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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Urban Research Intern

💰 $ - $

Urban PlanningResearchGISInternshipData Analysis

🎯 Role Definition

The Urban Research Intern supports applied research and planning projects focused on urban development, transportation, housing, sustainability, and community outcomes. Working under a supervising researcher or project lead, the intern conducts fieldwork, data collection, spatial and statistical analysis, literature reviews, and stakeholder engagement. This role emphasizes mixed-methods research (quantitative + qualitative), GIS and mapping, and clear evidence-based reporting to inform urban policy and programs.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Current undergraduate or graduate student in Urban Planning, Geography, Public Policy, Data Science, Sociology, or related fields.
  • Research assistant or volunteer on community-engaged projects related to housing, transit, or environmental justice.
  • Recent graduate with coursework or capstone projects in GIS, statistics, or urban studies.

Advancement To:

  • Research Assistant / Research Associate (Urban Studies)
  • GIS Analyst or Spatial Data Specialist
  • Urban Planner (entry-level)
  • Policy Analyst (local government or nonprofit)

Lateral Moves:

  • Data Analyst (transportation or public health)
  • Community Engagement Coordinator
  • Project Coordinator (urban programs)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Conduct comprehensive literature reviews and synthesize scholarly articles, policy reports, and gray literature to produce annotated bibliographies and background sections that support urban research projects and proposals.
  • Design, program, and implement household, commuter, or business surveys (online and in-person), including drafting questionnaires, piloting instruments, managing distribution, and monitoring response rates to ensure statistically valid samples.
  • Deploy and maintain field data collection efforts such as pedestrian counts, intercept surveys, environmental sensors, and observational audits; document protocols and ensure data quality and replication.
  • Prepare, clean, validate, and merge large datasets from multiple sources (Census, open data portals, administrative records, travel surveys) using Python, R, Stata, or Excel to create analysis-ready files.
  • Perform spatial data processing, geocoding, and cartographic mapping using ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, or similar tools to visualize patterns of land use, mobility, access to services, and environmental exposure across neighborhoods.
  • Conduct quantitative analyses including descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, regression models, time-series summaries, and spatial statistics (hotspot analysis, buffer analysis, spatial joins) to test hypotheses and generate policy-relevant findings.
  • Support qualitative methods by recruiting interview and focus group participants, conducting semi-structured interviews, facilitating community focus groups, and compiling detailed field notes and transcripts.
  • Code and analyze qualitative data using NVivo, Atlas.ti, or manual thematic coding to identify themes, stakeholder perspectives, and lived-experience narratives that complement quantitative results.
  • Produce high-quality visualizations and dashboards (Tableau, Power BI, R ggplot2, Python matplotlib/seaborn) that translate complex urban data into clear maps, charts, and interactive tools for stakeholders.
  • Draft research briefs, technical memos, policy summaries, and sections of final reports that clearly explain methods, limitations, and implications for planners, policymakers, and community partners.
  • Assist with grant writing and proposal development by compiling literature, drafting methods sections, creating budgets, and preparing supporting documents for funders and institutional review boards (IRB).
  • Maintain and update project databases and documentation (metadata, data dictionaries, codebooks, and README files) to ensure reproducibility and compliance with data management best practices.
  • Create and maintain GIS layers, spatial databases, and web map services, including symbolization standards and metadata to support internal teams and public-facing web maps.
  • Support the implementation and analysis of travel behavior and mode choice studies, including origin-destination matrices, transit ridership analysis, and bike/pedestrian facility usage studies.
  • Perform quality assurance and reproducibility checks on analytical code and deliverables, maintain version control (Git/GitHub), and document analytical workflows for peer review.
  • Coordinate with municipal partners, community-based organizations, and interdisciplinary teams to schedule meetings, prepare agendas, solicit feedback, and incorporate stakeholder input into research design.
  • Contribute to pilot projects and experimental interventions (pop-up plazas, tactical urbanism, pilot mobility services), including baseline data collection, monitoring, and post-implementation evaluation.
  • Assist with administrative project tasks such as scheduling, expense tracking, processing human subjects consent forms, and ensuring compliance with ethical research standards and privacy protections.
  • Prepare presentation materials and present interim findings at team meetings, community workshops, and stakeholder briefings, tailoring communication to technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Conduct archival research and policy scans to document historical land use, zoning changes, housing policy evolution, and past planning efforts to contextualize current initiatives.
  • Support machine learning or predictive modeling tasks when applicable, including feature engineering, model training, cross-validation, and communicating model assumptions and limitations.
  • Monitor and summarize relevant federal, state, and local policy developments, funding opportunities, and technical guidance that affect urban planning, housing, transportation, and environmental justice.
  • Assist with the recruitment, onboarding, and supervision of volunteers or temporary field staff during intensive data collection periods, ensuring training materials and safety protocols are followed.
  • Document lessons learned and recommended process improvements after project phases to support continuous improvement of research practices and stakeholder engagement strategies.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • GIS & Mapping: Proficiency with ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, geocoding, spatial joins, and cartographic best practices for creating publication-quality maps.
  • Statistical Analysis: Hands-on experience with R, Python (pandas, statsmodels), Stata, or SPSS for descriptive and inferential statistics, regressions, and hypothesis testing.
  • Data Wrangling: Strong ability to clean, merge, and prepare data from multiple sources, including CSV, shapefiles, APIs, and relational databases.
  • Programming & Scripting: Familiarity with Python or R for reproducible workflows, data pipelines, and automation of analysis tasks.
  • Database & SQL: Basic SQL skills for querying relational databases and extracting urban datasets.
  • Data Visualization: Experience creating charts, dashboards, and interactive visualizations with Tableau, Power BI, ggplot2, or D3.js.
  • Qualitative Methods: Experience with interview protocols, focus groups, transcription, and qualitative coding (NVivo, Atlas.ti) to analyze narratives and stakeholder feedback.
  • Survey Design & Sampling: Understanding of questionnaire design, sampling strategies, and online survey tools (Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey).
  • Remote Sensing & Spatial Data: Familiarity with satellite imagery, raster analysis, or LiDAR data for land cover and urban morphology analysis (preferred).
  • Version Control & Reproducibility: Use of Git/GitHub or similar tools to manage code and track changes.
  • Machine Learning / Predictive Analytics (preferred): Basic exposure to model development and evaluation for forecasting travel demand, land use change, or service needs.
  • Report Writing & Documentation: Strong technical writing skills for drafting memos, methods sections, and final reports with clear metadata and code comments.

Soft Skills

  • Clear written and verbal communication tailored to technical peers, policymakers, and community audiences.
  • Strong attention to detail and commitment to data quality, reproducibility, and ethical research practices.
  • Collaborative team-player with experience working in interdisciplinary project teams and community partnerships.
  • Time management and ability to prioritize multiple tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Cultural competency and sensitivity when engaging with diverse communities and stakeholders.
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving skills to translate complex urban challenges into actionable research questions.
  • Adaptability and willingness to learn new tools, methods, and subject areas quickly.
  • Professionalism in field settings, including reliability for early-morning or weekend site visits when needed.
  • Facilitation skills for workshops, focus groups, and participatory mapping sessions.
  • Initiative and ownership: ability to take direction and independently drive portions of a project to completion.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a Bachelor's program in Urban Planning, Geography, Public Policy, Environmental Studies, Civil/Transportation Engineering, Sociology, Data Science, or a closely related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Current enrollment in or pursuing a Master's degree (MUP, MS in GIS, MPP, Urban Studies, or related) with coursework in research methods, statistics, GIS, or urban policy.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Urban Planning and Policy
  • Geography / GIScience
  • Public Policy / Public Administration
  • Environmental Science / Sustainability
  • Transportation Planning
  • Data Science / Statistics
  • Sociology / Anthropology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 0–2 years (internships, research assistantships, capstone projects, volunteer work)

Preferred:

  • Prior internship or research assistant experience in urban planning, transportation, housing, or public-sector research.
  • Demonstrated coursework or portfolio showing GIS maps, statistical analyses, or policy research products.
  • Experience working with community partners, municipal staff, or nonprofit organizations on applied research projects.
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