Civil engineers and urban and regional planners both work in fields related to the planning and construction of buildings, roads and other facilities. While civil engineers focus on the projects themselves, urban and regional planners emphasize how the projects will fit in the local planning climate. Consequently, civil engineers and urban and regional planners often interact, cooperating on projects. Civil engineers design and oversee construction projects of all kinds. Civil engineers typically have different specialties, such as transportation engineering, structural engineering and geotechnical engineering, so that they can focus on that one aspect of a project. Urban and regional planners' focus is trained on the overarching plans for the use of the land and buildings in a defined area, such as a city or larger metropolitan area. Planners create these plans, and they also serve in positions to manage them, providing oversight to help ensure that the plans are followed.
