What are careers in urban planning?

Urban planners, architects, and structural engineers are careers in urban planning. Here are some details on each of these careers and others in urban planning:

• Urban Planner

An urban planner is a designer and planner of neighborhoods, specialized communities, and other locations within a town or city. They seek to make efficient use of the land in these areas to create projects involving a building, multiple buildings, or a community of buildings.

Urban planners must take into consideration other town and city factors, such as public transit, libraries and schools, and communal recreational areas. They must also keep in mind projected growth rates in terms of a city or town's population. In this way, they are planners for the future of a city or town.

Urban planners also revitalize neighborhoods that are in decay or in need of renovations. Oftentimes they will communicate with community residents to find out what they think needs improving or what kind of projects would enhance their daily lives.

Most employers prefer urban planners with a master's degree in urban planning, civil engineering, environmental design, public administration, or another related field.

The average salary of an urban planner in the United States is $71,103 per year.

• Architect

An architect designs and directs the build of a home, public or commercial building, or structure by taking both physical and practical space into account, along with a focus on aesthetics.

They are responsible for how the building will look from the inside as well as outside. Keeping track of project details, budget, deadlines, and progress are also part of an architect's job.

Architects are typically the ones in charge of creating the blueprints for public, residential, or commercial building projects. They often collaborate with urban planners, engineers, and other public officials on specific building projects in a city or town.

Architects generally have a master's degree in architecture. They also may take courses associated with structural engineering and civil engineering.

The average salary of an architect in the United States is $87,802 per year.

• Structural Engineer

A structural engineer is someone who designs and inspects structural projects. They work on many different types of structures, including buildings, dams, tunnels, and bridges.

Structural engineers usually have a master's degree in structural engineering. The average salary of a structural engineer in the United States is $90,083 per year.

• Civil Engineer

A civil engineer is a professional who manages and supervises the building of public infrastructure. They design and perform maintenance on public infrastructures, such as public and private buildings, airports, water systems, and roads.

Civil engineers assess the feasibility of a given project by evaluating design practicality and collaborating with structural engineers. They also may review government regulations regarding a certain project or site and ensure project sites meet specific codes and law requirements.

In addition to working with other engineers, civil engineers may also collaborate closely with urban planners, architects, and city or town officials to ensure the safety and effectiveness of public projects.

Most civil engineers have a master's degree in civil engineering or another form of engineering. The average salary of a civil engineer in the United States is $87,181 per year.

• Building inspector

A building inspector's role is very much the same as a home inspector's; the only real difference is that generally, they inspect larger structures, such as apartment buildings and commercial buildings.

At these locations, they determine if the structure and all of the inner workings of the building are sound. However, some building inspectors choose to take a more specialized career path. For example, they may choose to only inspect buildings made of steel or reinforced concrete structures.

Most employers require at least a high school diploma or equivalent to become a building inspector. Many also choose to get bachelor's degrees in areas like structural engineering and construction management.

A mandatory qualification for this career path is to have a certain amount of training in the field. Training requirements vary from state to state. Most of the training building inspectors get are on the job. Typically they will work under an experienced building inspector and learn about building codes, ordinances, and regulations.

The average salary of a building inspector in the United States is $59,244 per year.