Community Planning

Community planning is how local, state, and regional governments manage growth, navigate change, and make informed decisions about where to invest in housing, transportation, infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources. Planning is about helping communities define their goals and chart paths to achieving them. Planning professionals offer three essential strengths to this work. First, they take a long-term view, helping leaders understand how today’s policy decisions will shape a community for generations. Second, they offer expertise rooted in professional training, best practices, and real-world case studies, equipping government officials to manage both unforeseen challenges and emerging opportunities. Third, their recommendations are grounded in rigorous, data-driven research: planners draw on extensive community conversations and multi-source data analysis to reveal insights such as which neighborhoods lack adequate housing options or transit access, translating complex findings into clear, actionable guidance.

The Community College of Rhode Island offers two academic pathways for students interested in entering the planning profession. The Community Planning associate in arts is a two-year degree that prepares graduates for careers as planning technicians in local, state, and regional planning offices, as well as private consulting firms. The program blends planning theory with hands-on technical training in zoning administration, building plan review, GIS mapping, and code enforcement, developing students’ ability to communicate planning regulations clearly to diverse audiences. Graduates are equipped to review permit applications, conduct site investigations, create data visualizations, manage multiple projects, and maintain professional legal records. For students seeking a more focused credential, the Community Planning certificate covers the same core competencies—land use planning, zoning administration, site plan review, and code enforcement—with an emphasis on the day-to-day procedures and tools that planning technicians rely on in municipal, county, and regional agencies, as well as consulting environments. Both programs prepare students to process development applications, evaluate site plans for regulatory compliance, and produce documentation that meets legal and professional standards, opening doors to careers as planning technicians, zoning administrators, permit coordinators, and GIS specialists.

Programs

Associate Degree Programs

Certificates

Courses

Community Planning (CMPL)