Urban and City Planning

Urban and City Planning is a systematic approach to address and resolve social, physical, and economic problems of neighborhoods, cities, suburbs, and metropolitan areas. This planning is focused on the human environment.

The goal of urban planners is to develop programs to provide for growth and revitalization of urban, suburban, and rural communities and their regions. Planners address such issues as central city redevelopment, traffic congestion, and the impact of growth and change on an area. Other job areas include planning to construct new school buildings, parks and playgrounds, public housing, and water and sewage systems. Planners also develop policies and programs for the protection of wetlands, wildlife refuges, archaeological sites, and historic monuments. They must consider economic and legal issues and the environmental impacts of such development.

Planners are increasingly becoming involved in social issues, such as the housing needs of minorities and diverse cultures, an aging population, housing and treatment facilities for people with AIDS, shelters for the homeless, and drug treatment centers. Planners must bring a broad perspective to problem-solving efforts affecting a range of social, economic, environmental, and political concerns. Jobs for urban planners are very abundant with many schools that offer formal academic preparation.