city planner. Changes in laws and situations may lead to changes in duties and responsibilities.

Planning for the City of San Francisco

The city planners role is to create and execute a vision for their community. The creation of a plan is informed by datanalysis and guided by community goals, that outlines strategies to bring their vision to life. The planning process is driven by a team of people, from public officials to engineers to lawyers.

Community action plans, redevelopment and economic development plans, disaster preparedness plans and historic preservation initiatives are some of the plans they create. Many universities offer online master's degree programs in public administration. The most common bachelor's degrees among planners are in economics, geography, political science or environmental design.

City Managers

The council hires a city manager to run the city government. The city manager is in charge of all city staff. The city manager has no authority to vote on laws the council has enacted.

The city manager is responsible for carrying out the council's wishes once laws are made. A common joke in the city management profession is that a city manager doesn't need to know how to count to four since the city council is made up of seven members. The city manager has some level of security if the majority of the council is happy.

The size of the city's tax base is not the same as the size of the city's population. Some small cities have large tax bases due to high property values. The opposite can also be true.

If you don't hire an experienced manager from another city, you can hire from within, which means that most administrative leadership positions in local government can serve as stepping stones to a position as a city manager. Being a city manager is a fast-paced job that requires a lot of problem-solving. City managers often spend their days meeting with department heads, community leaders or community groups, the city council or various subcommittees.

Some city managers focus their attention certain areas, while others rely on department heads for other areas. The majority of the city manager's schedule is done during business hours, but evening hours are often where the council meetings and subcommittee meetings are held. Sometimes a city manager needs to be attentive to community functions or to address crises that might arise.