Category: Personal Reflections

Economic Development, Personal Reflections, Research Triangle, Transportation

Fall 2016 Workshop Review

Each year, UNC Department of City and Regional Planning students have the opportunity to take a hands-on workshop course; the course is required for second year Master’s students. Workshops usually include client-facing work, collaborating with large teams on complex challenges taking place in a North Carolina community. This fall, the department organized two workshop courses: one focused on economic development, the other on transportation. Below … Continue reading Fall 2016 Workshop Review

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Personal Reflections, Social Justice

Planners as Warriors

A few weeks prior to the election I was asked to facilitate the first Plan for All Safe Space. Plan for All is a sub-committee of the student governing body of the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning (DCRP); its mission is to increase inclusivity, equity, diversity, and social justice within DCRP and the broader planning profession. The concept of a “Safe Space” emerged … Continue reading Planners as Warriors

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Personal Reflections, Placemaking and Design

Little Boxes on a Hillside: A Review of New Urbanism

As a design and development practice, New Urbanism (NU) emerged in response to widespread suburban sprawl across the United States. The movement seeks to create vibrant, healthy, and sustainable communities through human-scale urban design. NU’s fundamental tenants include walkability, connectivity, mixed uses, architectural diversity, green infrastructure, and increased density. But it’s rise in popularity since the 1980’s has not been without controversy. Critics of NU … Continue reading Little Boxes on a Hillside: A Review of New Urbanism

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Food Systems, Personal Reflections

Uber Eats and the Image of the City

The sharing economy is a seemingly unstoppable force in the modern global economy. It is changing the way the smartphone owner travels, books a room, and most pertinent to me, how they order delivery food. After reflecting on my brief stint as a bicycle courier, I realized that my deliveries took me to places I would’ve never considered visiting otherwise. I moved to Washington, DC … Continue reading Uber Eats and the Image of the City

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International, Original Research, Personal Reflections

A New Perspective on Resilience: The Importance of Context in Durban, South Africa

As planners, many of us are familiar with Scott Campbell’s sustainable development triangle, which calls for a balance between ‘Social Justice,’ ‘Economic Growth,’ and’ Environmental Protection’.1 During the planning process, should we focus on bus services that are cheaper and accessible to lower income citizens? Or train lines that produce fewer carbon emissions? Are new developments that revitalize a neighborhood’s economy worth the risk of displacement … Continue reading A New Perspective on Resilience: The Importance of Context in Durban, South Africa

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Original Research, Personal Reflections, Social Justice

Rap and the American City

At its genesis, Hip-Hop was a perverse art form breaking away from cultural norms and mainstream sounds. It’s vibrancy attracted people, it encompassed rapping, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti. The Godfather of Hip-Hop, Afrika Bambaataa, started this community through block parties in the Bronx as a way to unite young people through the medium of music. Furthermore, Lisa Alexander described hip-hop as a way for the … Continue reading Rap and the American City

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Personal Reflections

How to Keep it Real During the First Semester of Grad School

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Carolina Planning Journal. Every so often, it’s important to take a step back and consider life’s priorities and challenges. After my first semester towards earning a Masters degree in city and regional planning at UNC, I have this advice for my … Continue reading How to Keep it Real During the First Semester of Grad School

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Personal Reflections, Social Justice

When Nature Calls: The Right to the Restroom

In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly declared sanitation a basic human right, but even urban centers like New York City lack adequate public restrooms to serve the millions of residents and tourists. New York restaurants that contain 19 or fewer seats are not legally required to contain restrooms, but police can still charge citizens with a misdemeanor offense for urinating in public when they … Continue reading When Nature Calls: The Right to the Restroom

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Personal Reflections, Social Justice

Not the Only One in the Room

For the past three years, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning’s (ACSP) diversity organization has hosted a workshop geared towards students of color who are interested in pursuing doctoral studies in planning and related fields. Levels of diversity in planning institutions are dismally low. In order to transform planning discourse, it is essential to change the demographics and perspectives of planning students. I participated in the 2015 workshop, which … Continue reading Not the Only One in the Room

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