Urban Planner
Develop plans to ensure the best use of land for urban communities.
Job opportunities
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Jobs in SEEK right now
Job growth
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5-year projection
Salary
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Typical salary
Job satisfaction
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Job opportunities
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Jobs in SEEK right now
Salary
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Typical salary
Job growth
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5-year projection
Job satisfaction
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What's it like to be an Urban Planner?
Urban Planners identify community needs and develop plans to create or revitalise a community’s land, facilities, services and resources. Urban Planners spend time examining plans for proposed facilities, such as schools, hospitals and public gardens. They use a variety of tools, including geographic information systems, that analyse data to ensure that proposed facilities will meet the needs of a growing population.
Tasks and duties
- Meeting with local government officials, developers and the public regarding development plans and land use.
- Gathering and analysing economic, environmental, census and market research data.
- Conducting field investigations to analyse factors affecting land use.
- Reviewing site plans submitted by developers.
- Assessing the feasibility of proposals and recommending whether they should proceed.
- Staying up to date with zoning and building codes, environmental regulations and other legal issues.
- Carrying out site surveys, inspections and impact assessments.
- Presenting plans and reports to stakeholders.
- Obtaining required permits.
How to become an Urban Planner
You’ll need a bachelor degree or postgraduate qualification in urban or environmental planning to work as an Urban Planner in Australia.
- Complete a tertiary qualification in a relevant field such as a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning or a Bachelor of Urban and Environmental Planning. These degrees usually take 4 years to complete.
- Seek out work placement opportunities while studying to gain more skills, such as summer placements or voluntary positions.
- Apply to become a member of the Planning Institute of Australia.
- Consider a postgraduate qualification such as a Master of City Planning or a Master of Urban and Regional Planning.
- Keep up to date with industry laws, regulations and technologies. Attend seminars, conferences, workshops and short courses to keep growing your skills.
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Latest Urban Planner jobs on SEEK
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Skills and experience employers are looking for
Having the right skills and experience can make you an in-demand applicant. Urban Planner employers on SEEK are looking for job seekers with expertise in the following areas.
Source: SEEK job ads and SEEK Profile data
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Latest Urban Planner reviews
May 2021
Reviewer's Qualification
Master of Urban Planning
Experience
1 – 4 years
Organisation size
Small (1-19 employees)
Specialisation
urban planning
The good things
learn about development permission, site boundaries, council approval
The challenges
hard to find a starting job, need years of experience
Read more
Apr 2023
Reviewer's Qualification
Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning
Experience
1 – 4 years
Organisation size
Large (200+ employees)
The good things
Being an urban planner is a fascinating and dynamic career. For individuals passionate about cities, neighborhoods, and community development, it is an incredibly rewarding experience. Urban planning ...
The challenges
However, being an urban planner is not without its challenges, which include navigating political and bureaucratic limitations, dealing with difficult stakeholders, and balancing competing priorities....
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Source: SEEK role reviews
SEEK has not verified the truth or accuracy of these comments and does not adopt or endorse any of the comments posted on this page.SEEK collects and posts the comments for what they are worth and for information purposes only to assist candidates to find employment through seek.com.au
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