Summer 2025 Planning Intern

Make An Impact
Progressive Companies’ Summer Internship Program is a paid, 12-week opportunity that provides a 100% real-world experience for students early in their career.  Throughout the summer you will apply academic learning to real-world situations and cultivate project management, problem-solving, and communication skills.  And with service-learning opportunities, community outings, wellness participation, and professional development lunch-and-learns, you’ll build a foundation for working in the Architectural Engineering field in the future. 

As a Planning Intern, you will work collaboratively with the Urban Planning Practice Leader, Project Managers, and Planners to develop master plans, transportation plans, urban placemaking and development proposals, conduct research and perform data analysis, attend community engagement sessions, and develop visually rich content that conveys important planning information. 

This position requires a commitment to continued learning – including interest in topics such as transportation, housing, economic development, community engagement, environmental planning, zoning and land use law, and other pertinent topics. Your education and work experience should include enrollment in land use planning coursework or planning-adjacent coursework.

Responsibilities:

• Exhibit strong technical writing skills for inclusion in planning documents such as master plans, zoning ordinances, research reports, and other professional documents
• Provide graphically rich content for community engagement sessions, plans, proposals, project webpages, grant applications, and other documents as needed
• Participate in generating digital and social media outreach content
• Collect and gather data, synthesize findings for useful analysis, demonstrate paths for implementation, and share recommendations in a manner that garners support
• Utilize a strong attention to detail for review and proofing of presentations, written reports, graphic boards, transmittals, and other client-facing materials
• Follow project scope for accurate milestones and strong adherence to project deadlines
•  Alert the Planning Practice Leader if you become aware of changes that could affect the project scope, schedule or your work completion
• Maintain composure and multi-task, while working under deadlines and pressure. This includes estimating time needed to complete various project tasks and prioritization
• Attend night and evening meetings as required
• Maintain professional tone in correspondence with clients and stakeholders; exhibit empathy, humility, and active listening in meeting with community residents and stakeholders
• Maintain positive working relationship with Practice Leader, Project Managers, and Planners and coordinate tasks and provide project updates

Qualifications:

•  Enrollment in land use planning college coursework or planning-adjacent college coursework such as architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, public administration, or environmental science. Completion of at least one (1) year of coursework is required.
• Strong technical writing experience, as well as an understanding of graphic design principles for infographics, document layouts, and social media posts.
• Knowledge of computer hardware and software programs including but not limited to the following:
  • Microsoft Office (Teams, PowerPoint, Word, Excel)
  • ESRI ArcGIS Pro
  • Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)