Urban planners working in the metropolitan areas of Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk Connecticut make higher than average salaries, according to data compiled by planning website CityLab.com. As of May 2019, their average annual salary was $83,110. The metropolitan areas of Norwich/New London/Westerly CT-RI weren’t far behind, with their urban planners bringing home $81,550 annually. The average salary nationally for an urban planner at that time, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was $77,750. So these Connecticut urban planners were making substantially more than average.
Becoming an urban planner in Connecticut should be motivated by more than just financial gain, of course. Urban planning can be a rewarding career as you help to design the spaces in which people live. You will work closely with government officials at various levels, architects, and the public to figure out the best land usage in urban, rural, and suburban areas of the state.
There couldn’t be a better time to become an urban planner in Connecticut than right now. CTPost reported in 2019 that Connecticut was experiencing a shortage of urban planners, partly due to the fact that the state is one of just 15 in the nation with no accredited graduate-level urban planning degree programs. Municipalities in Connecticut were having trouble filling planning positions that had been open for six months or more.
There are ways that you can still become an urban planner in Connecticut, despite the lack of accredited programs. If you are interested in becoming an urban planner in Connecticut and helping to fill the shortage, read on.
Connecticut Salaries for Urban Planners
As referred to above, certain metropolitan areas in Connecticut were quite lucrative for urban planners who worked there as of May 2019. While the state average salary for urban planners in Connecticut was $78,110, examples of urban planner salaries among Connecticut’s metropolitan areas include:
- Bridgeport $83,110
- East Hartford $81,110
- Hartford $81,110
- Milford $84,205
- New Haven $75,330
- New London $81,550
- Norwalk $83,110
- Norwich $81,550
- Stamford $83,110
- West Hartford $81,110
- Westerly $81,550
Land Use and Urban Planning Laws in Connecticut
As in most states, land use in Connecticut is regulated primarily at the local governmental levels. Each municipality is responsible for managing its own development and land use. This is accomplished through Planning and Zoning Commissions. Planning Commissions regulate the division of parcels of land into multiple lots through establishing and administering subdivision regulations. They also have responsibility to develop the municipality’s plan of conservation and development. The zoning commission develops and adopts zoning regulations for the municipality, in accordance with statutory requirements. These establish zoning districts and standards of reach district. Some towns have combined zoning and planning commissions
Coastal Management in Connecticut
Connecticut has many coastal communities. Within these communities, the local government’s municipal planning and zoning commissions must also implement the Connecticut Coastal Management Act. Commissions must determine whether a proposed land use or development is consistent with coastal policies and standards, and whether its potential adverse impacts on coastal resources and future water-dependent development activities are acceptable.
Tidal Wetlands Buffers Guidance
Another concern for Connecticut’s planners is protecting tidal wetlands. Planners within affected areas are instructed on the value of vegetated buffers to protect tidal wetlands from the negative effects of upland development. Tidal wetlands in Connecticut are found near Long Island Sound. They provide habitats for shorebirds, a nursery area for estuarine-dependent oceanic species, and habitats for shellfish.
Local planners are educated on using vegetated buffers to protect tidal wetlands, in between the wetlands and adjacent upland development. There are certain activities that are absolutely prohibited within the vegetated buffer area, such as:
- New building construction that increases the building area or footprint
- Detached accessory buildings
- Pools, tennis courts, patios, terraces
- Driveways, parking areas
- Impervious surfaces
- Seawalls, bulkheads, landscaping walls and retaining walls
- Grading, excavation, filling, constructing new septic systems
- Land clearing
- Dumping of lawn clippings and wastes
- Applying fertilizers and pesticides unless necessary to address a public health issue and approved by the State Department of Health Services
Brownfields and Urban Sites
Under the Connecticut General Statutes, a brownfield is defined as “any abandoned or under-utilized site where redevelopment, reuse or expansion hasn’t occurred because of the presence/potential presence of pollution.” The process of assessing and cleaning up brownfields in Connecticut is undertaken by the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection’s Remediation Division. The state may fund some brownfield cleanup programs and provide liability relief to non-responsible property owners or purchasers who have made a good faith effort to remediate/redevelop brownfields. Redevelopment of brownfield sites has the following benefits to the environment and humans living near them:
- Reduces/eliminates exposure to pollutants
- Cleans up sits that otherwise wouldn’t be cleaned up for decades
- Reduces environmental impacts associated with industrial sprawl
- Creates potential for new tax revenue for municipalities and the state
- Utilizes existing infrastructure and minimizes expansion of new infrastructure into undeveloped areas
- Reverses urban decay and revitalizes cities
- Creates short-term construction and long-term jobs
Obtaining an Urban Planning Education in Connecticut
Undergraduate Urban Planning Degree in Connecticut
You must start by earning an undergraduate degree in a field related to urban planning if you aspire to become an urban planner in Connecticut. Usually, it is recommended that you attend a program that holds accreditation through the Planning Accreditation Board of the American Planning Association. No accredited programs exist in Connecticut, however. Consider these alternatives:
Non-PAB-accredited program in Connecticut:
- Central Connecticut State University, New Britain – Bachelor of Arts in Geography with Specialization in Planning
Non-PAB-accredited programs (but recommended by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning) in nearby New York, such as:
- State University of New York at Albany – Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Major in Urban Studies and Planning
- Cornell University, Ithaca – Bachelor of Science in Planning, Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies
- University at Buffalo, the State University of New York – Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design
Non-PAB-accredited programs (but recommended by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning) in nearby Massachusetts, like:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge – Bachelor of Science in Planning (with specializations available in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Regional Development and Public Policy, and Urban Society, History and Politics)
- University of Massachusetts Boston – Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Sustainability
- University of Massachusetts Amherst – Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Community Development or Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture
Graduate Urban Planning Degree in Connecticut
Connecticut does not house any PAB-accredited graduate programs in urban planning. Instead, consider these options:
- University of Southern Maine, Portland – Master of Community Planning and Development
Specializations available in Land Use & Environment, Community & Economic Development, Health Planning
(Connecticut students qualify for reduced fees per credit hour)
(Not PAB-accredited but is recommended by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning)
Muskie School of Public Service
96 Falmouth St., P.O. Box 9300
Portland, ME 04104-9300
207.780.4864; csc@usm.maine.edu
These programs in nearby Massachusetts hold PAB accreditation:
- Harvard University – Master in Urban Planning
Graduate School of Design, Department of Urban Planning and Design
Gund Hall 312, 48 Quincy St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Accreditation through December 31, 2026
Ann Forsyth, Program Director
617.496.3587; aforsyth@gsd.harvard.edu
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Master in City Planning
School of Architecture & Planning, Dept of Urban Studies & Planning
77 Massachusetts Ave. – Room 7-337
Cambridge, MA 02139
Accreditation through December 31, 2020
Eran Ben-Joseph, Department Head
617.253.7305; duspinfo@mit.edu
- Tufts University – Master of Arts in Environmental Policy & Planning; Master of Science in Environmental Policy & Planning
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Dept of Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning
97 Talbot Ave
Medford, MA 02155
Accreditation through December 31, 2025
Mary Davis, Chair
617.627.3394; mary.davis@tufts.edu
- University of Massachusetts at Amherst – Master of Regional Planning
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Dept of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning
210 Design Bldg, 551 N Pleasant St.
Amherst, MA 01003-2901
Accreditation through December 31, 2026
Mark Hamin, Program Director
413.545.6608; mhamin@larp.umass.edu
Or you might want to consider PAB-accredited programs in neighboring New York:
- Columbia University, New York – Master of Science in Urban Planning
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
1172 Amsterdam Ave, 413c Avery Hall
New York, NY 10027
Accreditation through December 31, 2021
Weiping Wu, Director
212.854.0004; weiping.wu@columbia.edu
- Cornell University, Ithaca – Master of Regional Planning
College of Architecture, Art & Planning, Department of City & Regional Planning
106 W. Sibley Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Accreditation through December 31, 2021
Jeffery M. Chusid, Department Chair
607.254.5378; crpchair@cornell.edu
- Hunter College, City University of New York – Master of Urban Planning
School of Arts & Sciences, Dept of Urban Planning and Policy
695 Park Ave, West Bldg 1611
New York, NY 10065
Accreditation through December 31, 2022
John Chin, Director
212.772.5603; john.chin@hunter.cuny.edu
- New York University – Master of Urban Planning
Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, Urban Planning Program
295 Lafayette St., 2ndfloor
New York, NY 10012
Accreditation through December 31, 2026
Zhan Guo, Director
212.998.7510; zg11@nyu.edu
- Pratt Institute – Master of Science in City & Regional Planning
School of Architecture, Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
200 Willoughby Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205
Accreditation through December 31, 2020
Eve Baron, Chair
718.687.5641; ebaron@pratt.edu
- University of Albany, State University of New York – Master of Regional Planning in Urban & Regional Planning
College of Arts & Sciences, Dept of Geography and Planning
Arts & Sciences 218
Albany, NY 12222
Accreditation through December 31, 2023
Catherine T. Lawson, Director
518.442.4775; lawsonc@albany.edu
- University at Buffalo, State University of New York – Master of Urban Planning
School of Architecture & Planning, Dept of Urban and Regional Planning
Hayes Hall
Buffalo, NY 14214-3087
Accreditation through December 31, 2021
Daniel Hess, Chair
716.829.5326; dbhess@buffalo.edu
Earning Professional Certification as an Urban Planner in Connecticut
American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
After completing your graduate degree and working for two years in the field, you should pursue professional certification through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). This involves passing a test. The American Planning Association-Connecticut Chapter offers study resources online. You may take the test at a Prometric center such as:
- Glastonbury – 655 Winding Brook Drive
- North Haven – 117 Washington Ave.
- Norwalk – 444 Westport Ave.
AICP Certification Maintenance in Connecticut
The AICP’s Certification Maintenance program will ensure that you meet the 32 CM credit requirement every two years in order to maintain AICP membership. The APA-Connecticut Chapter provides resources to help you find eligible activities.
Extra Certifications for Connecticut Urban Planners
If you would like to pursue other professional urban planning certifications, check out:
- GIS Professional (GISP) of the GIS Certification Institute
- Professional Transportation Planner (PTP) of the Transportation Professional Certification Boards, Inc. (TPCB)
- Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM)
- Congress for the New Urbanism-Accredited (CNU-A) by Congress for the New Urbanism, begun in partnership with the University of Miami School of Architecture in 2008
Procuring an Urban Planning Job in Connecticut
Prominent Urban Planning Projects in Connecticut
Notable planning projects that have occurred across Connecticut include:
- Chestnut St. 122,000 square foot mixed-use development in Norwalk
- Arawana Golf Course, Middletown
- Darien Tidal Wetlands Restoration, Darien
- Saugatuck Center and Marina, Westport
- The Village- 102,000 square foot shopping village in Norwalk
Connecticut Urban Planning Internships
Even if your college program does not offer an internship opportunity, you could choose to pursue one on your own and land a gig like:
- Planning Intern- City of Stamford
- Transportation Planning Intern – AECOM, Rocky Hill
- Engineering Intern – Otis, Farmington
- Project Engineering Intern – Collins Aerospace, Danbury
- Construction Intern – AECOM, Bridgeport
Public Sector Jobs in Urban Planning in Connecticut
Public sector jobs at federal, state and local levels may be available such as:
- Zoning Enforcement Officer – Town of Branford
- Planner- Western Connecticut Council of Governments, Sandy Hook
- Assistant Town Planner – Town of Branford
- Transportation Planner – Windham Region Transit District, Mansfield
- Inland Wetlands Agent/Environmental Planner – Town of Windsor
- Zoning Official- Town of Waterford
Private Sector Jobs in Urban Planning in Connecticut
Private sector jobs in urban planning could include:
- Territory Manager – Fisher & Paykel Appliances
- Planning & Performance Director – Anthem, Inc., New Haven
- Planning & Development Associate – HRA of New Britain
- Community Manager – Techstars, Fairfield
Forecast for Connecticut’s Real Estate Industry and Urban Planning
Per the Connecticut Department of Labor, jobs for urban planners statewide are expected to increase by 8.4 percent between the years of 2016 and 2026. The news is not quite as good for the state’s real estate industry, however. It is recovering from the bust seen after 2007’s historic home prices. But prices have a long way to go to reach those record numbers. Unfortunately, many Connecticut homeowners are still in a negative equity position because of the boom and bust of the mid-2010s. As of 2019, home prices are the highest in Hartford County, and the lowest in Fairfield County. Of the 169 municipalities in Connecticut, only 10 have home sale prices at pre-recession levels.
Does this mean that you should not pursue your dream of becoming an urban planner in Connecticut? Of course not. As the economy improves, more and more urban planners will be needed to make space for affordable housing in all parts of the state.