Position Title: Big City Planning Directors Intern

Supervisor Title: Associate Director, Planning Practice and Scenario Planning

Date: Summer/Fall 2021. End date negotiable.

Location: Remote

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is looking for a junior planner role to join the planning practice team. As a member of the planning practice team, you will do research on planning departments across the United States and assist in organizing a convening of planning directors to be scheduled for October 2021. The planning practice team values taking initiative and being detail-oriented. This is a paid internship opportunity.

Since 1999 the Lincoln Institute has been convening planning directors from the 30-35 largest cities in the United States. This is done at a three-day fall event called the Big City Planning Directors Institute, as well as in the spring at the APA National Planning Conference, and more recently during periodic virtual meetings to discuss a range of relevant topics to planning. The Institute is a partnership among Lincoln, the American Planning Association (APA), and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Over the course of these convenings, we have realized that the planning directors have a range of responsibilities and their departments range in purview. Some of them include urban design, climate, and/or racial equity while some focus on development permitting. The size of their staff also varies.

What You'll Do

  • Research the planning departments of the largest U.S. cities to highlight similarities, differences, and the range of work they do.
  • Conduct online research, interview staff in city departments, create an inventory, and write a report.
  • Complete deliverables including notes, key-characteristic comparison spreadsheet, and a final report comparing the departments.
  • Support Lincoln staff in planning and organizing the Big City Planning Directors Institute for October 2021.
  • Review past meeting materials, draft and tabulate survey results, draft a several-day meeting agenda
  • Conduct speaker outreach, track and coordinate presentations from speakers and participants.
  • Coordinate event needs with staff, partners, and planning directors.
  • No travel required.

What You’ll Need

  • Bachelor’s degree in urban studies, public policy, or related field
  • 1-4 years' work experience
  • Legally authorized to work in the United States
  • Interest in city planning
  • Research, writing, and communication skills
  • Comfort with Excel and Word
  • Availability for check-in calls by phone, and on Zoom or Microsoft Teams for screen sharing

How to Apply

Please send resume and cover letter directly to Heather Hannon, Associate Director, Planning Practice and Scenario Planning.

About the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, we integrate theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide. With locations in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Washington, DC; Phoenix; and Beijing, we organize our work around the achievement of six goals: low-carbon, climate-resilient communities and regions; efficient and equitable tax systems; reduced poverty and spatial inequality; fiscally healthy communities and regions; sustainably managed land and water resources; and functional land markets and reduced informality.