City planners, also known as urban planners, work to boost economic viability and development in cities and neighborhoods by designing land use based on what the community needs. They typically plan for new buildings, road and street design and different zoning requirements. City planners can help with redeveloping existing neighborhoods as well. They may also research different demographic and environmental aspects of a neighborhood before making any decisions on what can be done to change it.

A career as a city planner requires a lot of hard and soft skills. Strong analytical thinking and political diplomacy are important, especially when dealing with people in the community. In addition, the job often demands long hours of research and meetings with community members.

Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in the area of city planning or a related field is a good first step to becoming a city planner. Many urban and environmental planning programs offer concentrations in areas like land use, community development or transportation. A city planner can then find a master’s program in a particular concentration to help further their education and prepare them for the career.

In this role, a city planner will likely need to take on some administrative duties as well. This might include developing documents that communicate with the community about plans for future growth, as well as interpreting ordinances and regulations. Meetings with local residents are common, as are discussions on zoning and land use issues.

While most people think of a city planner as someone who works in government, there are many private companies that hire urban planners. These can include commercial real estate management firms, architecture companies and large law or global professional services firms.

Urban planners are also in demand at the state, regional and federal levels of government. This is because a career in this field allows individuals to work on a variety of different projects and build a diverse set of skills that will be useful in other careers.

Some of the most interesting work that city planners do involves redeveloping neighborhoods, which can be very complex tasks. One example is a recent project in Northwest Indiana, which combines housing, shops and public transportation into one neighborhood. This helps residents get around without needing their cars and creates communities that are environmentally friendly. Cities across the country are looking at these types of neighborhoods to reduce car traffic and dependence on fossil fuels.