Environmental Planning 

It’s 2008, I am a junior at Sonoma State University, and I am sitting in the Environmental Issues lecture hall watching a very intriguing yet disturbing documentary along with 100 other students. The documentary was about chemical pesticides in agricultural runoff. You may be thinking okay and why is this interesting and disturbing. Well in the documentary it showed three distinct cases of how detrimental this was. 

1. The pesticides were responsible for killing off entire coral reefs.
2. Chemical called Nitrate which is found in pesticides was linked to causing cancer in dolphins.
3. A herbicide called Atrazine was diminishing testosterone in males frogs; and ultimately causing male frogs to grow ovaries. Yes, transitioning male frogs into female!

In the back of my mind that documentary has stuck with me and probably will never leave my psyche. If this can happen to animals, think of what this is doing to humans! However, scientists, policy makers, along with environmental planners are hard at work to combat these challenges and to restore equity when it relates to the natural and built environments. But that still poses a question what exactly is environmental planning?

Difference Between Urban/Regional & Environmental Planning 

There are a lot of similarities and overlapping between Urban/Regional and Environmental Planning. But, to be specific Urban Planning entails the facilitation of planners processing and creating policy documents, schematics/plans (land use map, zoning maps, general plan, zoning ordinance) to design cities. This occurs through processing entitlement applications, design/site plan reviews, drafting village plans etc. 

Environmental Planning differs in that it is a subset of Urban/Regional Planning that focuses sustainability; aims to analyze the balance of the natural and built environment. One of the main goals of environmental planning is to minimize adverse impacts due to urban projects/developments, by ensuring that these projects/developments comply with environmental regulations such as NEPA, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, etc. Therefore, the goal of environmental planning is to safeguard the Earth for future generations. 

What Does An Environmental Planner Do?

Now that you understand the difference between urban planning and environmental planning you may be wondering what exactly do environmental planners do day to day. I can give you a first hand account since half my working career I held the title environmental planner for a civil engineering and environmental planning firm. Well it’s no different than urban planners in that a large portion of our day can include administrative tasks such as responding to correspondence, word processing, creating spreadsheets and presentations, and filing. Outside  of administrative tasks a large portion of your day may include project management, research, and report writing. 

But to be specific, as an environmental planner in California I was experienced in CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act). This entailed research, public noticing, and report writing. These tasks differ in that I am not researching, conducting noticing and report writing for staff reports on behalf of zoning ordinance (local) requirements. But,  instead environmental planners conduct research, public notification and reports due to state or federal (CEQA or NEPA) requirements. 

This is done by reviewing project proposals, project descriptions, site plans and site visits to investigate potential environmental impacts and identify mitigation measures reduce adverse impacts. Additionally, environmental  planners coordinate with regulatory agencies to manage permitting issues, and ensure compliance with NEPA, Clean Air Act, and all federal, state, and local environmental regulations. Planners working for government agencies may recommend whether permits should be approved or denied. Environmental planners prepare environmental impact statements/environmental impact reports, environmental assessments/initial studies, categorical exclusions/categorical exemptions, and responses to requests for proposals. But, do not fret environmental planners also have to keep up with changes to zoning and building codes, environmental regulations, and other legal issues.

Conclusion 

As stated above, Environmental Planning purpose is to look out for the interest of the world, your neighborhood, you and your family. 

To obtain more knowledge on urban planning practices please check out our email list, and if you have any comments, questions and or concerns please do not hesitate to contact the Friendly Neighborhood Planner.