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Letter from the Department Chair |
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Last modified: 08.21.06
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Welcome
to the Department of City and Regional Planning. In the
pages that follow, you will find an introduction to our
programs and how they might serve your needs and aspirations.
Penn's planning program is more than fifty years old,
and among its graduates are national and international
leaders. For example, the largest institutional cohort
as the College of Fellows of the American Institute of
Certified Planners are Penn graduates and associated faculty.
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Enrolling in Penn's city and regional planning programs
- Masters, PhD or certificate - is a transforming experience.
Not only will you receive deep training in the theory,
substantive contents and skills of the field, but also
you will apply your newly acquired knowledge to client-driven
issues and problems in live situations, under the watchful
eyes of faculty mentors drawn from the academy and practice.
As you look at this planning program, ask yourself at
least three questions. First, does the program have a
defined focus (who are we?), second, how does the program
define its identity (what does this mean?), and third,
what are some measures of success in planning (what can
I do with Penn's credentials?)
Who are we?
Our program has three distinguishing features: First,
we have an explicit commitment to blend theory and practice.
Second, we have a fortuitous location in a university
whose commitment to urbanism is visible, in a city that
is large and dynamic, and in a region that displays an
extraordinary range of urban/suburban/rural conditions.
Third, we share the mission in Penn's remarkable School
of Design that educates leaders, not only in city and
regional planning and its subfields, but also in architecture,
landscape architecture, historic preservation, fine arts
and urban design.
So what does this mean?
Students in our program are immersed in a vibrant intellectual
and civic community. Upon arrival on campus, they immediately
see practice in action with Penn's award-winning revitalization
program focused on its neighborhood pursuing a thoughtful
multi-pronged strategy that incorporates economic development,
education, urban design and community involvement.
Beginning classes, students work with professors who are
passionate about transferring knowledge generated through
practice-based research (often generated through their
own efforts).
In environmental planning courses, they learn from Tom
Daniels about his nationally recognized work in farmland
preservation.
In urban design courses, they explore with Jonathan Barnett
his plans for Miami, San Francisco, Omaha, hear from Gary
Hack about creating the World Trade Center design guidelines,
and/or learn from Michael Larice about neighborhood and
streetscape design. They may also take a course in preservation
planning with Randall Mason.
In economic development courses, Lynne Sagalyn relates
the public private partnerships that created Times Square,
Sidney Wong explains the measures of successful enterprise
zones, and I share work in examining residential development
in 46 downtowns.
In regional planning classes, New York's Regional Plan
Association's president, Bob Yaro, reveals broad-range
metropolitan concepts.
In transportation classes, Rachel Weinberger outlines
domestic and international practice, while Vukan Vuchic
explores mass transit and other non-auto alternatives.
Students learn and apply the latest in GIS techniques
from Amy Hillier and Dana Tomlin, one of the originators
of this work and see it displayed in Susan Wachter's (former
HUD Assistant Secretary) housing and real estate lab.
Students' exposure to practitioners comes in many forms.
WRT Partners (Wallace, Roberts and Todd, Philadelphia's
finest planning and design firm) lead the first year workshop,
providing an introduction to solving client-determined
problems. Last year, students worked on projects as diverse
as the Chester Avenue corridor in Southwest Philadelphia,
devising a revitalization plan for Norristown, Pa and
restoring the Inn at Buck Hill Falls.
This preparation leads students to the second year studio,
dealing with a broader, more sophisticated problem guided
by internationally recognized practitioners. These practitioners
include Jim Kise (Kise, Kolodner, and Straw) whose studios
on the Olympics, Wilmington (DE), and the Village of the
Arts (Philadelphia) have received wide media coverage;
Paul Levy (Center City District) whose studios on neighborhood
development and downtown Philadelphia have shaped city
policy; Jonathan Barnett (WRT) whose studios in Orange
County and its Environs and Grenada, Spain have stimulated
ongoing work in their respective areas; and Bob Yaro (RPA)
and Armando Carbonell (Lincoln Institute of Land Policy)
whose Plan for America 2050 and the Northeast Corridor
are providing a model for similar work in several U.S.
regions.
What can I do with Penn's credentials?
After completing their work, our graduates embark on exciting
careers throughout the nation and beyond. About half of
our alumni work in the public sector or non-profit work
and the other half are involved in the private sector.
Representative alumni placements in the masters program
include the Miller Sellen Connor Walsh (Orlando, FL),
Fundacion Metropoli (Madrid, Spain), the Brooklyn Naval
Yard Development Corporation (New York), U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development, (Washington, DC), Main
Street Mount Holly (NJ), and Fehr & Peers Associates,
Inc. (Walnut Creek, CA). They also include various firms
such as Robert Charles Lessor & Company (Atlanta,
GA), Times Square Business Improvement District (New York),
Sasaki Associates (MA), Beyer Biddle Belle (New York),
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership (Portland, OR) and Economic
Research Associates.
Our recent doctoral graduates are faculty members at MIT,
University of Virginia, California State North Ridge,
University of Maryland and elsewhere.
After you have visited these pages, you may wish to visit.
Each fall and spring we have an open house (see Office
of Admissions) and throughout the year we welcome visitors
who may have personal interviews and sit in on classes.
In addition, you may e-mail our faculty who will be happy
to answer your questions. You will find their address
in the faculty section of this site. Eugénie L.
BirchLawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research
& Chair, Department of City and Regional Planning
Eugénie
L. Birch
Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research &
Chair, Department of City and Regional Planning
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