Business Improvement Zone(BIZ): A Short Synopsis. What it is, how it works, what it can do, and how I can get one.
It’s been 50 years since the first public bike share system was established inAmsterdam. With bike share experiencing rapid growth worldwide, in the twenty-first century, a key question has arisen: Is public bike share a mode of public transportation?
Photo By: Dan Sommerville
"Whether it’s a dystopian future where a crumbling former metropolis poses new and often terrifying challenges, or a documentary about a parking lot, planning has found its way onto the big screen. Here’s my list of ten planning-related films, shows and documentaries that planners and non-planners alike will find both interesting and thought-provoking."
Venice is a tourist's city. But unless you are a history or architectural buff, what are you going there to see? I observed that tourists flock to Venice to enjoy its ambiance, its culture, or as I see it: good urban planning.
Photo By: Michelle Bennett
Every year, Michigan’s political and business elite retreat to the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island. The island is a place where bicycles, not automobiles, are the dominant vehicle of transportation. With this setting for the state’s top policy conference, why are leaders not more inspired to make Michigan a more bikeable state?
Photo by: Bike Walk Lincoln Park
Over break, Agora sent out a call for submissions on the topic, “Why should planners care about police brutality” I thought to myself about how obvious that answer is: of course we should.
A diversity workshop was held February 9th, 2015 with high expectations from students that they would discuss the intersectionalities of race, class, and gender in the urban planning context, and have a larger dialogue of social justice and community. This blog piece highlights one MUP's reflection on the workshop.
Northfield Township is a rural community that promotes farming, open space and embraces the natural elements of the environment including Whitmore Lake. Through the years, there has been interest in development to grow and improve our community. However, the newest wave of development would violate several measures of our 2012 Master Plan.
Wajiha Ibrahim reflects on Dr. Ananya Roy’s discussion for the Taubman Lecture Series on slum governance in the Global South and the reproduction of social inequality.
Photo by Wajiha Ibrahim, courtesy of wajihaibrahim.com
Prisons have effectively broken families and left many low-income minorities in despair. The use of prisons into affordable housing units is insensitive and planners need to be more cognizant of affordable housing strategies and approaches.
What I do not miss from my career as a scientist is the “scientism," the belief that if what can’t be measured isn’t worth studying. Planning is an incredibly broad field that was originally a target for my scientism. Though planning lacks the scientific rigor of the natural sciences, I have realized that this is not necessarily a downside as I first thought.
Agora staff member Dan Sommerville reflects on the LunchUP panel "You Talkin' to Me? Writing for Your Audience."
AGORA staff member Matt Blain documents his experience at the 2014 People's Climate March in New York City.
Sonia Hirt, an alumnus of the University of Michigan MUP and Doctoral program, visited her alma mater last week to give a lecture titled, “Landscapes of Postmodernity: Changes in the Built Fabric of Central-East European Cities Since the End of Socialism.” This blog post is a summary of Hirt's lecture by AGORA staff member Michelle Bennett.
During Fall Break this year, I joined several MUP classmates on a road trip to Grand Rapids (our mini version of the annual MUP Expanded Horizons trip). We were a small group, which meant that we could leisurely meander the city streets and make group decisions about which neighborhoods to explore, where to eat, and when to take a break to explore a venue or ponder an art installation.
This fall, AGORA begins a blog series focused on UofM planning students' summer and other professional experiences in the planning field. UofM students work in an impressive range of planning roles, and we aim to highlight some of the ways we "get some practice". All of the blog pieces in this series are authored by students and provide an avenue for them to describe what may be their first experiences as practicing urban planners.
This is the first post in AGORA's "Getting Some Practice" blog series, which focuses on the recent professional experiences of urban planning students - particularly summer internships.
This fall, AGORA begins a blog series focused on UofM planning students' summer and other professional experiences in the planning field. UofM students work in an impressive range of planning roles, and we aim to highlight some of the ways we "get some practice". All of the blog pieces in this series are authored by students and provide an avenue for them to describe what may be their first experiences as practicing urban planners.
Looking for a way to get your hands a little dirty this Spring? Look no further than the Master of Urban Planning Class of 2014 service project this Saturday, April 12th from 10: 30 AM to 1:00 PM at Growing Hope in Ypsilanti. We will be celebrating the impending end of this big adventure we call grad school by giving back to the community, having fun together, eating pizza, and soaking up some of Michigan’s rumored sunshine*.
So what exactly is Growing Hope? It is a local non-profit that uses a capacity-building approach to help improve individuals’ lives through gardening and access to healthy food. Growing Hope assists local home, school, and community gardens; runs a farmers market in downtown Ypsilanti; and provides a bevy of outreach programs centered on feeling good about what you eat and who you are.
If you are in interested in participating in the service project on Saturday, April 12, please click here to reserve your spot. Due to the organization’s capacity, space is limited, so please RSVP!! Preference will be given to 2nd year MUPs (including dual degrees) and URP faculty if more than 30 people sign up.
The service project is part of a wider effort by the Class of 2014 to give back to the community. The Class of 2014 established the Urban Planning Professional Development Fund as part of the 2014 MUP Class Gift. The Class of 2014 is proud to launch this fund as a unique opportunity for continuing students to pursue important professional pursuits while alleviating some of the financial burden associated with these opportunities. The Urban Planning Professional Development Fund supports unpaid or low-paying summer opportunities that substantially further the professional development goals of continuing Master of Urban Planning students in Taubman College. The fund is still accepting donations! Please help us make this effort successful so that it can continue for future classes!!
Click here to donate to the 2014 MUP Class Gift. The suggested donation is $10-$25 but any and all amounts are greatly appreciated!
*Sunshine may not be guaranteed, but good times are.
Through examining personal narratives, our new series explores the diverse backgrounds and aspirations of our peers. We are inspired by the concept of making planning personal and the capacity of passion to motivate action and meaningful public policy. Dustin Hodge shares his background and motivations for becoming and urban planner in the latest Agora blog post.