Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for regional planners in the United States
Are regional planner jobs in demand?
Regional planner job and salary trends over time
Regional planner jobs over time
Regional planner job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 511 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 501 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 506 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 497 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 463 | 0.00% |
Average regional planner salary over time
Regional planner salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,450 | $31.47 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | $64,071 | $30.80 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | $62,951 | $30.26 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $61,606 | $29.62 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | $60,340 | $29.01 | +2.6% |
Regional planner jobs by state
Most common states for regional planners
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 174 | 25% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 553 | 8% |
| 3 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 348 | 6% |
| 4 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 347 | 6% |
| 5 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 261 | 6% |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 80 | 6% |
| 7 | California | 39,536,653 | 1,891 | 5% |
| 8 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 680 | 5% |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 578 | 5% |
| 10 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 512 | 5% |
| 11 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 460 | 5% |
| 12 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 372 | 5% |
| 13 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 317 | 5% |
| 14 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 298 | 5% |
| 15 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 181 | 5% |
| 16 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 146 | 5% |
| 17 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 143 | 5% |
| 18 | New York | 19,849,399 | 738 | 4% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 47 | 4% |
| 20 | Vermont | 623,657 | 27 | 4% |
Most common cities for regional planners
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northampton | 2 | 7% | $76,296 |
| 2 | Kernersville | 1 | 4% | $57,720 |
| 3 | Mason City | 1 | 4% | $53,249 |
| 4 | Pico Rivera | 1 | 2% | $76,891 |
| 5 | Boston | 4 | 1% | $76,231 |
| 6 | Austin | 1 | 0% | $64,322 |
| 7 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $61,144 |
| 8 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $77,125 |
Regional Planner job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of regional planner experts
Prairie View A & M University
Missouri University of Science and Technology
California State University - San Bernardino
Augsburg University
University of Notre Dame
University of Washington
Michigan State University
Ohio University
Rollins College
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
New York University
University of Utah
University of Washington
Bryn Mawr College
School for International Training
Macalester College
University of Oregon
Prescott College
What general advice would you give to a Regional Planner?
Tyler Fisher DPhil: Versatility and equanimity: these are the key traits that students can acquire with a degree in History. The deep, sustained study of History equips a graduate to see life steadily, and see it whole, as Matthew Arnold said of Sophocles. History students learn to view human achievements and errors, feats and follies, with a critical eye, a dispassionate manner, and, perhaps most importantly, a measured consideration of context. Jobs in law, urban planning, economics, journalism, and politics become mere surface-level labor without the study of History. A well-developed ability to find and evaluate evidence for the purpose of creating a persuasive argument will remain an essential transferable skill across many different jobs. Given current rates of innovation, today's History students are, in fact, likely preparing for jobs that might not yet exist. These graduates' blend of versatility and equanimity will give them an edge in a mercurial job market.
What Regional Planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
T. Moore Ph.D.: People like the ability to develop an eclectic knowledge base, synthesize ideas, and approach issues from diverse perspectives, which are valuable assets for employers needing innovative approaches. However, some people may not enjoy the wide range of disciplines that social scientists need to familiarize themselves with, as it requires outside-the-box thinking and innovative solutions.
What general advice would you give to a Regional Planner?
Joshua Nygren PhD: A History education provides students with not only the historical literacy that is critical to a well-functioning democracy and citizenry, but also with skills and aptitudes that a wide range of employers are seeking. So, History prepares graduates not for a fixed 'field,' but a range of fields. Thus, my general advice would be that their education has prepared them with the skills they need to succeed, so they should look for ways to apply them in new contexts.
What Regional Planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Joshua Nygren PhD: I'll answer this in two ways: what you can do as a student, and what you can do as a graduate. As a student, study hard and strive for good grades. Grades are not the most important thing, but a high GPA on a resume will make you more competitive for the jobs you desire. In addition, seek out internships and other positions when in school to start building the experiences and relationships that can pay off down the road. As a graduate, look for ways to build your leadership experience. Some disciplines can boast higher average starting salaries than History, but like other liberal arts disciplines, History majors often possess the cultural knowledge and communication skills that can be a pathway to leadership and management positions (and with them, higher salaries). So, take on opportunities to lead teams and projects.
What will help Regional Planners increase their earning potential?
Joshua Nygren PhD: I think the recent past suggests adaptability, information literacy, and critical thinking skills are essential to careers and will only become more important in the next 3-5 years. It has long grown increasingly rare for someone to work for a single employer -- and in some cases even within a single industry -- for their entire career. The range of careers and vocations for which History prepares students is wide rather than narrow. As such, it is well-suited to prepare students for the 21st-century economy. Moreover, the internet and (more recently) the rise of artificial intelligence makes it even more important for the workforce (and the citizenry) to possess information literacy and critical thinking skills.
What Regional Planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Michael Karp: Mirroring my general advice to be patient early on and take opportunities when the arise, history graduates often have solid career earnings. Studies conducted by the American Historical Association have demonstrated that history majors median income is $55,000, which is only a little below business majors who have a median income of $60,000. The success enjoyed by history graduates stems from the fact the degree offers vital skills for today’s workforce. If graduates understand how to sell those skills on the job market—and recognize how they fit into a variety of industries—they can best maximize their earnings and potential jobs.
What general advice would you give to a Regional Planner?
Dr. Megan Birk: I would suggest marketing the skills that come with a history degree, instead of focusing entirely on the knowledge. Both are important and valuable, but employers often indicate that the skills that come with history degrees are aligned with a wide range of jobs and careers. History jobs and jobs that recruit history majors are often more concerned about the skill set than the specific knowledge base.
What general advice would you give to a Regional Planner?
Nancy Fischer: I imagine that the skills that will become important over the next 3-5 years are probably both new and old skills. New skills in the sense that urban planners and those who work with urban-oriented non-profits are trying to figure out whether there are ways Artificial Intelligence can make their work lives better in terms of helping with repetitive, less engaging aspects of the job that are rather formulaic. Second, in Urban Studies it's also really important to be able to communicate data-driven and complex arguments to lay people. So, studying things like data visualization could be helpful. But in terms of skills that always pay off, I hear from our alumni that cultivating excellent social skills and storytelling are really important - to be able to tell a story around why a change (or no change) is needed in the urban realm and communicate that to people whether political leaders or the general public compellingly can take you a long way.
What Regional Planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Nancy Fischer: In terms of maximizing salary potential in the field, if one is going into Urban Planning, then having a Master's degree in Urban Planning means climbing the ladder more quickly - in 10 -15 years one could be in leadership positions. One needs to be able to work with data, and understand how cities operate when entering the field, but as one rises into senior positions, it's that big-picture thinking about policy, the politics of city decision-making and the social skills to work well with teams, with the public, and with political leaders that really pay off.
What will help Regional Planners increase their earning potential?
Nancy Fischer: My general advice for people beginning careers in urban studies is to approach your first position in the field as a learning opportunity. Learn the norms of that particular urban sector and how things are done, and also learn about yourself and what you like to do, what you're good at doing, and where you need to build skills in order to get a sense of mastery. Talk with people all over the organization and learn about the different directions you can take your career over the long term.
Dr. Stephen Hartley
Associate Professor of the PracticeUniversity of Notre Dame
Historic Preservation And Conservation
What will help Regional Planners increase their earning potential?
Dr. Stephen Hartley: The best advice I can offer graduates entering the field is to not be picky about where in the country you want to live. Jobs in certain regions, such as the southeast and around the major metropolitan areas are highly desired, but they are also the most competitive. Other areas of the country can offer tremendous opportunities for recent graduates to build their skills and experience before entering the larger markets.
Arthur Acolin
Bob Filley Endowed Associate ProfessorUniversity of Washington
Urban Studies/Affairs
What Regional Planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Arthur Acolin: The complexity of urban systems in a majoritarily urban world requires professionals who have a broad appreciation of what contributes to creating cities with high quality of life combined with a deep understanding of specific issues (housing, transportation, education, health...). I would encourage students who want to pursue urban studies as their field of study and then their careers to identify what domain they are most passionate about (equitable and diverse cities, transit efficiency, environmental justice,...) and build their knowledge in that area while keeping the broader context of cities in mind. This means taking classes in a broad range of areas from the history of cities to data science classes dealing with geospatial data and also pursuing applied opportunities through internships, involvement in community-based organizations or research projects. One of the great things about pursuing urban studies is that there are opportunities to get involved at your doorsteps and no lack of wicked problems, these really complex issues that require creative solutions to address effectively.
What will help Regional Planners increase their earning potential?
Arthur Acolin: Urban issues like delivering affordable housing for all, adapting cities to be resilient to climate change or addressing loneliness among aging residents often have social, economic, environmental, and political dimensions that require the ability to understand the dynamic at play while providing solutions that are politically feasible and grounded in evidence. As such Urban Studies really requires interdisciplinary training and this ability to combine data and approaches across disciplines will only become more important in the coming years. Having the capacity to frame answers to complicated questions combined with the technical skills to conduct the analysis to provide the answers while working collaboratively are key.
Patricia Machemer
ProfessorMichigan State University
Environmental Design
What will help Regional Planners increase their earning potential?
Patricia Machemer: Be observant and open to learning, you are just at the start of your journey.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Regional Planners?
Geoffrey Buckley: GIS (especially ArcPro), Microsoft applications (especially Excel), and familiarity with video conference technology (especially zoom, Teams, and WebEx) are key. MyPermitNow, Municode, and Legistar also are useful. One student took an Excel class at Ohio University, and that prepared her well for her first job.
What skills will help Regional Planners earn the most?
Geoffrey Buckley: Proficiency in GIS is a big plus.
Bruce Stephenson Ph.D.
Professor of Environmental StudiesRollins College
Department of Environmental Studies
What skills stand out on Regional Planner resumes?
Bruce Stephenson Ph.D.: Project portfolio.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Regional Planners?
Bruce Stephenson Ph.D.: GIS and Sketch Up are important.
What soft skills should all Regional Planners possess?
Bruce Stephenson Ph.D.: Writing clarity, integration of disciplines, quality presentations that illustrate a project.
Bryan Salvadore
Director, CommunicationsKutztown University of Pennsylvania
Marketing & Communications
What skills will help Regional Planners earn the most?
Bryan Salvadore: Technology benefits most employers. Data analysis, with an eye of 'context' that history majors bring to the table.
Guy Ortolano
Professor of History & MA Director of Graduate StudiesNew York University
History Department
What skills stand out on Regional Planner resumes?
Guy Ortolano: Historians have an understanding of the wider world, its many cultures, and where they came from. They study human societies, present as well as past, and the issues that divide and bind them. They understand connectivities of many kinds, from information to transportation to international relations. Historians, most importantly, are naturally curious about the world around them: they have dedicated themselves to understanding societies, cultures, and periods other than their own.
Alessandro Rigolon
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Utah
Department of City and Metropolitan Planning
What skills stand out on Regional Planner resumes?
Alessandro Rigolon: - Professional experience, including internships, before graduation. In today's market, a master's degree is almost a must for planning. So, either having one/two internships during the master's degree or having worked as a planner (or related area) before the master's helps greatly. Many jobs require some experience (entry-level positions are somewhat rare, based on what my former students are telling me).
- Capacity to work with people in allied fields, such as landscape architecture, architecture, transportation engineering, and others. Some planning projects are multi-disciplinary. Also, public agency planners are often building permit applications, which means they need to be conversant in reading site plans, building plans, etc.
- The American Institute of Certified Planner (AICP) membership might also help. To get such membership, the easiest route is to get a master's degree at an accredited institution (like the U of Utah) and then take an exam after a year of professional experience.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Regional Planners?
Alessandro Rigolon: - Geographic Information Systems
- Basic statistical skills
- Some graphic design expertise, including the use of Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and/or Photoshop. Also, ArcGIS StoryMaps are increasingly used by planning agencies to share ongoing results of planning processes
- Some skills in platforms to collect online data for public engagement process, such as ArcGIS Survey123
- Some of the above skills related to applied fields (e.g., architecture), like reading site plans and building plans
- More rarely, AutoCAD and other similar Computer-Aided Design programs
- Good writing is really important but sometimes overlooked
- Capacity to design and manage complex public engagement processes, some of which might last more than one year
What skills will help Regional Planners earn the most?
Alessandro Rigolon: Many jobs are in public agencies, so they use a pay scale based on degrees and years of experience. To that extent, years of experience matter. Some places might also count the AICP certification in that pay scale.
Meredith Clausen
ProfessorUniversity of Washington
Department of Architecture and Division of Art History
What skills stand out on Regional Planner resumes?
Meredith Clausen: Knowledge of architectural history (at least a general introduction to global archer and at least one if not more upper-division courses); language skills (at least one if not more foreign languages)
Gary McDonogh Ph.D.
Professor and ChairBryn Mawr College
Department of Growth and Structure of Cities
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Regional Planners?
Gary McDonogh Ph.D.: Obviously we are only beginning to understand changes in the job market shaped by cuts in funding for public services and shifts of interest into emergency areas like public health (which also demands long-term change encompassing planning, architecture, education and other fields). Rebuilding will be slow and students may move through several positions--including unpaid internships and non-professional positions--in order to find their best career.
Yet, the pandemic also faces us with far reaching challenges in the city itself to be met by new generations--from mass transportation to education to communication that will open new opportunities for graduates helping us to re-envision cities and the skills we need to deal creatively with urban issues.
What type of skills will young Regional Planners need?
Gary McDonogh Ph.D.: Graduates need breadth and flexibility coupled with clear critical communicative skills. Within a liberal arts framework, we encourage students to avoid narrow professionalism and to explore the city widely, from architecture to computer skills and media. The key to the future will be the ability to envision problems in new ways, to find and analyze data and to provide/communicate cogent guidelines for politicians, planners and wider publics. No skill set is valuable unless the graduate knows how to communicate it to multiple audiences so writing and presentation are always important.
What experience really stands out on Regional Planner resumes?
Gary McDonogh Ph.D.: Experience in internships will always be good (and provide connections). So is completion of a substantial project, whether design or social research, provides a foundation for conversation (even interviews) and an edge as new tasks emerge in the workplace.
Dr. Alyson Dagang Ph.D.
ChairSchool for International Training
Sustainable Development department
What Regional Planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Alyson Dagang Ph.D.: I recommend taking the time to learn to communicate well in a language other than English. Demand is high for workers with strong second- or third-language skills and is growing. There are many opportunities for internships outside the U.S. where graduates can learn a new language and/or a new skill.
In the last 5-10 years, we have seen undergraduates graduate with sub-par writing skills. I recommend classes on writing and professional communication or self-directed experiences for writing improvement. At some universities, writing centers offer services to alumni.
Technology is key for any career path. Considering the wide net the sustainability field casts, skills in data analysis as well as emerging technologies in energy, transportation, and traceability (wood, contaminants, food, endangered species, many others) will be important for graduates to have on their tool belts.
What general advice would you give to a Regional Planner?
Dr. Alyson Dagang Ph.D.: I would recommend to graduates to not be hurried. They are starting a new journey; however, there will be many journeys. It is important to enjoy each journey as well as engage in service during all journeys. Hone their leadership skills and soft skills as these are skills they will need on every journey. Don't be afraid to change paths when the signs are leading you in a different direction. If you start a new path, leave a trail of positive experiences and interactions to ensure that you will have contacts and a network to call on for professional support. Entrepreneurial skills can be helpful and applied to any job or endeavor. Don't be afraid to take good risks; don't be afraid to fail. The best growth can come from failure; and there will always be a new journey ahead.
What Regional Planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Daniel Trudeau: Accumulating experience in leadership skills (decision making, project management, communication, team building) is worthwhile because these are universally valued in work and non-work settings. You don't have to work in a supervisory role to get experience with these skills either. People can gain leadership experience through volunteer work, peer mentoring, as well as through employment opportunities. I recommend connecting with organizations in which you are or have been involved to create an opportunity (a specific role, for a specific time) to work on one or more leadership skills.
Additionally, becoming aware of leadership skills and how and when to use them is valuable too. I recommend reading and reflection exercises in order to personalize your education and develop a plan to build strengths and capabilities in the constellation of leadership skills. There are plenty of free resources available on the topics of emotional intelligence and strengths psychology to build an education program. Separately, developing competencies in basic programming languages - JavaScript, Python - is worthwhile. These are helpful tools in the world of work. Even if you don't plan on using them, knowing how they work is an asset on its own and can strengthen an individual's ability to work with others.
What general advice would you give to a Regional Planner?
Daniel Trudeau: Make the most of whatever opportunities you have. Keep in mind that wherever you start, it does not predict where you will end up. The average person makes several career changes during their lifetime and so there's no drawback to starting your career doing work that you may not envision as something you will do long term. Whatever you choose to do at the start, do your work well, reliably, and with integrity. These attributes are highly sought after and will help you as you move to new positions, employers, and/or careers. Lastly, who you know matters, but who knows you matters more. Invest time and energy to cultivate relationships with supervisors and mentors who can help you grow and vouch for your capabilities as you chart your path into the future.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Regional Planners?
Linda Zimmer: This is anyone's guess. Many firms remained busy during the pandemic, from what I was hearing, but were reluctant to bring inexperienced designers on while everyone was working from home. Several of my students had "soft offers" of jobs from internship experiences in winter and early spring, and firms could not follow through by summer.
If the economy returns to normal, I expect that our graduates who did not find work last summer will be working or pursuing other prospects by spring; however, the apparent danger is that if design firms are idle for too long, new graduates (and laid off recent graduates) gravitate to other fields and don't want to or can't afford to restart design careers.
This happened in the 2008 recession. Within five years, design firms that talked to us reported that they had a generational hole of 5-7 year talent that was problematic. They joked about recruiting the "unicorns" of that generation, which remained a problem for an extended time.
What type of skills will young Regional Planners need?
Linda Zimmer: One of the exciting things about universities going remote is that graduating students have developed expertise in virtual presentation and communication skills and have been using "teaming" tools in the design studio/courses - our students have become quite adept. This year's group has the advantage of knowing these new tools and navigating remotely - it appears that this will be an ongoing way to do business post-pandemic. Self-direction and self-learning have been enhanced, and the flexibility gained will undoubtedly be an advantage. "Tool use," such as Revit, is essential in the short run, but has a short half-life, so I expect firms will continue to value talent and critical thought and process.
Laird Christensen Ph.D.
Director of MS in Resilient and Sustainable CommunitiesPrescott College
Green Mountain Center for Sustainability
What type of skills will young Regional Planners need?
Laird Christensen Ph.D.: Preparing students for life in a time of climate crisis means, in some cases, training them for jobs that don't even exist yet. We've already seen this, in recent years, with agencies suddenly looking for Resilience Analysts, Global Climate Change Liaisons, and Climate Equity Coordinators. So we need to provide an evolving set of skills and knowledge that prepares our graduates, not only for positions like these, but for whatever the next essential profession turns out to be. Whether students end up working in mitigation or adaptation, resilience planning, or community organizing, there are some foundational skills that I believe they can count on.
In our MS program, this begins with understanding the science of climate change and how to anticipate locally specific needs, based on what climate models suggest about the road ahead. We make sure that students know how to measure progress toward sustainability and resilience; that they acquire the skills needed to engage a range of stakeholders as a part of policy development; that they learn to integrate lessons about energy, food systems, land-use policies, and social equity by applying what they learn locally, on the ground. It's a lot easier to transpose lessons from one community to another than to struggle to apply concepts that have been learned only in the abstract.
Beyond that foundation, some students choose from skills-based courses such as GIS and Resilient Infrastructure and Transportation Systems, while others may be better served by developing their chops in Grant Writing or Alternative Dispute Resolution. We adjust our courses to stay relevant as circumstances change: not only are lessons from the coronavirus being incorporated into courses like Community Health and Emergency Management and Communication, but even our Ecological Design course has begun asking students to reimagine and plan public spaces for a world in which pandemics are likely to become more common. If you want to know what skills are going to be essential, just keep an eye on the news and ask, "What would I need to know to be most useful here?"
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Regional Planners to find work opportunities?
Laird Christensen Ph.D.: It's hard to imagine any place that is not beginning to recognize the challenges coming our way as the climate crisis worsens. Perhaps, the need for better planning will be most obvious in coastal areas threatened by rising sea levels, to communities out West where wildfires now demand different ideas about development in the urban-wildland interface, or along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coastal Plain where the hurricanes are only going to intensify. But we will all need to adapt to changing weather patterns and the way that plays out, whether we're talking about the impact of ocean acidification on fisheries, the impact of fewer snowy days on the ski industry in Vermont, or the city of Phoenix spending over a third of the year sweltering at over 100 degrees.
The program I direct is designed to help students recognize the challenges facing their own communities, and to identify regional agencies and organizations that are positioned to play a role in addressing those challenges. There's nothing necessarily wrong with relocating across the country for an exciting position, but one part of developing more sustainable behaviors is the practice of mindful inhabitation in a place, understanding the deep history and local ecological conditions that will help us imagine what sustainable human communities might look like as the twenty-first century unfolds. My graduate students often struggle to find some balance as they become aware of just how many different challenges their communities are facing, from food insecurity to lack of green spaces, from unsustainable transportation practices to systemic inequality in municipal policies and practices. I tell them to latch on to whichever challenge evokes in them the strongest need to respond and not to dilute their power by trying to solve too many problems at once. We need to trust that someone else will feel just as passionate about some of those other challenges, and we can support them as allies while doing the work we are called to do.
How do you envision technology impacting Regional Planners in the next 5 years?
Laird Christensen Ph.D.: Earlier in my career, I seriously underestimated the pace of technological advances, particularly in the energy sector. But, like many others, I also underestimated the pace at which we would go careening past the warning signs that urged us to lower our carbon emissions and the environmental consequences that have resulted. So there is no shortage of work to be done. Some graduates will focus on mitigating human impacts through smarter energy production and distribution, less damaging transportation systems and smarter urban planning, developing better materials such as bioplastics and alternative cement, and new approaches to conserving resources and energy. Others will do the necessary work of helping us adapt to the changes already in motion: much of this will be resilience planning in response to severe weather, rising sea levels, depletion of freshwater--not to mention the need for infrastructure and policy that helps us prepare for tens of millions of climate migrants. For a thorough and revealing overview of emerging technologies, check out the resources at Project Drawdown.
But for every technological innovation, we need to foster an evolution in social norms and begin to develop underlying cultural values suited to the age of climate crisis. It may be more appealing to imagine a future that is just a continuation of the comfortable lives that some of us have had the privilege to lead--but the underlying challenges of transforming to more sustainable behaviors require us to develop models of self-esteem not rooted in material consumption, and to engage in community practices that enable a sense of belonging and mutual support that is not available from either the state or the market. As excited as we may be by the latest technological fix brought to us by biomimicry, we're just putting bandaids on the otherwise terminal disease of unsustainable inhabitation until we learn to value sufficiency over abundance, to develop empathy across cultures and species, and to create economic and social models based on reciprocity and gratitude. This is the cultural dimension of environmental planning.