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Feature Articles |
Learning Outside Of The BoxOctober 15, 2004By Kathleen FloodUrbanPlan is ULI Los Angeles’ successful service-learning program designed to educate young people about the urban-planning process and instill the desire and skills to improve the urban fabric of their communities. Structured as a competition, UrbanPlan is an extracurricular team-building exercise offered through selected high schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District LAUSD). Through UrbanPlan, ULI LA Has helped to establish community planning and development as part of the LAUSD classroom curriculum that is taught by LAUSD teachers with support from ULI LA’s volunteers who have special expertise in urban planning, finance, and the development process. ULI LA finances and organizes classroom support, stages the competition, and raise scholarship funds for winners of the UrbanPlan contest. “ULI’s UrbanPlan is redefining the education model,” says J. Lloyd Jacobs, LAUSD director of high school programs. “By learning about planning, financing, design, community outreach, and construction, students gain an understanding of the complex issues facing everyone in today’s urban environment. We love how this program brings professionals into the classroom.” For the 2004 kick-off event held last March, the UrbanPlan committee gathered students, their teachers, and school administrators at Union Station and embarked on a field trip focusing on emerging transit oriented developments (TODs) located along the LA Metro Gold Line. The train-stop classroom event enabled students to learn first-hand from two TOD project development teams and tour the sites under construction. “This year’s event spotlighted one of today’s most important real estate trends – transit villages – which offer development solutions to issues such as congestion, sprawl, urban revitalization, and California’s severe housing and jobs imbalance,” said Phil Friedl, vice-president of W.E. O’Neil Construction Company, who chaired the day-long adventure. Annually, the competition kicks off with the spring semester. Student participation doubled over the prior year and participating LAUSD high schools grew from four to five, including Cleveland, Kennedy, Reseda, 32nd Street USC Magnet, and Woodrow Wilson. The program divided 160 students into 32 teams that were required to overcome true-to-life environmental, political, and financial challenges. In the UrbanPlan competition, students become developers competing to redevelop a 5.5-block area in a hypothetical downtown redevelopment zone. Students form development teams that analyze and respond in an RFP-modeled process to the city’s criteria. The ‘CIA’ team from Reseda High won the 2004 competition. Upon winning, one of the four team members, Eric Benavidez said, “My participation in UrbanPlan will definitely help me in preparing for my career in engineering.” The competition provided students with hands-on experience in developing realistic hand-use solutions and helped them to understand the trade offs between public and private interests. The program included submission of written proposals, oral presentations and construction of three-dimensional scale models of their plans. Each member of the winning team received $1,000 towards college expenses. “UrbanPlan was an amazing, awesome experience,” says Nicole Bandy, a member of the 2004 winning team. For the 2005 UrbanPlan competition that will begin in January, ULI Los Angeles anticipates the possible participation of 180 students comprising 36 teams from six high schools with participation from at least six teachers. ULI LA’s future plans for the program include working with the teachers and the LAUSD administration to develop tracking on test results and grades in math, computer skills, and language arts. If possible, ULI LA and the LAUSD will track college entrance results among the participating students for comparison with school’s college entrance results at large. “The unique thing about UrbanPlan is that it works with students at all levels and helps them to be better citizens by understanding how to improve their community. In some cases, it has turned them on to the value of education,” adds Rebecca Martinez, director of marketing for Cuningham Group Architecture PA., and 2004-2005 UrbanPlan co-chair. “UrbanPlan is multi-disciplinary and challenges students in the areas of public speaking, communications, team dynamics, creativity, decision-making and community values. If, as a ULI LA member, you are interested in making a difference, join us on the UrbanPlan committee. We are also in need of continuing funding for program support and scholarships, as well as underwriting for field trips.” Generously supporting the 2003-2004 program were: The Ahmanson Foundation, the Bank of America Foundation, Beacon Capital Partners, Laura Benson, California National Bank, Civic Enterprise Associates LLC, Los Angeles LDC, Morley Builders, the O’Neil Foundation, the Swinerton Foundation, TMK Associates, W.E. O’Neil Construction Company, and Urban Reinventions. Kathleen Flood is Principal of Flood Communications Group. | |
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