Sustainable development and management of the physical environment are the goals of land use,
transportation, and environmental planners. Working with affected stakeholders, these planners
balance competing demands on the land and environment brought about by urban and rural growth.
Their challenge is to guide private and public development processes so as to ensure an adequate
supply of urban land and facilities to meet people's present and future needs, while protecting the
environment and respecting fiscal and legal requirements .

This field of planning is central to sustainable development policy. These planners work in city,
county, regional, state, and federal government agencies, as well as nongovernmental organizations
and private consulting firms. In addition to design, research, analysis, and plan-making, contemporary
planning functions include program management, policy implementation, and coordination among
public agencies and private sector organizations. Planners lead teams which set goals and define
visions, mediate conflicts, and advise decision makers on policy and project impacts.

The primary goal of this MRP focus area is to prepare planners for practice in local, regional, and
state planning. The curriculum, however, is also relevant to national, international, and private sector
planning. Students develop knowledge of land development processes, natural systems, infrastructure
provision, transportation management, and governmental planning and regulation. They gain skills in
preparation of data bases, plans, policies, and implementation programs.


Career Opportunities
Career opportunities are found in government planning departments, transportation and environmental
agencies, private consulting firms, nongovernmental organizations, and private-sector development
organizations. For example, recent land use graduates hold positions at the Triangle J Council of
Governments, Seattle's Office of Management and Planning, and Calthorpe Associates. Recent
transportation graduates are working at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C.,
the Triangle Transit Authority, and BRW Transportation Consultants. Recent environmental graduates
are with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Earlier graduates hold more senior positions. Examples include Director of Environmental Planning
for the Atlanta Regional Commission; President of Frederick Clark Associates, Consultants in Rye,
New York; Planning Director of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments in Greensboro, North
Carolina; Partner in Burke, Weaver & Prell, land use attorneys in Boca Raton, Florida; and Executive
Director of The RINCON Institute, a non-profit organization based in Tucson, Arizona.


Course of Study
Students choose one of four focus-area specializations, each with its own series of four required courses,
plus a related workshop and law course. Land Use and Growth Management centers on preparation and
implementation of plans to guide urban development. Environmental Planning emphasizes the intersection
of land use and environmental policy, with a focus on water resources. Coastal Management deals with
management of land use and environmental problems unique to coastal regions.  The specializations are
flexible and inter-related, so that students may specialize in more than one area to pursue knowledge of
sustainable development.