[urbanmyth]

...if you hear of any position opening for a planner/ urban designer....

Thanks!

[missionhill]

I think the planning field is a little less robust in new england than elsewhere because there's no county government, and it's often counties that have planning departments. The towns may have a "planner" whose career is about as interesting as the one in Parks & Recreation--i.e., responding to proposed subdivisions, zoning variances, etc. They don't get to do much planning.

[AMSS]

Doesn't that involve infrastructure? We don't do that here…puhlease.

[willow wind]

x 2 on what missionhilll said. These types of jobs are hard to come by in CT. Not only do we have no county government we have no unincorporated areas.

Our cities are small in population compared to most of the country and they are as big in geographic area as they ever will be. There is no annexation going on as there is nothing to annex. Our cities are also old in age and heavily built up already in much or all of their existing land areas.

We can tear down old buildings, but there is not a lot of vacant land for design and expansion. Towns surrounding the cities tend to resist any attempt at regional government or combing themselves with cities in any form and especially when it comes to housing. CT is 169 towns ( most of them fairly small) and likes it just the way it is - lol

You've chosen and interesting field of work, just don't know how many jobs you'll find in CT. Not unheard of just very little going on due to our small size and particular form of government. Good luck with your job hunt. You're going to have to hope you're in the right place at the right time when one does come along.

[AMSS]

Originally Posted by willow wind

x 2 on what missionhilll said. These types of jobs are hard to come by in CT. Not only do we have no county government we have no unincorporated areas.

Our cities are small in population compared to most of the country and they are as big in geographic area as they ever will be. There is no annexation going on as there is nothing to annex. Our cities are also old in age and heavily built up already in much or all of their existing land areas.

We can tear down old buildings, but there is not a lot of vacant land for design and expansion. Towns surrounding the cities tend to resist any attempt at regional government or combing themselves with cities in any form and especially when it comes to housing. CT is 169 towns ( most of them fairly small) and likes it just the way it is - lol

You've chosen and interesting field of work, just don't know how many jobs you'll find in CT. Not unheard of just very little going on due to our small size and particular form of government. Good luck with your job hunt. You're going to have to hope you're in the right place at the right time when one does come along.

Very true. It hurts as far as proper development and infrastructure go, but education wise it works out well.

[missionhill]

Speaking of infrastructure, Boston has carried out some mega infrastructure projects during my career as a planner (although no opportunities for me personally). But they kept a lot of planners busy on the Big Dig, on rerouting the orange line subway, on extending the commuter rail lines, and on the Boston Harbor cleanup. Notwithstanding AMSS's amusing response, I expect more big infrastructure projects in the future at the state level. Now there's a lot of talk about passenger rail from Hartford north, maybe in the Berkshires too. Takes planners to do all the permitting, site design, and environmental impact work. Maybe you can get hired on with a big firm like CDM or Parsons Brinckerhoff that get state contracts for engineering design and supervision. They employ planners for the needed permitting and environmental review services.

[AMSS]

Originally Posted by missionhill

Speaking of infrastructure, Boston has carried out some mega infrastructure projects during my career as a planner (although no opportunities for me personally). But they kept a lot of planners busy on the Big Dig, on rerouting the orange line subway, on extending the commuter rail lines, and on the Boston Harbor cleanup. Notwithstanding AMSS's amusing response, I expect more big infrastructure projects in the future at the state level. Now there's a lot of talk about passenger rail from Hartford north, maybe in the Berkshires too. Takes planners to do all the permitting, site design, and environmental impact work. Maybe you can get hired on with a big firm like CDM or Parsons Brinckerhoff that get state contracts for engineering design and supervision. They employ planners for the needed permitting and environmental review services.

I do hope so. Over the past year, the amount of flash flooding I've encountered at intersections and streets I never knew had issues when it rained has been stunning.

[JayCT]

Connecticut has 14 regional planning agencies. The list can be found here:

OPM: Regional Planning Organizations (RPO)

You could try them. Also check out ConnDOT's list of approved planning consultants here for opportunities:

Prequalified Consultants for Year 2013

Planning jobs are hard to come by unless you know someone. Netorking is so important. You might check for ways to do that through the American Planning Association. Here is their website:

https://www.planning.org/

Good luck, Jay