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

How To Become An Urban Planner: What It Is and Career Path

What is an urban planner and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Alec Brownlow Ph.D.

If you consider yourself to be a good planner, then you might be considering becoming an urban planner. But what is that exactly? An urban planner creates land-use plans and programs to establish communities, help existing communities expand and revitalize old facilities.

Generally, they only work full-time. But there is an occasional meeting after work that they'll need to attend. And as for education, you'll want to earn a master's degree from an accredited program. Of course, that's only if you want to qualify for the majority of positions. Which we think you'll probably want to.

What general advice would you give to an urban planner?

Alec Brownlow Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Director, Graduate Program in Sustainable Urban Development, De Paul College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

My advice is, first, do not despair ... cities are going nowhere; nor are the professions associated with them (planning, governance, etc.). Cities still offer what other residential geographies (suburban, exurban, rural) do not and cannot - density, proximity, community, diversity, etc. These are still desirable elements in our assessment of the quality of life. However, as the COVID pandemic has demonstrated, some of these very qualities are now being looked at through a new lens; density, for example, is now a source of concern and vulnerability. Public transportation is being eyed as potential 'hot spots' of disease spread. There will be a 'new normal' in the entertainment landscape of restaurants, bars, clubs, museums, etc. Indoor venues are being eyed with suspicion, while outdoor venues are a potential growth pole. With all of this to consider - along with the fact that the old entrenched injustices and inequalities that have been part and parcel to the American city since its beginning 250 years ago are now, in the wake of George Floyd killing, spilling into the streets and garnering the unprecedented attention and participation of white people and communities - this is arguably a tipping point moment in the field of Urban Studies. Cities are going to change; cities must change; they are being demanded by people who live in cities where they change. The combined disciplines that constitute Urban Studies will be at the fore of reconsidering, reformulating, reenvisioning what cities will look like, what city planners, institutions, and political leaders must do, to ensure the viability of a safe, secure, and just urban landscape.

ScoreUrban PlannerUS Average

Salary

5.1

Avg. Salary $65,316

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.93%

Asian 9.26%

Black or African American 4.64%

Hispanic or Latino 12.33%

Unknown 5.40%

White 67.44%

Gender

female 33.41%

male 66.59%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an urban planner

Explore urban planner education requirements

Most common urban planner degrees

Bachelor's

64.3 %

Master's

29.9 %

Doctorate

1.9 %

Start to develop specific urban planner skills

Skills	Percentages
GIS	11.07%
Infrastructure	6.21%
Visualization	5.32%
ArcGIS	4.88%
Sketch	4.71%

Research urban planner duties and responsibilities

Manage all aspects of production plan in direct compliance with MRP and master schedule.
Guide production planning activities ranging from developing and revising production schedules, forecasting trends and customer demand, and managing logistics.
Coordinate allocation of CDBG funds for community development and maintenance including demolition and asbestos abatement.
Assess compliance with NIST and DoD policies and procedures.

Get urban planner experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become an urban planner. The most common roles before becoming an urban planner include internship, planning internship team lead and planner.

Prepare your urban planner resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your urban planner resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an urban planner resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable urban planner resume templates

Build a professional urban planner resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your urban planner resume.

Apply for urban planner jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an urban planner job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do urban planners rate their job?

-/5

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Urban planner reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021

Pros

I like to work in my capacity as a certified arborist with individual homeowners to help to educate them about how their tree related decisions can effect the greater community or region. I like to work in my capacity as an urban forester with the community to educate about how collective decision making and best practices in planting trees and sustaining them, has a long lasting positive impact on our collective health and well being.