News

MUPs attend APA Conference

In September nearly 40 MUPs mingled with planning professionals at the Southern New England American Planning Association conference in Hartford, Connecticut. During the daylong trip, students were able to attend sessions on topics including sustainability, transportation, land use, and public participation.
Will Cohen (MUP ’13) said of the day, “The conference was deeply informative. In school we learn a huge amount about planning history and ideals, and studios give us a chance to explore solutions to problems when we remove real-world constraints. The conference served as a good counterbalance to that—not only were many of the attendees dealing with the day-to-day realities of planning in New England, but we got a chance to see how they attempt to integrate those regular duties with their understandings and ideals of how to improve the built environment.”
A highlight was a lunchtime session where students participated in a roundtable with planning professionals from a variety of fields. The professional planners acted as mentors and allowed students to ask questions about the actuality of planning. GSD students also had the opportunity to meet other planning students from New England.
Photo: Will Cohen