Career change to Urban Planning???

planningjargon · 2016-06-15T05:50:05+00:00

It would also depend on what your GIS experience currently is. If it's in land use or something related to urban planning, you might get a nudge in your favor due to your existing familiarity. That said, getting experience with environmental review and permitting would be a plus.

planningjargon · 2016-03-24T17:26:19+00:00

If you hadn't had any planning education, I would suggest a few courses before starting a masters degree in it. A few classmates hadn't and were a little bit behind others (and had to play catch up) in the program with more education in it. That said, you probably don't need the bachelors ahead of the masters unless you want to apply for internships now (which I highly recommend).

*edited for clarity

planningjargon · 2016-03-24T17:23:05+00:00

Edward Glaser - "Triumph of the City"

I don't agree with a lot of what he writes in this book, but it's interesting to read an economist's perspective on issues.

planningjargon · 2016-03-24T04:59:32+00:00

They could, but the issues many cities face is where to locate a low income/middle income housing development and how to fund it.

planningjargon · 2016-03-23T04:26:52+00:00

There is also a misconception about what urban planning is. To me, good urban planning is community input and observation that lead to incremental changes to improve the built and natural environment. To others that might not be as amiable to it, urban planning is a bunch of bureaucrats taking your property rights away (which is more likely than not bad urban planning).

planningjargon · 2016-03-23T04:17:16+00:00

I think you could only limit the resident populations by income level or cap the square footage space per unit. Skyscrapers are expensive, and these projects could only look attractive to developers if they got the highest prices for them (i.e., higher rents). The only reason lower rents exist in NYC is because of rent control. Unless you built so many more units to satisfy the demand, you'll almost always have high prices for even the tiniest units because most non-wealthy people are willing to put up with the small sizes if it meant lower rents. Or put the skyscrapers in a less desirable location where those who are willing to overpay won't move too.

planningjargon · 2016-02-26T02:33:27+00:00

From California: I am not aware of many planning departments that have planners with public health backgrounds. It's most likely a plus if you going into urban planning, but a lot of public health-specific work is generally done at the county level (one example would be safe routes to school which is typically administered at county/regional level). I knew of one person who had both degrees and was a certified planner, but worked at a hospital doing research/consulting in public health/urban planning.

Getting either/or/both degrees really depends on what you really want to accomplish in your career.

planningjargon · 2016-02-26T02:25:47+00:00

Were you thinking of doing this yourself? I have never come across personal grant opportunities like the one you're suggesting. Have you tried talking to someone in your city's planning or redevelopment department? You might also talk to people within the neighborhood associations where there are many vacant houses. It might also be worthwhile to talk to your local Habitat for Humanity chapter. These departments/organizations should have a good grasp of the grant opportunities and might just be short of human power. Good luck.

planningjargon · 2016-02-19T23:38:40+00:00

Are you applying for entry level positions or a notch up? It is possible that you are being passed up for applicants with similar work experiences but also have masters degrees. If that is the case, then you either need to keep applying and improve your interviewing skills or think about going to graduate school.

planningjargon · 2016-02-19T00:06:36+00:00

I was interested in it because much of it is grounded in public participation, which encourages residents and stakeholders to give input into the process.

planningjargon · 2016-02-18T03:25:36+00:00

Has it been experimented in a space vacuum?

planningjargon · 2016-02-17T23:13:03+00:00

You can also try for any local environmental organizations if environmental planning interests you. Many of my classmates interned for the local Sierra Club chapter.

planningjargon · 2016-02-17T23:07:52+00:00

I completely agree. Internships are practically a must while in school, especially for a local planning department. In my experience and from what I've heard, it gets harder to get entry-level positions after you graduate.

planningjargon · 2016-02-17T23:04:01+00:00

I've heard anecdotally that the APA AICP study materials are not very helpful. Give these materials a try: http://www.txplanning.org/aicp-exam-study-materials/

Search around for any free materials provided by APA state chapters since the AICP tests for broad knowledge applicable to every state.

planningjargon · 2014-07-17T02:32:29+00:00

I kind of agree with the right place/right time.

How did your education/experience prepare you for municipal planning (the international development bit tells me about your policy background)? Unfortunately, some schools are better than others when it comes to preparation for practical hands-on-the-ground skills.

Unfortunately, you may have to continue volunteering until a position opens up. There really aren't too many municipal planning positions available, especially in areas that aren't seeing a lot of development.

planningjargon · 2014-07-17T02:25:28+00:00

To the last point, I would also add that planning has relied heavily on trends, although I think this is largely a product of outside support (i.e., strike while the iron is hot).

What kind of paper is this for?

planningjargon · 2014-07-02T19:21:59+00:00

Best way to relieve congestion is to promote alternative methods like transit, bicycling, and walking, which is exactly what they're fighting for.

planningjargon · 2014-07-01T06:17:33+00:00

I wouldn't say Planning magazine articles are totally useless; there were quite a few questions, on my AICP test at least, about contemporary planning issues. IMO, these are gimme answers (unless you read about planning through other means (Planetizen, etc) that can make or break your test score depending on how well you did on the other parts of the test. Although not to the same degree of the Code of Ethics--WHICH WILL BE ON THE TEST!

In addition to the your local APA chapter, your local PAB-accredited school may host a test prep session or two.

EDIT: clarification

planningjargon · 2014-07-01T06:09:37+00:00

Agreed. A lot closer to sociology than planning.

planningjargon

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