My career as a city planner was launched at the University of Pennsylvania, where I was a Master of City Planning student in the School of Design’s City and Regional Planning program during 2003-2005. This rigorous program included coursework with practitioners and studio projects with clients. I loved my time at Penn and in Philadelphia: the city was my classroom.
In my first year, I worked with four other students on the Aronimink Station Area Plan. This vision of this plan was to “create a vibrant main street for Drexel Hill where pedestrians, transit-users, and drivers alike will enjoy shopping, dining and entertainment.” Our student workshop was a component of a larger master plan for Upper Darby Township conducted by the firm Wallace Roberts and Todd. Among the key recommendations in the plan was the formation of a business association. Shortly after our workshop in 2004, we were invited to present the plan at a meeting of local business owners and other stakeholders interested in forming a business association – my first major planning project yielded nearly immediate success, rather than sitting on a shelf as a mere academic exercise! Today, the Aronimink Station Business Association is quite active and collects dues to support sustaining this vibrant neighborhood commercial district.
In my second year, I worked with ten other students on a document called Planning for Equitable Development in West Powelton and its Environs. Our client was People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation. During this project, we met with several neighborhood residents to learn more about their concerns and give us a more in-depth understanding of the community’s dynamics. This study included a review of several different indicators of neighborhood health, propensity for change, and displacement risks. We recommended strategies to mitigate displacement while increasing opportunities for mixed income development. We conducted a parcel survey of the West Powelton neighborhood property conditions, which informed some of my later work including the work I did at People’s Homesteading Group after graduation, as well as in Downtown Lynn several years later.
