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Planning Questions

Submitted by urbandesignfan on Sun, 04/05/2009 - 16:43.

Hello everyone!

I'm brand new to this site, and I thought it would be a great resource to get more information about the planning profession from actual professionals. I'm currently a student at the University of Utah working on an Urban Planning Bachelors degree, and I have a few questions that I was hoping someone(s) could answer for me:

1. What is a typical day like for a city planner?

2. What skills should I acquire in order to be seen as valuable to a prospective employer?

3. How often do lower level planners engage in development and city improvement projects (i.e. master plans, urban design projects, etc.)?

Any advice would be great. Thanks!

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1. The APA website has a

Submitted by Fer on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 07:35.

1. The APA website has a good description of what a typical day is like (planning.org)

2. The skills you require will vary slightly depending on whether the job is public or private and the position itself. Ann Forsyth has contributed some informative posts regarding this topic in the Interchange section of Planetizen.

3. The chance that lower level planners engage in larger development projects or advanced planning projects depends on the size of the agency (public or private) you work for. Also, some agencies are must more receptive to giving lower level planners opportunities than other agencies. It is something you should inquire about during the job search/interview process.

You should also check out some of the posts on the forums. Some posts offer great insight to the realities of being a planner for a local jurisdiction.

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