How Does the UrbanPlan Program Work in the Classroom?

In this 15+-class hour unit, students form five person teams and respond to a redevelopment agency’s “Request for Proposal” for the redevelopment of a 5-1/2-block site in the hypothetical city of Yorktown. Their goal is to win the contract from the city. In the process, the teams must

• Read and analyze complex information,
• Resolve challenging financial, social, political, aesthetic and environmental issues
• Employ a computer-based financial spreadsheet to test economic returns,
• Create a three dimensional model of their site,
• Balance the often conflicting public and private sector needs and wants of city government, neighborhood residents, and investors,
• Present their proposal to a “City Council” composed of land use professionals that awards the development contract to the winning team.

Each team member assumes one of five roles, financial officer, marketing director, city liaison, and neighborhood liaison. Each role contributes a different, essential component to the solution. Students gather and analyze information, then advocate within their group for the issues associated with their role. Through the roles, students develop a visceral understanding of the various stakeholders in the urban development process and the challenge of reconciling the stakeholders’, often competing agendas to create a well-designed, sustainable project.

Over the course of the project and prior to presentations before the “City Council,” local land use professionals, who have attended extensive UP training, visit the classroom and interact with the student teams 2 to 4 times. Urban planners, economists, market analysts, attorneys, architects, developers, city managers, redevelopment agency officers, and lenders have participated in the program.

“Facilitators,” challenge the students to think more critically about the UrbanPlan issues and their specific “job” responsibilities (Finance, Marketing, Site Planner, City Liaison, or Neighborhood Liaison). This is the most critical role the volunteers play. Facilitators visit the class at least twice.

“Presenters” relate the issues, challenges and decisions they face in their own local projects to those the students are struggling with in UP. Far from the boredom of “talking head” professionals, UP Presenters engage the students in dialogue about the challenges they share as “fellow land use professionals.” Presenters appear at the teacher’s option.

Through complex problem solving and interaction with public and private sector land use professionals, students’ learn that the issues addressed, and the skills employed in coming to an UP solution represent a “real world” situation.