Urban and Regional Planning Durban University of Technology

Overview

Planners engage with the effects of population growth,migration, and their impact on settlements, including towns, cities, and city regions within the constitutional mandate of the country and its laws. 

The typical work of an urban and regional planner includes:

• Meeting with communities, public officials and developers about development plans and land use,

• Administering government policies and plans that affect land uses, for example the National Development Plan 2030 and

• Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act of 2013,

• Gathering and analysing data from a range of sources such as land use surveys, census information, and economic and

• environmental information, traffic surveys, housing, and community surveys for a variety of applications,

• Managing and accessing proposals for development including development controls in relation to land use applications such as special consent, rezoning, sub- division of land, etc.

• The design and layout of existing township extensions, commercial and industrial layout, housing projects, or informal settlement upgrading,

• Cartographic work including the preparation of cadastral plans using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Computer

• Aided Draughting (CAD) software and is used to integrate data such as population density with digital maps,

• Assisting in the community participation processes to establish their needs, issues, and goals. This is typically done through research, analysis of data and community engagement and collaboration to develop local strategies for development, and

• Collaboration with a range of other professionals in the built environments such as architects, civil engineers, surveyors, environmental practitioners, property developers, lawyers, and public officials.

Career opportunities 

The Urban and Regional Planning program Durban University of Technology is projected to grow as the momentum for implementing the National Development Plan takes shape and has been identified as a scarce skill. Planners are typically employed in the private sector, planning firms, local provincial authorities, and service organisations. Both technical planners and professional planners work in government departments at municipal, provincial and national levels and in state owned enterprises. In the private sector, there are career opportunities in planning firms and a range of other sectors such as community organisations and property development.