Overview: Parks planning is a career that requires the application of knowledge from a variety of fields. Because of this, parks planners come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds. Many parks planners have a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in planning or a related discipline such as Urban Planning, Engineering, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Geography, Political Science, Forestry or Economics. As parks planning can be a very competitive field, some employers may require candidates to have a graduate degree in one of the aforementioned (or other) fields. In addition to education and certain personality traits, there are other requirements to becoming a parks planner. For example: Must be able to understand main issues that will affect land use in the future, i.e. demographics, environment, etc. Must have a working knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations, and government policies. Must be able to reconcile opposing interests of various stakeholders. Bilingualism is an asset in many municipalities. Must be able to use simple language in order to be persuasive.
Geographers at work: Physical Geographers, Human Geographers, Environmental Geographers
Skills: Environmental Management, Land Management, Communications
Written by Christopher Hinojosa