Dear Sir/ Madam,

I am a person who always gets fascinated with the way our cities work. I grew up appreciating the historical cities and settlements in my home country and have observed rapid changes taking place in these areas due to unplanned urbanization. Today, with the rapid increase in population, much of the historical spaces and entities have either been encroached upon or overshadowed by the modern frenzy developments. The historic core areas and other metropolitan cities now faced with many challenges from housing to informal sectors and slums to management of river environment, solid waste and transportation services. Can we not conserve these cities and integrate with the modern development needs of the local people? To fulfill my quest for answers, I chose my Master’s thesis subject on heritage conservation and development pressure which helped me understand the problem to some extent. However, after having worked in some urban development projects, it became clear that I need to learn more about the subject and understand better how other cities around the world have successfully manage to sustain their heritage and at the same time cope with the development pressure. In future, my aim is to work closely with the government and international institutions in my country or abroad in the development and planning sector as an urban manager.

The IHS is regarded as one of the leading institutions in the world for urban studies and my degree in urban management and development will be crucial in achieving my objective to become a better urban manager. As a practicing urban planner, my goal is to learn and better equip myself with the tools and techniques of management of urban areas and be able to use it in my profession. With the specialization courses in urban finance, housing, informal sectors, land development and integrated planning and strategies, I would be able to understand the theory and practices around the world which I intend to use in my professional works.

At present I have been working on urban mapping of new emerging towns with the objective of preparation of base map of the study area and analyze the potential growth centers. Earlier, I was also involved in preparation of periodic district development plan of different districts which necessarily focus on the preparation of master plan of the area and identify potential market centers and develop strategies and action plans. I hope this course will help identify problems and develop strategies to direct the growth of emerging market centers and urban areas. One of the key areas for improvements is in innovative project financing schemes and its monitoring and control as well.

One of the areas that my home country has been successful is the Land pooling or land readjustment projects. I have been closely associated with few of these projects and have gained good understanding of the process. Likewise, I have good experience of working in some infrastructure projects such as solid waste transfer station, Bus park Management etc. where I worked in the different capacity. Beside my experience of using computer applications like GIS, CAD, Project management will help in understanding the use of technology in this field of study as well.

Thank you.

Urban planning and management is relatively new to my city development direction. The urbanization is taking its toll in all spheres of life. With unplanned development activities city life is becoming more hard for its dwellers. Even the major cities are still relatively rural in character. This is due to the lack of comprehensive plan and vision to direct the growth of such immerging urban areas. Although the rate of development of new infrastructure are tremendous but not conforming to the broader plan. Projects are developed not on the basis of the local needs or considering regional resources also. There is a lack of approach to plan, implement and finance development projects. As a consequences development works suffers serious setback with most projects do not achieve its objectives. Similarly housing policies and strategies. However, with proper intervention and strategies suitable for urban development in such cases can slowly but surely direct the growth of my city to prosperous and unique place to live and work.

My experience of having lived in historical core city which is rapidly urbanizing have given me thorough insight into the issue of development pressure and conservation needs of such cities. It will be great to share this knowledge with the other colleagues in the university to gain an understanding of the issue and probable strategies to intervene to plan and direct the citys growth. Also, I have quite some experience of planning in rural and specially growing market towns in hills in my country and it will be interesting to share those experiences as well. Also working in diverse ethnic population in a developing country like Nepal will be another

Land pooling has been one of the successful projects in the country and one which I have worked both as a infrastructure engineer and help in land readjustment process.

What are your career intentions? In what specific way should this course help you fulfill these intentions? How would the course you are applying for improve your current job/work? What can you contribute to the course? What expertise and experience will you bring to the course?

NFP:

statements of motivation

the following questions should be answered in this statement:- Why do you wish to pursue this course or programme?- How will your employer benefit from the course or programme?- How will your country benefit from the course or programme?- How will you put your new skills and knowledge to work when you return to your job?

I am writing to apply for the *** scholarship for artists.

I graduated in architecture in March 2003 from the University of ***, Faculty of Architecture in ***, ***. My degree focuses on architectural design and urban planning. I also took several courses in urban management. Through my studies I became fascinated with in issues that affect

urban development and future of urbanity.

The urban metropolitan areas are interesting to study because they are places where different cultures and urban practises encounter each other. In the age of economic globalisation, multimedia communication and transnational migration these urban areas are increasingly changing. On another level [what's the first level??--I'd just use, "Morever, this phenomena..."], this phenomena influence people’s lifestyles and as a result their dwelling practices are changing. [For example, blah....] This affects the Eastern European cities as well as Western European cities. Generally, the urban spaces are in need of new strategies that deal with the problems facing urban development. I am interested in studying the urban condition globally and analysing the urban design strategies and practises of urban space creation. [1]

My diploma project was based on research that I conducted on the new political, economical and social circumstances in my country that affect the urban living. The focus of the project was creation of a new type of collective residence in an urban area that would be able to accommodate the changed life style practises of the urban dweller. In addition, I have successfully participated in domestic and international open competitions that are dealing with the subject of urban condition on different levels. I have a passion for research and am especially interested in further developing my skills in urban research. [2]

The *** in ***, to which I am interested to apply, has been offering a one-year postgraduate program focusing on urban topics since 1999. The design-oriented *** deals with the future of urbanity. The program is both international and interdisciplinary. It is the objective of the *** to develop unusual strategies that transcend purely scientific analysis or design- and planning methods. The one-year *** is divided into two parts: an orientation phase that concentrates more on theory and analysis and a project phase that focuses on the development of methods and strategies. I am very exited by my decision to pursue my Master’s Degree at the ***. I believe that their approach will enable me to acquire knowledge and skills that will help me meet new professional challenges.

I have made the necessary contacts with the *** contact person Ms. XY to ensure that I am eligible to apply for the academic year 2005.

With a solid foundation in academic theory on urban planning and intensive research gained through the Master’s Degree program in urbanism at the ***, I am confident that I will have the skills, knowledge and contacts that will enable me, as architect and urban planner, to deal with the complex issues of the urban condition in my country.

Thank you very much for considering my request. I look forward to your positive response.

Sincerely yours,