Civic Design Center Intern

City of Charleston•Charleston, SC

About The Position

This internship supports the development of the Peninsula Plan by an interdepartmental team of City staff. The intern will gain professional experience in planning, research, and civic engagement while completing assigned tasks independently and presenting work products for staff review. Work will include a mix of independent assignments and collaborative project support, with additional duties as needed based on project priorities and learning opportunities. This internship is anticipated to run through the 2026 calendar year, with the option to extend into 2027 depending on funding and workload needs.

Requirements

Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in Planning, Public Policy, Urban Design, Geography, Landscape Architecture, or a related field.
Working knowledge of or coursework in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop), Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel), and ArcGIS.
Strong interest in urban planning, community development, and public-sector work.
Strong research, analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work independently and present work products.

Responsibilities

Conducts research on site history, design precedents, policy, and related planning topics and presents findings to staff.
Participates in ideation sessions and contributes ideas, observations, and questions.
Conducts field visits to document and photograph project sites and summarizes observations.
Assists with community meetings, workshops, and other civic engagement activities.
Conducts analysis of land use policies, planning best practices, affordable housing strategies, and design guidelines with staff review.
Drafts content for plan documents, including policy recommendations, for staff feedback and refinement.
Supports preparation of reports, presentations, and project deliverables.
Performs basic administrative tasks such as data entry, file management, and customer service support.
Communicates work products and findings clearly through written and verbal updates to staff and project teams.
Performs other duties as assigned.