Planners work to ensure that land use change occurs in an open, fair, and reasonable way according to existing laws, community priorities, and sustainable practices. Planners provide creative solutions for complex problems that affect many publics, and their actions often have enduring effects on the built and natural environments. Rural and town planning focuses on land use in rural environments, in smaller towns and in dispersed settlements. The certificate is valuable to students who wish to add a planning focus, to their major and to practicing professionals who want to update their knowledge of planning.