City Of Philadelphia Office Of Human Resources

3E05

CITY PLANNER IV

Specialties

General Definition

• This is supervisory planning work within the City Planning Agency, responsible for guiding the physical and environmental development of the city, or in a large operating department responsible for planning, developing, and implementing an aspect of the city’s environmental or transportation programs. An employee in this class, plans, assigns, reviews and coordinates the activities of lower level planners in the area of specialization. Interacting with other agencies, community and business groups and individuals is significant to the work.

Allocating Factors:

• Employees must perform supervisory city planning work in the area of specialization.

Typical Examples Of Work (Illustrative Only)

ALL SPECIALTIES

• Plans, assigns, reviews and coordinates the work of lower level planners in the area of specialization; assigns aspects of projects to subordinates; determines data required; directs the collection and analysis of data; reviews recommendations and proposals by subordinates and others; determines methods and procedures for study; develops guidelines and establishes priorities for subordinates; reviews work for adherence to planning standards.
• May attend Commission, Council, inter-agency, and community meetings to recommend, develop and interpret planning programs; may serve as a member of technical committees in area of specialization; provides technical advice, assistance, and information to agencies, groups and individuals in the area of specialization.
• Performs related work as required.

• BILINGUAL SPECIALTY

  • Performs the duties below with members of a non-English language speaking community.

  ANALYSIS SPECIALTY

  • Supervises the preparation of comprehensive district plans and generalized area plans; directs the interpretation of planning policy to community groups; enlists community involvement in planning in assigned regional areas of the City; meets with community groups to resolve disputes on proposed plans or projects; develops strategies and methods for effective community participation in the planning process.
  • Arranges neighborhood public commission hearings; determines boundaries of area to be served by hearing; assigns subordinate to meet with community groups to determine planning interests; determines and arranges for meeting halls, speakers, audio-visual equipment, and graphic displays; prepares agendas for discussion; briefs commission members on neighborhood issues and problems; interprets results of hearing to community groups.
  • Channels citizen concerns on various planning problems to City officials; determines existing City policies; develops policy proposals with representatives of other governmental, public or private agencies concerned with problems of citizens; presents recommendations to Planning Commission and/or other administrative bodies; interprets policy decisions to community groups.
  • Plans, analyzes, and coordinates transportation projects to ensure alignment with the capital budget and city-wide and Streets department priorities.

  AREA DESIGN SPECIALTY

  • Acts as the principal planning representative for an assigned City district comprised of a number of areas; develops rapport with business groups, and neighborhood community groups; responds to community concerns by providing information on the purpose of specific programs and the City's role in resolving these problems; guides the Commission and the community toward the development of compatible solutions; provides technical assistance to community groups; meets with community groups to resolve disputes on proposed projects prior to presentation to the Commission; develops the nature and scope of detailed plans for major development projects; drafts proposed consultant contracts; provides advice and direction to consultants.
  • Discusses and makes recommendations on urban design problems; analyzes physical, ecological, financial, and regional implications of proposals; determines neighborhood response to proposal; discusses design proposals and problems with public development agencies, and design and private developers.

  ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

  • Develops a specific aspect of the City's environmental management program such as urban development planning, waste management planning, and other areas relating to environmental issues, strategies and regulations; ensures compliance with the provisions of City, State, Federal and environmental rules, regulations and guidelines; establishes long and short range program goals and objectives.
  • Develops environmental review guidelines for urban development projects; delineates areas of impact to be considered and level of assessment to be used; initiates preliminary environmental reviews during project planning stage; requests alternative methods of project implementation; suggests possible alternatives.
  • Directs the compilation of environmental review statements; assigns qualitative and quantitative levels of assessment; maintains current listings of administrative actions for which environmental impact statements are being or have been prepared; details areas of concern, assignments, progress of work and explanations of any delay.

  ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SPECIALTY

  • Develops the Economic Development program as it relates to unemployment, industry, development, land utilization, etc., as they relate to capital development and the general economy of the City.
  • Directs collection of an economic data base; directs consultants in developing and maintaining computer packages for the economic data base utilized for economic development planning; refines and monitors the data base; analyzes the data base to access patterns of change and identify factors in influencing this change.

  PROJECT PLANNING SPECIALTY

  • Participates in the preparation of the City's special program and capital budget; develops studies of zoning planning activities; evaluates zoning proposals from business and community groups; researches and evaluates zoning plans of other cities; reviews councilmanic ordinances and zoning board cases for affect on zoning practices; makes recommendations for revision to the City zoning and planning codes.
  • Oversees the preparation and processing of changes to the official city plan; oversees updating of zoning maps; analyzes zoning remapping projects; serves as liaison with business associations and community groups for zoning projects.

  URBAN DESIGN SPECIALTY

  • Prepares site and building controls and design guidelines for specific development parcels, development projects and special districts; reviews building designs, site plans, streetscapes and landscapes for conformance with zoning controls, development controls and design guidelines; reviews designs for public and private spaces including consideration of such factors as pedestrian usage, landscape standards, lighting, adjoining land uses, transportation linkages and access, signage and public art.
  • Prepares prospective and requests for proposals for individual development sites; prepares redevelopment strategies for neighborhoods and specific development districts including preparation of recommendations on land and other uses; directs the work of planning commission staff in the development of standards, controls, and guidelines for the design and development of public spaces such as streets, pedestrian spaces, plazas, transit access spaces, and other civic and public spaces; coordinates with developers, special interest groups, community groups and other City departments and agencies in this work.

Required Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

Knowledge Of:

• the scope and objectives of city planning for a large metropolitan area
• city planning problems as they apply to the area of specialization
• the techniques and practices of planning research
• the theories of planning method
• the principles and practices of comprehensive city planning in the Analysis specialty
• the principles and economic research methodologies in the Economic Development specialty
• the principles and methodology of environmental planning for the Environmental Planning specialty
• environmental assessment methods and the mathematics and engineering involved for the Environmental Planning specialty
• the methods, practices, and objectives of zoning in the Project Planning specialty
• zoning, site planning, architecture, land use and transportation planning, infrastructure planning and development, landscape and streetscape design, real estate economics and development financing, and signage and graphic design for the Urban Design Specialty
• the legal concepts and legislation basic to planning
• the organization and function of municipal and other agencies active in the field of planning
• supervisory practices and techniques
• environmental law and the sources of information concerning environmental impact for the Environmental Planning specialty
• principles of environmental engineering as applied to the preparation and review of environmental impact statements for the Environmental Planning specialty

Ability To:

• plan, assign, review and supervise the work of a group of city planners
• analyze and resolve complex city planning problems and make sound recommendations consistent with City policies
• learn the uses and capabilities of electronic data processing equipment, including microcomputers and microcomputer applications
• present ideas effectively in oral, written, or graphic form
• establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates, civic community and business groups and the general public
• interpret federal guidelines, regulations and standards as they apply to the area of specialization
• determine those areas of the environment affected by specific urban development projects for the Environmental Planning specialty
• prepare sketches illustrating urban design standards, controls and design guidelines
• graphically present urban design concepts using traditional mapping, modeling and cartographic techniques as well as computer presentation drawing and presentation techniques common to the profession
• speak, read and write in a specified non-English language and English fluently for the Bilingual specialty.

Minimum Acceptable Training And Experience

(The following statement represents the minimum training and experience standards which will be used to admit or reject applicants for tests. Applications submitted by candidates for this class will be reviewed based on training and experience requirements as approved on 1/02.)

Education

ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALTY

• Completion of a bachelor's degree in engineering or applied science at an accredited college or university including or supplemented by coursework in environmental science or ecology. AND

General Experience

• Three years of technical planning experience. AND

Specific Experience

• One year of technical city environmental planning experience at the advanced performance level.

Education

BILINGUAL SPECIALTY

• Sufficient training and/or experience to be able to understand and speak fluently and clearly in English and a designated non-English language.

URBAN DESIGN SPECIALTY

• Completion of a bachelor's degree program at an accredited college or university with major coursework in architecture, landscape architecture, or urban design. AND

General Experience

• Three years of technical planning experience. AND

Specific Experience

• One year of advanced performance level experience in architectural design, urban design, streetscape design, site planning, or public open space design.

OTHER SPECIALTIES

Education

• Completion of a bachelor's degree program at an accredited college or university with major coursework in city or regional planning, or a field relevant to area of specialization. AND

General Experience

• Three years of technical planning experience. AND

Specific Experience

• One year of technical city planning experience at the advanced performance level, in the area of specialization.

OR

• Any equivalent combination of education and experience determined to be acceptable by the Office of Human Resources that has included completion of a bachelor's degree as an educational minimum and the specific experience as indicated above.

Physical And Medical Requirements

1. Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of a position in this class.

PAY RANGE:

• Class Established:

  • 3/73

• Spec. Revision:

  • CSC: 9/01, Ad Board: 1/02

• Latest Spec. Revision:

  • CSC: 6/11, Ad Board: 7/11

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End Of Job Class Specification - 3E05