Hire the Best Urban Planning Freelancers
in the United States

MY EXPERIENCE, IN A NUTSHELL I am an Urban Planner + Designer with an Architecture background, with 25+ years of experience. Over the years, I have managed, planned and led project deliveries for world-renowned firms (including SOM, WSP, Perkins+Will, HOK, SmithGroup…) leading client meetings and presentations, while coordinating interdisciplinary teams, balancing ideas from, clients, community, stakeholders and consultants through the typically fluid and iterative planning and design process. Some of my duties included developing project scopes and schedules and devising and producing reports and presentations, while also actively contributing to project content with zoning, site, context and building feasibility analyses, plan visioning, inspiration and precedents curation, site layout, design and development, and developing innovative design principles and vision strategies along with concept, illustrative and framework plans. My efforts typically culminated in attractive written and graphic presentations and reports, such as Site Development Plans, Master Plans, Small Area Plans, and Comprehensive Plans. My work has included both unabridged reports where I wrote urban design framework narratives and guidelines preceding official policy and zoning code, as well as eye-catching PowerPoint presentations distilling complex information into something the public can easily and enthusiastically grasp. I’m also very comfortable presenting to all types of clients and leading community engagement sessions in English and Spanish (one of which made the local TV news). WHY FREELANCE NOW...? After couple of decades of an exciting and very demanding career, I find myself looking for a work arrangement that better suits my present lifestyle, while just choosing the projects I love to do and I know I'm good at. MY PRODUCTION & SOFTWARE SKILLS: I’m an expert in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign, in which I integrate AutoCAD drawings, ArcGIS data layers and PowerPoint graphics to produce planning documents, drawings, reports, pitch books and presentations that are eye-catching and easy to grasp. I’m also an expert in Excel, which I use to clearly track and display space allocations, and easily calculate development data, gross floor area, and acreage tabulations, among other things. PLUS, AS A HOBBY... At a smaller scale, one of my favorite things to do is residential design: space planning, from site layouts to floor plans is my expertise – I find space where no one sees it, resulting in more practical, better (and happier!) places to live at. Just to point out a few jobs: • a friend of a friend commissioned me to remodel her kitchen, resulting in a total reinvention, a kitchen-dining-living addition with a window-filled "great room" commended for “bringing the backyard in" and ideal for family gatherings; • my sister needed to add an office in her 2nd floor townhouse, and I also added a master bathroom that she never imagined to have; • a friend commissioned me to split her (feisty) teenage daughters’ bedroom, and I gave them two private bedrooms each with a door – they said they never imagined it could look so good and feel so spacious in such a small area; • my other sister wanted an open kitchen but didn’t want to lose her pantry, so I relocated it to unused (and unseen!) space ideal for shelving in the adjacent laundry room, revealing an inviting central space for a kitchen island, frequently used by her young adult children gatherings

Hey! I'm Deron — a versatile freelancer based in New York with 15+ years of professional experience across GIS, market research, data analysis, product management, and client services. I'm detail-oriented, a strong communicator, and I take pride in delivering clean, accurate work on time every time. Here's what I can help you with... Travel Planning/Advising and Hospitality: -Personalized itinerary planning tailored to any budget, style, or interests -Access to exclusive rates, perks, and upgrades with hotels, cruise lines, airlines, and experiences not available to the general public -End-to-end logistics management covering flights, accommodations, ground transportation, visas, entry requirements, and travel insurance -On-trip support and crisis management for when plans change unexpectedly -Deep destination expertise built through constant research into new properties and experiences Writing & Content: -Copywriting and content writing for web, marketing, and business -Proofreading and editing -Technical writing and documentation -How-to guides, training materials, and SOPs Data & Research: -Data entry and database management -Market research and consumer analysis -Demographic and geographic data reporting -Transcription (audio, video, and meeting notes) -Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) Market Intelligence: -Consumer segmentation and audience profiling -Competitive research and industry analysis -Business intelligence reporting and data storytelling -Survey design and results analysis GIS & Geospatial: -Custom mapping and spatial data analysis -Location-based insights and demographic mapping -Geospatial reporting for real estate, urban planning, and logistics Customer & Client Support: -Customer service and client communication -CRM management (Salesforce) -Onboarding, training, and enablement -Virtual assistance and project coordination Whether it's a quick transcription job, a custom map, an in-depth market research report, ongoing admin and data support, or your next vacation -I show up prepared to get it done right. Let's connect!

I'm an architecture student trying to expand my skills by working freelancer online. I work best at residential interior design.

I am a landscape architect, urban designer, real estate consultant, educator, and community planner with experience throughout the United States and around the world. I have worked with numerous public and private groups to develop strategic revitalization strategies, economic development initiatives, and community master plans for business districts, cultural areas, recreation facilities, and residential homes. I have designed lively, people-oriented parks, public spaces, streetscapes, residential areas, and plazas. I am experienced in managing multidisciplinary teams and have guided numerous complex planning and design projects from initial programming, through public approval, to design and implementation. I am skilled at community outreach and in integrating public participatory planning to projects both large and small in scale. I have conducted countless public workshops, brainstorming sessions, and presentations to ensure consensus building within the communities I work.

You’re Trying to Make a Good Decision. Do You Really Have the Right Data Behind It? Organizations often have plenty of information, but not always a clear picture of the market, population, or geography shaping the decision in front of them. That creates risk. Sometimes the risk is choosing the wrong location. Sometimes it is misunderstanding who lives in an area, how a community is changing, where services are missing, or what the local data actually says. And sometimes it is simply having information, but not having it organized in a way that helps you act on it. I help clients reduce that uncertainty. My work combines market research, GIS mapping, demographic analysis, and data reporting to help nonprofits, public agencies, planners, researchers, and organizations make better-informed decisions. I turn raw public data, geographic data, and community indicators into clear findings, maps, and client-ready reports that support planning, strategy, and action. What separates my work from a generic research report: I do not just gather information. I help clients understand people, place, and patterns. That means I look at the relationship between markets, communities, service areas, and real-world geography — and I organize findings around the decisions you actually need to make. What I Do ✓ Market Research — Structured research to help you understand local conditions, community characteristics, geographic patterns, and decision-making context. ✓ GIS Mapping & Spatial Analysis — Custom maps, service area analysis, boundary analysis, spatial comparisons, and geographic reporting that make complex information easier to see and use. ✓ Demographic & Community Analysis — Clear analysis of population, income, housing, age, change over time, and related community indicators for neighborhoods, municipalities, counties, or custom study areas. ✓ Existing Conditions & Indicator Reporting — Community profiles, housing summaries, statistical briefs, and regional or local indicator reports for planning, grant work, and stakeholder communication. ✓ Survey Tabulation & Data Reporting — Clean, organized reporting for survey results, structured datasets, and other quantitative findings. My Approach Every project starts with the same question: what decision are you trying to make? From there, I build the research, analysis, and deliverables around that goal. Some clients need a polished map. Others need a community profile, a geographic comparison, or a concise report they can share with leadership, boards, stakeholders, or funding partners. My goal is always the same: deliver work that is accurate, useful, and easy to apply. You will get thoughtful analysis, professional communication, and deliverables that are organized for real-world use — not just a pile of data. Who I Work Best With I work best with clients who need more than generic online research. That includes: nonprofits and mission-driven organizations planners and public-sector clients researchers and consultants organizations evaluating communities, service areas, or expansion opportunities clients who need clear maps, demographic insight, or market context for planning and decision-making If you are trying to understand a market, a place, a population, or a service area more clearly, I can help you turn the data into something useful. Let’s talk. Send me a message with a little about your project, and I’ll let you know how I can help.

Urban planner and data analyst with multiple years of experience in long-range, comprehensive, and community-level planning initiatives. Currently working as a GIS and Data Strategist with the Planning and Data Management office at Chicago Public Schools. Primary research and professional interests include social and environmental justice, education policy, labor and cooperative organization, economic development, land use, and housing. Master's graduate in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Specializations in the fields of Environmental Planning and Policy and Spatial Design and Analysis. Certificate in Geospatial Analysis and Visualization. Served as President of the Urban Planning and Policy Student Association (UPPSA) from 2018-2019, which received the 2018 award for Outstanding Planning Student Organization (PSO) in the field of Best Practices from the American Planning Association (APA).