The future begins with urban planning.
Where do you fit in?

The goal of planning is to maximize the health, safety, and economic well-being of all people living in our communities. This involves thinking about how we can move around our community, how we can attract and retain thriving businesses, where we want to live, and opportunities for recreation. Planning helps create communities of lasting value.

While architects often focus on a single building, a planner's job is to work with residents and elected officials to guide the layout of an entire community or region. Planners take a broad view and look at how the pieces of a community — buildings, roads, and parks — fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Planners then make recommendations on how the community should proceed. One of the greatest challenges for planners is to imagine what can and should happen to a community: how it should grow and change, and what it should offer residents 10, 15, or even 20 years into the future.

-American Planning Association

The future of COMMUNITIES depends on planners who advocate for, design for, and craft policy for the people who live and work there.

The future of MOBILITY depends on planners who create resilient transportation opportunities for all people. Improving mobility can have a huge impact on the ability of people to hold jobs.

The future of EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION depends on planners who use their communications and organizational skills to make sure everyone has a seat at the table and that resources are used equitably. You can find these planners spread across a wide range of fields.

The future of LIVABILITY depends on planners who design resilient cities that can survive pandemics and climate change while creating places that mitigate the effects of these crises and preserve the best of our past.

The future of the ECONOMY depends on thriving communities. You’ll find planners in real estate development companies, all levels of government, and fields such as tourism, military, hospitals, and aviation.