1. In what way does an urban or regional planner contribute to the community?
The primary way in which an urban planner contributes to communities is by providing them with information on the best use of land, and how the government or private individuals want to develop it for the benefit of communities and to deal with population growth.
2. As an urban planner, what duties have you performed in a previous/present workplace?
While working as an urban planner, I have been busy handling a lot of duties such as meeting with public officials and developers to determine development plans and use of land, gathering and analyzing economic and environmental studies and market research data, conducting field investigations to determine factors that may affect the use of land, assessing the feasibility of proposals, and providing provisions for changes, presenting projects to communities, and ensuring that current zoning and building codes, and ensuring that environmental issues are handled in a proper manner.
3. What do you possess in terms of experience and skills that make you an excellent person to hire at this position?
I possess a degree in public administration and over seven years of experience in an urban planner capacity. Apart from knowing the work inside out, I am proficient in many areas such as exceptional communication, decision making, and project management. Moreover, I am well-versed in analyzing situations and developing plans in accordance with them.
4. What do you find most challenging about working in an urban planning capacity?
The work is quite challenging on the whole, to be honest. There are so many things to handle including public preference, liaison with officials, research data analysis, and actual planning. And every area provides us with some sort of challenge or the other.
5. How do you deal with adversity in a professional environment?
Adversity is an everyday thing for people working in regional or urban planning. It comes from all ends – the public at large, officials, and even from within the organization. I do not have a problem dealing with it, as I take it all in stride.
6. What is the one thing that you would like to change about your present workplace?
To be perfectly candid, my present place of work is run in quite a professional manner. What I might want to add is additional training for urban planners, as it relates to public outreach.