VCU news

By Mike Porter

Seven recent graduates of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning program will present their work at the Governor’s Transportation Conference, which takes place Nov. 12-14 in Roanoke.

The presenters, who all graduated in the spring of 2014, will share the professional plans created as part of their “studio two” capstone class in a session titled “Millennials Placemaking in Action: Seven Innovative Ideas for Every Community.”

“Each student created a professional plan, which is similar to a master's thesis in scope and level of work required of the student and is the primary capstone experience in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs,” said John Accordino, Ph.D., professor of planning and director of the Center for Urban and Regional Analysis at VCU.

“The VCU program, now in its 42nd year, is widely respected in Virginia and beyond, especially among employers, for its focus on teaching practice-oriented professional planning skills,” Accordino said.  

Most of the graduate presenters have already landed planning jobs with local and state offices or with private employers, ranging from Virginia Department of Transportation offices in Richmond and Williamsburg, to the Better Housing Coalition and the City of Richmond Economic and Community Development Department.

The graduates aren’t novices in sharing their work with others. In May, they were among a group of 19 students who presented plans or thesis ideas during the third annual "VCU Plan-Off!!!" The competition allows students to share their ideas for addressing a real planning issue or opportunity to a panel of professional judges.

A member of the audience shared her positive impressions of the plans with the Office of the Virginia Secretary of Transportation. The students’ work turned out to be a good fit for the transportation conference’s “Driving Virginia’s Economy: Focusing on the Future” session on Friday.

“The students' plans, especially the innovativeness of their ideas and the polished, professional manner in which they were conceptualized and delivered, fit very well with the third segment of this year's conference, which addresses the future,” said planning instructor James Smither, who coordinated the students’ participation in the conference and will attend with them.

The planning graduates and their topics:

·  Alex Beatty, who will discuss transit-oriented neighborhoods in his plan about bus rapid transit on West Broad Street in Richmond.

·  Kaila McClead, who will present on the topic of wayfinding in her proposal to help Hanover County highlight historical assets.

·  Ken Shannon, who will focus on civic engagement in his plan to help residents of the Williamsburg area remain engaged in understanding transportation goals.

·  Naomi Siodmok, who will discuss boomers and millennials in her revitalization plan for a section of Hull Street Road in Chesterfield County.

·  Josh Son, who will present on immediate community impact in his plan, which employs tactical urbanisim as a template for effective, long-term planning.

·  Geoff Urda, who will discuss transit-oriented destinations in his proposal for a bus rapid transit stop to serve a potential baseball stadium in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom area.

·  Shawn Winter, who will focus on bicycle safety in his plan, which aims to make Richmond more bicycle friendly.

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