Urban Planning Program I Columbia UniversityGraduate School of Architecture, Planning and

Preservation, 2014-2015

Planning News

The2014-2015yearwasayearofreflectionandchangefortheUrbanPlanningprogramatGSAPP.AmongthebiggestchangeswasthenewleadershipforGSAPPbroughtbyDeanAmaleAndraos.AspartofanefforttomaintaintheUPprogram’sedgeDeanAndraosinvitedfacultyandstudentstoimaginethefutureoftheurbanplanningprofessionandtoconsiderwhatroleUPmightplayinthatfuture.TothatendUPstudentsorganizedavisioninggroupthatmetwithalumni,faculty,andotherstudentstoenvisionthefuturefortheplanningprogram.AlthoughadefinitivevisionfortheUPprogramwasnotdevelopedbythestudentsseveralintriguingideasdidgrowoutofthediscussions.Theseincludestrengtheningtheconcentrationsbybetterdefiningtheskillsetsassociatedwitheachconcentrationanddevelopinganewconcentrationtoaddresstheincreasingimportanceof“bigdata”andanalytics. ToallowstudentstofocusontheuseofdataandanalysisanewUrbanAnalyticsconcentrationhasbeendeveloped.Thisconcentrationpreparesstudentstoconceptualizestrategiesforusingtheincreasingabundanceandavailabilityofdatatoinformplanningefforts,undertakearchitectureanddesignprojects,andsolveurbanproblems.Studentsenrolledinthisconcentrationwillacquireskillsindatascience,datavisual-ization,geographicinformationsystems,multivariatestatisticalanalysis,researchdesign,inadditiontotheplanningskillstaughtinthecoreUPcurriculum.Theconcentrationwillbeofferedfirstfortheclassof2017. Inadditiontoourusualarrayofcourseofferingswehavecontinuedtherecentpracticeofprovidinganadvancedstudioforsecondyearstudents.Theseadvancedstudiosgivestudentstheopportunitytohonetheirplanningskillswhileworkingwithaclienttoaddressaplanningissue.Youcanreadmoreaboutthisstudioprojectonthefollowingpage. TheUrbanPlanningprogramwasfortunatetohostXinLiasavisitingprofessorfortheentire2014-2015academicyear.ThiswasProfessorLi’ssecondyearasavisitingprofessoratGSAPP.XinLiearnedherPh.D.inUrbanPlanningfromtheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,directedthethesiscourseandtaughtacourseonplanninginemergingeconomies.WebidfarewelltoTrishaLogan,theAssistantDirectoroftheprogramforthepasttwoyears,asshetookanewjobasaPreservationPlannerinMiami.FillingherroleisInnaGuzenfeld,apreservationandplanninggraduatefromthePrattInstitute. Welookforwardtowelcomingtheclassof2017thisfall.The45accomplishedstudentsjoiningushailfromelevencountries,fromPakistantoChile.

LanceFreemanDirector,UrbanPlanningProgramColumbiaUniversityGSAPP

20142015

From the Director

AsMyanmarundergoespoliticalchangesandeco-nomicliberalization,Yangonisacityintransition.Foreigninvestmentanddemocratizationhaveledtoincreasedrealestatedevelopmentinthehistoriccentralbusinessdistrict(CBD)ofYangon.TheCBD’smixofBritisheraandmodernbuildings,affordableresidences,andpublicspacesarefacingpressuresofchangewithfast-paced,adhocdevelopment.

Thispastfall,anAdvancedUrbanPlanningStudioledbyProfessorsAndrewSchererandEricaAvra-mistudiedthehousingandcommunitypreservationconcernsinYangon.Inpartnershipwiththeirclient,thenon-governmentalorganizationYangonHeritageTrust,theteamwaschargedindevelopingrecommen-dationstoprotectexistingcommunitiesfromdisplace-mentwhileconservingthehistoricfabricofYangon.Thestudiowasenvisionedasacollaborativeprojectwithstudentsfromdegreeprogramstoadddifferentexpertisetothestudy.InadditiontoUrbanPlanning,theteamincludedHistoricPreservation,RealEstateDevelopment,andLawdegreecandidates.

“Myprimaryreasonforwantingtoparticipateinthisstudiowasthefactthatitwasacollaborativeprojectbetweenurbanplanningandotherprograms,”com-mentedparticipantJetRichardson.Asadualcandi-dateinUrbanPlanningandInternationalAffairs,JetvaluedtheopportunitytopartnerwithotherprogramsonColumbia’scampus.

Onlysomuchbackgroundresearchcouldguidetheteam;asitevisittowitnessthedevelopmentandmeetthecommunitywasessential.ThestudiotraveledtoYangonfortendaysinOctoberandimmediatelyrealizedtheirresearchwasbreakingnewgroundandreachingcommunitymembers.

“ThereisaverysmallnumberofWesterners,period,whohavedoneresearchinYangon,soinstantlywebecamepluggedintoatight-knitnetworkofacadem-icswhoseemedtohangonoureveryword-even

thoughtheyareclearlytheexperts,”UrbanPlanningstudentDavidPerlmutterremarked.“Wewereabletocontributeknowledgeandlearnfromourclientsinaverymeaningfulway.”

Asthiseraofdevelopmentisstillinitsearlystages,theteamenvisionstheirtimelyrecommendationswillhelptheYHTinadvocatingforappropriatedevelop-mentandconservingspacesofvalue.Thestrategicplanfocusesonissuesoftransparencyandequity,economicdiversity,culturalinclusiveness,habitabilityandaffordability,andcommunityintegration.Usingin-ternationalcasestudies,theteamdevelopedaframe-worktoexplainfactorsthatcontributetodisplacementwhichguidedtheirstrategicrecommendations.“OurvisionforafutureYangonforeseesacitywhoseuniquebuiltheritageisconserved,inwhichcurrentresidentsandbusinessesareabletoremaininasus-tainableplace,andwhosemodernizationfostersthegrowthofanequitable,habitableandvibrantcity,”thefinalreportconcludes.Thefinalreportwillbepub-lishedwithgeneroussupportfromtheWorldMonu-mentsFund.

Yangon at a Turning Point: Progress, Heritage, and Community

On the cover

Fromleft,planningstudentPeterErwin,preservationstu-dentAlexCorey,andplanningstudentsJetRichardsonandDavidPerlmutteronsiteinYangon.

GraduationOnWednesdayMay20,57talentedindividualsenteredtheUrbanPlanningprofession.TheClassof2015includ-edthreedualHistoricPreservation/UrbanPlanninggraduates,twoArchitecture/UrbanPlanninggraduates,twoSIPA/UrbanPlanninggraduates,andoneMBA/UrbanPlanninggraduate.Fortheiracademicachievements,thesisworkandtravelproposals,thestudentslistedbelowwereawardedthefollowinghonors.Congratulationsandbestwishesontheirfutureendeavors!

Charles Abrams Thesis AwardforathesisthatbestexemplifiesacommitmenttosocialjusticeYesminVegaValdiviesoService Provision in the Slums: The Case of La Perla in San Juan, Puerto RicoAdvisor:RobertBeauregard

Planning Challenge AwardforathesisthatmakesasubstantivecontributiontoourunderstandingofacontemporaryplanningissuePhilipBetheilCommunity Involvement and the Reuse of Rail Rights-of-WayAdvisor:ElliottSclar

Planning Research Design Awardforathesisthatexemplifiesacommitmenttoresearchmethodologyand/orplanningtechniquesAnnaOurslerMining Urban HeatAdvisor:ElliottSclar

American Institute of Certified Planners Outstanding Student AwardforoutstandingattainmentinthestudyofPlanningFranziskaGrimm

Urban Planning Program AwardforhighacademicattainmentJessicaGeorge

New York Chapter of the American Planning Associa-tion’s AwardforacademicexcellenceandleadershipinUrbanPlanningOliviaJovine

Peer to Peer Award foroutstandingservicetoclassmates,faculty,andschoolMatthewDo

Percival Goodman Fellowship Winner: Houman Saberi

William Kinne Fellows Traveling AwardsTheseawardsaregrantedonthemeritofproposalssub-mittedfortravelabroadincorporatingthestudyofarchitec-ture,includingplanningandotherspecializedaspectsofarchitecture.

Bordering:ATypologicalStudyoftheUSA-MexicoBorderasaConstructionDifferenceUshmaThakrar(UP)YesminVegaValdivieso(UP)

TheSiegeofSarajevo:Erase,Memorialize,ReplicateorReinterpret?AnnaOursler(M.ARCH/UP)withSabrinaBarker(M.Arch/RED)

VisualizingEconomicRestructuringintheRioGrandeVal-leyofTexasandChihuahuaPeterErwin(UP)MaxwellHoldhusen(UP)

CURE AwardTograduateswhohaveexcelledintheadvancementoftransdisciplinaryresearchinurbandevelopment

JordannaLacoste(UP)SerenaLi(M.Arch/UP)

Anarchitect,planner,andartist,PercivalGoodmanbuiltandunbuiltprojectsinspiredbyhisstrongcom-mitmenttosocialideals.RaymondLifchez,M.Arch.‘57,GSAPPFaculty1961-70generouslyfundedthePercivalGoodmanFellowshipinhonorofhisfor-merteacher,colleague,andfriendatColumbia.TheFellowshipannuallyprovides$20,000foraGSAPPstudenttoundertakeaprojectofsocialsignificanceupongraduation.Thisyear,UrbanPlanningstudentHoumanSaberiistherecipientofthisprestigiousaward,becomingthefirstplanningstudenttowintheawardonhisorherownsinceitsinceptionin2008.

Houmanargueshisproject’stopichasnotbeenadequatelyaddressedbyplannersbutisamajorurbanconcern:unequalinternetaccess.“Mypro-posedprojectseekstoaddtotheplanningpracticebyre-conceptualizingthedigitaldivideasanaturalarenaforactivistplannerstodeploytheirskills,”saysHouman.HisprojectpartnerswiththeRedHookIni-tiative,anorganizationworkingtoexpandthelimitednetworkoffreepublicWiFiinRedHookHouses,the

city’ssecondlargestpublichousingdevelopment.Roughly82%ofRedHook’spopulationlivesinthedevelopment,meaningtheaccesstothepreeminentinfrastructureofthe21stcenturyisincrediblyunequalintheneighborhood.

Hisprojectincludesthreedeliverables.First,hewilldevelopasiteanalysisofRedHookHousescreatingaGeographicInformationSystem(GIS)todeterminewherefutureWiFinodesshouldbeinstalled.Notonlyisthisalogisticalmeasure,butHoumanintendstorecommendsiteswhereWiFiwillactivatephysicalspacesandenrichcommunityactivities.

Secondly,hewilltrainthreeRedHookHousesres-identstobe“DigitalStewards,”usingGIStoprob-lem-solvewithintheircommunityinthefuture.Finally,HoumanwilldevelopatrainingprogramforotherresidentsonthebasicsofWiFiconnectivityandhowtoaccessthenetworkintheeventofanemergency.CongratulationstoHoumanandhisuseofUrbanPlanningasadisciplinetoaddressthedigitaldivide.

Spring Studios

The Feasibility of Micro Housing in Westchester County Studio,ledbyEldadGothelf,workedwiththePlanningCom-missionerofWestchesterCountyEdwardBuroughsanalyzingquantitativeandqualitativedataonamacro/county-wideleveltounderstandchangingdemographics,stateofhousingavailability,affordability,andmigrationpatternsinandoutofWestchester.Combinedwithresearchonmicro-housingtypology,theiranalysisdeterminedthesocial,political,physicalandfinancialconditionsunderwhichMicro-HousingwouldbefeasibleataproposedsiteinTarrytown.•Inthecontextofachangingnationalhealthcaresystemandacityplaguedwithunsettlinghealthdisparities,theHealth Empowerment Dis-trict: Recommendations for a Community Health Partnership in Bushwick, Brooklyn & Ridgewood, Queens Studio,ledbyRobertaFennessyandDanielWindsor,representstheconvergenceofthreemainthemes:publichealth,thebuiltenvironment,andacommunity-basedpartnershipaimingtoempowerapopulationtotakeownershipofitswellbeing.Thecontentsofthereportoutlinerecommendationsthestudioteamhasdevelopedasacademicconsultantsforitsclient,Wy-ckoffHeightsMedicalCenter(WHMC),basedinBrooklyn,NewYork.•Berlin / New York: The Legacy of Modern Era Housing Development Studio,ledbyKajaKühl,exploredurbandesignandcommunityresearchmethodsthatsupportaneconomic,ecologicalandsociallysustainablefutureforNeu-Hohenschönhausen,oneofthelastlarge-scalehousinges-tatescompletedinEastBerlinbeforethefalloftheBerlinWall25yearsago.AtopicnotuniquetoBerlin,themulti-scalarframeworkdevelopedbythestudiotoenvisionthefuturecallsformorediversity,densityandsustainabilityandwillbevalu-ableacrosstheAtlantictoensurethislegacyofaffordabledecenthousing.•The Resilient Island Culture Studio,ledbyMichaelFishman,addressedhousingandresiliencyissuesonStatenIslandintheaftermathofHurricaneSandywithclient,MaketheRoadNewYork.ThestudioproposesaCommunityLandTrustonStatenIsland’sEastShore,inconjunctionwithaResiliencyLandTrust,toensuresustainedhousingsecurityfortheEastShorecommunity,andperpetualenvironmentalsecurityforStatenIslandasawhole.•ThegoalofthePlanning for Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) Studio,ledbyEthelSheffer,wastodeterminehowtoachieveintendedfunctionsofPOPS–relievingdensity,facilitatingcirculation,andbeautifyingthecity-throughimprovingtheregulationoftheiroperation,design,andmaintenance.Throughresearch-ingandobservingthe99POPSinthestudyareaforclient,Manhattan’sCommunityBoard5,thestudiofoundthereisanopportunitytostrikeagreaterbalancebetweenpublicbenefitandprivateinterest,andputforthrecommendationsthatwillallowmorePOPStobecometruepublicamenities.•The Chengdu South Railway Station: Planning a New Hub Studio,ledbyGaryRoth,studieda50hectaresitecurrentlyslatedforredevelopmentintoamajortransithubforthecityofChengdu.Theirproposallookstousethebuiltformofthesitetocreateafunctionaltransit-orienteddevelopment,whichthroughtheimplementationofspecificproposalsincludingsocialinstitutions,greenspace,andhousing,willalsoprovideforequitabledevelopmentthatrespectstheidentityandcultureofChengdu.

This spring, the Urban Planning program offered six studio sections for first-year students. The studio course is always a highly anticipated though de-manding portion of a student’s curriculum. These six projects covered timely issues of housing, transit-oriented development, healthy communities, public space, and post-disaster planning. The studies took students across the five boroughs, Westchester County, and beyond to Germany and China. Each of the studio’s full reports are published online and available for viewing: http://www.arch.columbia.edu/programs/urban-planning/studios

Atleft:TheMicroHousingstudioreleasedasurveytogaugeinterestinsmall-scalehousingandlivinginWestchesterCounty.Aboveleft:StudentstraveledtoChinatovisittheirsite,theChengduRailwayStation,inMarch.Abovemiddle:ThePOPSstudiovisitedall99privatelyownedpublicspacesinCommunityBoard5,takingnoteofuseractivityandcompliancewithpolicies.Aboveright:First-yearstudentsPatrickKazyakandIreneUytooktothefieldtodevelopthecommunityprofileforBushwickandRidgewood.Below:Duringspringbreak,studentstraveledtoBerlinforfieldwork.Onthebackcover:TheResilientIslandCulturestudiosurveyedSandy-affectedlandparcelsaspartoftheirsiteanalysis.

Faculty NewsProgram Director Lance Freemanwasappointedco-editoroftheAmericanSociologicalAssociation’sCity & Community JournalinDecember,2014.

Duringtheacademicyear,Professor Robert Be-auregardhegaveanumberofinvitedtalksincluding,“MakingtheCityoftheFuture”attheLaboratorioExpoinMilan;“ShrinkingCitiesintheUnitedStates”attheSchoolofPolicy,RyukokuUniversity,Kyoto;“PlanninginaMaterialWorld”attheSchoolofPlan-ning,NationalTaiwanUniversity,Taipei;and“WhenBuildingsDecay,andCitiesDecline”attheSeminaronDecaysponsoredbytheAx-SonJohnsonFounda-tionatHarvardUniversity.Hepublishedtwoarticles:“ShrinkingCities”intheInternational Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences,2ndEdition,Vol.21,and“ThePoliticalComplexitiesofDevelopment”inReviews in American History 43.

Professor Elliott Sclarpublishedhisarticle“ThePoliticalEconomicsofInvestmentUtopia:Public–Pri-vatePartnershipsforUrbanInfrastructureFinance”intheJournal of Economic Policy Reform,Fall2014.Hisnewbook,Urban Access for the 21st Centu-ry: Finance and Governance Models for Transport Infrastructure,co-editedbySclar,MansLonnrothandChristianWolmarwasreleasedbyEarthscaninlate2014.

Inthefirsthalfof2015,Assistant Professor Clara IrazábaldeliveredinvitedtalksatUniversityofCal-iforniaatBerkeley;ConcordiaUniversity,Montreal,Canada;UniversityCollegeLondon,UK;andCUNY.ShealsoeditedOrdinary Places/Extraordinary Events: Citizenship, Democracy, and Public Space in Latin Americaintheseries:Planning,HistoryandEnvironmentforRoutledge,Taylor&FrancisGroup,andco-authored“TheLearningAllianceMethodol-ogy:ContributionsandChallengesforMulticulturalPlanninginHealthServiceProvision.Acase-studyinKent,UK”inPlanning Theory and Practice.

InJanuary,Adjunct Associate Professor Ethel Sheffer,FAICP,wasappointedastheMayor’srepre-sentativeofthePublicDesignCommissionforNewYorkCity.ThePDCreviewspermanentworksofart,architectureandlandscapearchitectureproposedonoroverCity-ownedproperty,andactsascaretakerandcuratoroftheCity’spublicartcollection.

Thisyear,Adjunct Associate Professor Andrea KahnparticipatedinvariouseventsrelatedtotheEuropeanUnionInterreg-fundedurbanlandscapeandplanningresearchproject“SiteSpecificDesignasaDrivingForceforHarborTransformation”:astudytriptotheharborsofNantes&St.Nazaire,aHarbor

UrbanPlanningfacultyrepresentationatGSAPPEventsthisyearincludedAssistantProfessorStaceySuttonparticipatinginthemultidisciplinarypanelforJanuary’sWeCan’tBreatheEventinLowLibraryandAssistantProfessorClaraIrazábalmoderat-ingthesessiononGovernanceintheHousingtheMajorityconferenceinApril.

(Faculty news, continued) PlanningWorkshopinOslo,anda2-dayinternation-alsymposium,“BeyondBestPractice:AppreciatingSite-SpecificQualities”,inMalmö,Swedenasakey-notespeaker,sessionmoderatorandpanelist.

Adjunct Assistant Professor Marcela Tovarpar-ticipatedintheNoCeilingReporteventthisMarch,launchedbytheBill&MelindaGatesFoundationandtheClintonFoundation.Theeventcelebratedachieve-mentsandchallengesofwomenaroundtheworldsincetheBeijingInternationalAgreement20yearsago.TovarkindlyincludedstudentsinherPoliticalofInternationalPlacemakingclass;SecretaryClintonacknowledgedpubliclytheirpresenceduringherseg-mentonenvironmentandclimatechange.

Onbehalfofthefaculty,students,andadministrationoftheUrbanPlanningprogram,wewanttothankde-partingfacultymembersStacey SuttonandXin Li for theirincredibleservicetoColumbiaGSAPP.StaceySuttonjoinedtheprogramasanAssistantProfessor

Tosomestudents,therangeofstudieswithinthefieldofurbanplanningcanmakechoosinganareaoffocusdifficult.NotforOliviaJovine,whograduatedinMay.SheknewhergoalsfortheUrbanPlanningprogrambeforeevenapplying.WhileworkingforanarchitecturalfirminChina,shewitnessedfromafarthedestructionHurricaneSandybroughttothecity.Withanacadem-icbackgroundinenvironmentalscienceandurbanstudies,Oliviafeltacalltoactiontopursueacareerindisasterplanning.“Asamillennial,Ifeelit’smydutytomitigateclimatechange,”shesaid.

Student-Author: Olivia Jovine

in2006.DuringhertimeatColumbia,sheestab-lishedtheCommunity&CapitalActionResearchLabandtaughtimportantcoursesincommunitydevelop-mentandneighborhoodchange.WewishProfessorSuttonthebestofluckasshejoinsthefacultyattheUniversityofIllinoisatChicago’sCollegeofUrbanPlanningandPublicAffairs.VisitingAssistantPro-fessorXinLiwillalsodepartafterspendingthepasttwoyearsatColumbiaGSAPP,servingasathesisadvisorandteachingcoursesonurbandevelopmentandplanninginChina.Forthefallof2015wewel-cometwonewvisitingprofessorsfortheacademicyear,Joyce Rosenthal andYuan Xiao.RosenthalwillbereturningtoColumbiaafterfinishingherPhDinUrbanPlanningherein2010.MostlyrecentlyshewasanAssistantProfessorofUrbanPlanningattheHarvardGraduateSchoolofDesign.XiaocompletedherPhDinUrbanPlanningatMITandhasworkedasaresearchscholaratColumbiaLawSchoolandasaconsultantfortheWorldBank.

Duringhertimeintheprogram,OliviatookanextensivecourseloadinenvironmentalplanningincludingtwostudioprojectswhichbothevolvedasaresultofHurricaneSandy.Howevershealsofoundthetimetodosomethingnotonmostmasterstudents’minds:publishabook.

Disaster Preparedness NYC,publishedinJanuarybySkyhorsePublishing,isa264-pageguideofwhattodo“beforeandaftertheworsthappens.”Therearechaptersoneverykindofcatastrophe,fromseverewinterstormstoextremeheat,outlininghowtoprepare,respondandsurvivethemall.ContentforthebookwaspulledfromOlivia’scoursestudies,outsideresearch,andthesiswork.Disaster Preparedness NYCisavailableatColumbia’sbookstoreandthroughmajorbookretailers.Forheraccomplishments,OliviawasfeaturedthisMayinColumbiaUniversity’sGreatGraduatesseries.Toreadmore,visit:http://news.columbia.edu/Olivia-Jovine-Class-of-2015

Beyond the Classroom

Master’sandPhDstudentsmadethetimetotraveltoconferencesthisyear,particularlytotheAssociation of Collegiate Schools of Planning Annual Con-ferenceandtheAmerican Planning Association Conference.HeldinPhiladelphia,the2014ACSPconference“BigIdeas,GlobalImpacts”broughtexceptionalColumbiarepresentationbyfacultyandstudents.EllaVer(MSUP‘14)acceptedtheDonSchönAwardforExcellenceinLearningfromPracticeforherthesis,whichshealsopresented,TeensandImprovisedGatheringSpaces:AStudyofAppropriationofOutdoorPlaces.FacultypresentincludedClaraIrazábal,moderatorforthesession,ConflictandSocialMovementintheLatinAmericanCity;PeterMarcuse,roundtableparticipantforTheEvolutionofPlanningThought;DavidKingmoderatorforManagingCurbAccessformorethanCarsandpresenterofthepaperNoParking?AccommodatingMultipleUsersattheCurb;ElliottSclarpresenterofPublicGoodsandPrivateGoods:TheTradeoffsofPublicPrivatePartnershipsforInfrastructureFinance;andLanceFreemanpresenterofWhiteEntryintoBlackNeighborhoods:AdventofaNewEra?Thefollowingpaperswerepresentedbydoctoralcandi-

dates:FoodAccessandtheBrownsvilleYouthmar-ket(DoryKornfeld);AreBarriosGoodorBad?TheEffectedofMetropolitanAreaSegregationonLatinAccesstoOpportunity(JustinSteil);HousingAs-sistanceandNeighborhoodSatisfactioninaCom-parativePerspective:EvidencefromtheUSandUK(AdeleCassolaandLanceFreeman);andLearningfromControversy:FindingtheDemocraticPotentialinTechnicalSystemsofGovernance(JohnWest).Additionally,PhDstudentAlexisPerrottaorganizedthepanel,QuestioningtheBoundariesofPublicTransportation,moderatedbyfellowstudentEricGoldwyn,recipientofa2014ACSPTravelAward.Withinthepanel,Columbiastudentspresentedpapers:TransitFarePolicyandtheWelfareState:FindingsfromNYC(AlexisPerrotta);DoesCentral-izedPlanningMarginalizeNicheCommunities?(EricGoldwyn);andAssessingtheRhetoricofTransitOrientedDevelopment(LaurenFischer).Overthirtymaster’sstudentsalsotraveledtoSeattle,Washing-toninAprilfortheAPAConference,spendingfourdaysenjoyingunseasonablybeautifulweatherwhileattendinginnovativesessionsontopicsfrombicycleplanningtowaterfrontdesignguidelines.

• Aspecialendofspringsemes-terissueofUrban Magazine wasreleasedinMay,entitledFirstPerson.Editorswritethattheissue“attemptstoexplorethelesser-seensidesofon-goingstudentwork.”Storiesincludephotoessaysfromstudiotravel,intricaciesofthesisanddissertationresearch,andareflectionontheVisionGroup’seffortsthisyear.Thefullissue,alongwithallpastUrbanMagazines,isavailabledigitallyat:http://www.arch.columbia.edu/programs/urban-planning/urban-magazine

• TheUrbanPlanningProgram CouncilandthePlan-ning Student Organization(PSO)hadanespeciallyactiveyear.TheProgramCouncil,whichiscomprisedofpeer-votedclassrepresentatives,undertookavisioningprocessfortheprogram(picturedtopleft).Thisinvolvedastudentsurvey,meetingwithfacultyandDeanAndraos,andseveralinformaldiscussionsamongprogramconstituentstodevelopcohesivegoalsandanidentityfortheUPprogram.ManyProgramCoun-cilinitiativestooktheformofinauguralPSOevents,including“What’sYourDayJob,”apecha-kuchastylepresentationforadjunctfaculty(picturedbottomleft);aforumonthestateofplanningeducationwithGSAPPfaculty;anda“HowtoCharrette”activitywithplannerJamesRojas,therecentrecipientofthe2015Plan-ningAdvocateAwardofExcellencebytheCaliforniaChapteroftheAmericanPlanningAssociation.PSOstillfoundthetimetohosteventsofamoresocialandcommunity-buildingnature,fromtheannualParkingDayparticipation(picturedmiddleleft)toanurbanismthemedscavengerhuntandholidaypot-luck(picturedoppositepage.ThankstoallstudentleadersfortheireffortsthisyearinbothProgramCouncilandPSO.

• Inthespringof2015,DeanAndraosandtheUPVisionGrouplaunchedThe Future of Planning Forum,afivepartlectureseries.Duringone-hourlunchtimetalks,planningpractitionersspokeononekeyideatheyfelttobeintegraltothefutureofthefield.ThetalksincludedOperativebyLeahMeisterlinofBarnardCollegeandOffice:MG;PrivatizationbyMartinMurrayofUniversi-tyofMichigan’sTaubmanCollegeofUrbanPlanning;IntensitybyCraigAllchinofSixDegreesUrban;Uncer-taintybyMaryKimballofNYCDCP;andBureaucracy byFinnWilliamsoftheGreaterLondonAuthority.

‘til next year!

©2015UrbanPlanningProgram,GraduateSchoolofArchitecture,PlanningandPreservation,ColumbiaUniversity,413AveryHall,1172AmsterdamAvenueNewYork,NewYork10027