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Urban planner vs land planner

The differences between urban planners and land planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an urban planner and a land planner. Additionally, an urban planner has an average salary of $65,316, which is higher than the $64,353 average annual salary of a land planner.

The top three skills for an urban planner include GIS, infrastructure and visualization. The most important skills for a land planner are GIS, real estate, and regional planning.

Urban planner vs land planner overview

Urban PlannerLand Planner
Yearly salary$65,316$64,353
Hourly rate$31.40$30.94
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs13,88314,910
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

What does an urban planner do?

An urban planner is responsible for evaluating land use and condition and providing comprehensive plans and programs that would be beneficial for the entire community. Urban planners' tasks also cover conducting field investigations and collect environmental studies, performing market research and creating proposals for approval of the officials, reviewing recommendations and addressing issues which concern the land and resources, and strategizing comprehensive area plans. An urban planner must consider the community's best interest that would promote growth and development.

What does a land planner do?

A land use planner is responsible for the planning and development stage of land development. Typically, they interact with a client to decide how to convert the land for commercial or personal use. After creating a plan, they need to ensure the project's safety and efficiency. This career requires someone who has practical communication skills, customer-service skills, and flexibility.

Urban planner vs land planner salary

Urban planners and land planners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Urban PlannerLand Planner
Average salary$65,316$64,353
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $89,000Between $46,000 And $89,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMapboxTucson Electric Power
Best paying industryConstructionConstruction

Differences between urban planner and land planner education

There are a few differences between an urban planner and a land planner in terms of educational background:

Urban PlannerLand Planner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorUrban PlanningUrban Planning
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Urban planner vs land planner demographics

Here are the differences between urban planners' and land planners' demographics:

Urban PlannerLand Planner
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 66.6% Female, 33.4%Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 9.3% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.3% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between urban planner and land planner duties and responsibilities

Urban planner example 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.
  • Prepare conceptual and design lot layouts and site plans using freehand and AutoCAD.
  • Coordinate with the FAA on all obstructions to airspace and for temporary crane waivers.
  • Show more

Land planner example responsibilities.

  • Guide production planning activities ranging from developing and revising production schedules, forecasting trends and customer demand, and managing logistics.
  • Devise GIS tools to conduct impact analysis on both current planning and area plans for local communities.
  • Direct inbound or outbound logistics operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, or logistics quality management.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations for meetings in business plans and meetings at executive levels.

Urban planner vs land planner skills

Common urban planner skills
  • GIS, 11%
  • Infrastructure, 6%
  • Visualization, 5%
  • ArcGIS, 5%
  • Sketch, 5%
  • Community Development, 4%
Common land planner skills
  • GIS, 14%
  • Real Estate, 10%
  • Regional Planning, 10%
  • Photoshop, 9%
  • Natural Resources, 5%
  • Development Projects, 4%

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