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Urban Planning/Policy Internship

ECOnorthwest is pleased to announce a paid internship in our Los Angeles office for current graduate or undergraduate students. If you love urban planning and community development, there are few better fits anywhere in the U.S. ECO has weighed in on everything from promoting affordable housing development and strategies for increasing housing production to revitalizing river districts and revisioning transit corridors. It’s the rare job that allows you to get paid to think about how to improve your community.

The intern will primarily work on California projects and will work closely with project managers on all aspects of our work, including technical and administrative tasks. Work could include research, data collection and analysis, literature reviews, presentation preparation, and report writing. Exciting projects we are working on include creating an affordable housing funding program for the Westside Cities Council of Governments (WCCOG), analyzing how cities in the San Luis Obispo region can promote affordable housing development through smarter design standards, and studying how urban sprawl contributes to the decay of urban centers. The intern will primarily work within the firm’s Urban Systems practice area on a range of projects including housing policy, land use planning, real estate development, and economic development. Assignment to specific practice areas and projects will depend on the skills and interests of the intern. For more examples of our project work, please see Projects.

This internship provides networking and professional development opportunities. At the beginning of your internship, we will work with you to develop personal and professional development goals for your experience and establish a work plan to help to make progress on those goals.

Click through the options below to learn about this internship.

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    •  Current or recent student in a graduate program. Undergraduates currently enrolled in an urban planning, public policy, real estate, or closely related field may also apply.
    • Pursuing an undergraduate or master’s degree (preferred) in urban planning, public policy, community planning, real estate, economics, or a similar degree.
    • An understanding of local land use regulations, local and state level policy, and/or real estate metrics or economic concepts.
    • Dependable, organized, and detail oriented.
    • Strong problem solving, written communication, and analytical skills.
    • Experience with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
    •  Experience with qualitative data analysis and literature review.
    • Experience with quantitative data analysis using Excel, R, Stata, or other statistical software.
    • Applicants with experience in computer or geospatial programming (such as QGIS or ArcGIS) may have opportunities to assist with data analysis.

  Pay:

  • $20-24/hour

      Location:

    • Los Angeles, CA. ECOnorthwest is currently operating on a hybrid schedule, so there will be opportunities for remote work, but the intern will be expected to work in our Culver City office at least one day per week.

      Time Commitment:

    • 16–28 hours a week for a duration of 4–5 months with the possibility of extension for the summer term if mutually agreed upon by the intern and ECOnorthwest.
    • The start and end date will be negotiated upon hire. ECOnorthwest is flexible if there are prescheduled vacations or a need for time off.

    ECONorthwest is committed to the work of improving its diversity and inclusiveness as a workplace. Our best work draws on teams within and beyond ECONorthwest who have diverse backgrounds and experiences that reflect the multifaceted communities we work in. Thus, we encourage applicants who would expand the diversity of lived experiences within our team and who share our values and commitments to advancing equity through research and data justice.

    Students with F-1 Visas may apply. We will accept student applications with CPT (Curricular Practical Training) or OPT (Optional Practical Training) with work authorization.

    ECONorthwest is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

    ECONorthwest requires employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

    Click below to apply. We will review the applications on a rolling basis and anticipate filling the position by the end of February 2024. Interviews will take place in February.

    Please complete your application by clicking the button below. If selected for an interview, we provide the flexibility to conduct interviews virtually or in person, depending on current location.

    Please upload PDF copies of your cover letter and resume.

    When completing the online application, please be prepared to answer the following assessment questions (150-word limit, each).

    1. Tell us about a time you had to make a decision with incomplete information. What did you do?

    2. Describe your experience working with data and how you conveyed the results to a broad audience. If you have not had much experience working with data, please describe what aspects of data analysis would you like to learn more about.

    3. In the range of work that ECOnorthwest does, what topics and skill-building opportunities are most exciting to you and why?

    4. How did you hear about this internship?

    Only complete applications with cover letters and resumes in PDF format and supplemental questions answered will be reviewed.

    Apply Now